PeoplesBank Purchases Naming Rights to Wolf Pack's Home Arena

The Hartford Wolf Pack will be playing in a newly-named building this season.

Holyoke, Massachusetts-based community bank PeoplesBank has purchased the naming rights to the Wolf Pack's home arena, building management revealed earlier today. The building will now be known as the PeoplesBank Arena.

The agreement lasts for ten years, and the terms were not disclosed.

The building has been searching for a new naming rights partner since XL Group, a Bermuda-based insurance company with headquarters in Stamford, opted not to renew the license in June 2024. The building retained the XL Center name while management searched for a new partner.

Originally opened as the Hartford Civic Center in 1975, the building hosted the New England/Hartford Whalers, UConn men's and women's basketball, and occasional Boston Celtics games. The Celtics last played regular season games in Hartford in 1995, and the Whalers departed for Raleigh, North Carolina just two years later.

The Rangers moved their AHL affiliate from Binghamton, New York, into the newly vacant arena in 1997, and the team began play as the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Wolf Pack, who took on the Connecticut Whale name from 2010 through 2013, have called the arena their home ever since.

XL Group purchased the naming rights to the Hartford Civic Center in December 2007, and the building took on the XL Center name. Now, the building takes on its third name as it undergoes a significant renovation project.

"This [renovation] is going to be heart and center of what we’re trying to do with the revitalization of Hartford," Connecticut governor Ned Lamont remarked at the introductory press conference earlier today. "Remember PeoplesBank, they're a really good partner for us."

Renovations are expected to be completed in time for the start of the Wolf Pack's 2025-26 season.