History
The city-owned arena opened beside Mile High Stadium in August 1975, timed for the Nuggets' final ABA seasons. The NHL arrived in 1976 with the Colorado Rockies, who stayed until 1982.
The Nuggets stayed through the 1998-99 season, and the Avalanche played there from 1995, hosting Games 1 and 2 of the 1996 Stanley Cup Final. The arena also staged the 1990 Final Four, the 1984 NBA All-Star Game and UFC's first event in 1993.
By the late 1990s its narrow concourses, few suites and substandard locker rooms made it obsolete. Both teams moved to the Pepsi Center, and McNichols was demolished in early 2000; its site is now stadium parking.
Why it matters: It was the home of Denver's NBA and NHL franchises for a quarter century.
Timeline
- August 22, 1975
Lawrence Welk played the first event.
- December 13, 1983Highest-scoring NBA game[1]
Detroit beat Denver 186-184 in triple overtime.
- 1990Final Four[1]
The arena hosted the 1990 men's Final Four.
- November 12, 1993UFC 1[1]
The first UFC event was held at McNichols.
- 1996Stanley Cup Final[1]
Games 1 and 2 of the 1996 Final were played at McNichols.
- September 29, 1999
The arena closed after the Nuggets and Avalanche moved to the Pepsi Center.
- January 24, 2000Demolished[2]
The building was torn down.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Parking surrounding Empower Field at Mile High[1] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Denver Nuggets | ABA/NBA · 1975–1999 |
|---|---|
| Denver Spurs | WHA · 1975–1976 |
| Colorado Rockies | MLB · 1976–1982 |
| Colorado Avalanche | NHL · 1995–1999 |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Location | 1635 Bryant Street, Denver, CO, Denver, Colorado[1,2] |
|---|---|
| Venue type | Arena |
| Sports | Basketball, Hockey |
| Level | NBA, ABA, NHL, WHA, NCAA |
| Opened | August 22, 1975[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | September 29, 1999[1,2] |
| Demolished | January 24, 2000[1,2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 16,000[1] |
| Final capacity | 17,171[1] |
| Capacity notes | 17,171 for basketball and 16,061 for hockey in final configuration; infobox lists 16,000 (Wikipedia). |
| Architect | Charles S. Sink & Associates[1] |
| Construction cost | $16 million |
| Owner / operator | City of Denver; operated by Feyline |
| Closure | Obsolete for NBA and NHL use; both tenants moved to the Pepsi Center (now Ball Arena) in 1999. |
Documented details
Connected venues
Sources
- McNichols Sports Arena, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, closed, coordinates, current land use, demolished, events, opened, teams
- Colorado Flashback: McNichols Arena, KMAX 94.3 (Townsquare Media). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, closed, demolished, opened
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (1)
- Wikipedia gives demolition as 2000 (year); KMAX gives January 24, 2000.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.