 | This articlecontainsweasel words: vague phrasing that often accompaniesbiased orunverifiable information. Such statements should beclarified or removed.(July 2015) |
 The arena in 2012 | |
  Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza Location within Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza Location within the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Former names | Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center(1998–2000) First Union Arena(2000–2003) Wachovia Arena(2003–2010) Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza(2010–2024) |
|---|---|
| Address | 255 Highland Park Boulevard |
| Location | Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 41°14′26″N75°50′55″W / 41.240471°N 75.848504°W /41.240471; -75.848504 |
| Owner | Luzerne County Convention Center Authority |
| Operator | ASM Global |
| Capacity | 8,300 (Hockey)[1] 10,000 (Concerts) |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | September 15, 1997[2] |
| Opened | November 13, 1999[8] |
| Construction cost | $44 million ($86.2 million in 2024 dollars[3]) |
| Architect | Heinlein Schrock[4] |
| Project manager | Hammes Company[2] |
| Structural engineer | Quad3 Group, Inc.[5] |
| Services engineer | Smith Seckman Reid, Inc.[6] |
| General contractor | Oscar J. Boldt Construction Company[7] |
| Tenants | |
| Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) (1999–present) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (af2) (2002–2009) | |
| Website | |
| mohegansunarenapa | |
Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza (originallyNortheastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center, formerlyFirst Union Arena,Wachovia Arena andMohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza) is an 8,050-seat multi-purposearena located inWilkes-Barre Township,Pennsylvania just northeast ofWilkes-Barre.
Built in 1998 on land given by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber, the arena was originally named the Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center. In 2000, the naming rights were sold toFirst Union Bank, becoming First Union Arena, until the summer of 2003, when First Union Bank merged intoWachovia, at which point it became Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. On January 20, 2010, the arena became Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza as part of a 10-year naming rights contract with theMohegan Pennsylvania racetrack and casino.[9]
It has been home to theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of theAHL since 1999, and the former home of theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers of theAF2 League. In 2012, there were plans for it to be the home indoor arena for thePennsylvania Shamrocks of theNorth American Lacrosse League, but the league subsequently folded. Furthermore, in 2024, There was anArena Football One team planned called theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Mavericks but the team folded in February 2025.
The Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza has been recognized by many entertainment magazines as one of the best in the country for arenas under 10,000 in capacity, especially for its attendance and ease of show setup and teardown.[citation needed] The Penguins hold theAmerican Hockey League record for most sellouts in a season, selling out all 40 home games in 2002–2003 and 2003–2004, and ran a streak of 90 consecutive sellouts between March 2002 and October 2004, and 54 from December 2000 to February 2002.[10]
Other thanWilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey games, other events that occur at the arena includecircus performances, an annualChristmas-timeTrans-Siberian Orchestra performance, professionalice-skating shows,Harlem Globetrotters,Monster Jam, and the annual graduation ceremonies for nearby Crestwood High School, Penn Foster High School,King's College,University of Scranton, Luzerne County Community College, andMarywood University.
The arena has regularly hosted professional wrestling since 2000. The first event wasWCW Monday Nitro on January 31, 2000. The firstWWE live event was on July 16, 2000 and headlined byThe Undertaker vs.Kurt Angle. The arena also hosted the2007 WWE Draft on June 11, 2007 which was the finalWWE Monday Night Raw appearance forChris Benoit. This was also the site of the Mr. McMahon limo explosion angle. On November 15, 2016, the arena hosted the 900th episode ofWWE Smackdown which saw the return of The Undertaker.
Some notable concerts includeAC/DC,Bob Dylan,The Dead,Dropkick Murphys,Red Hot Chili Peppers,Foo Fighters,Elton John,Cher, andThe Eagles.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performed its last elephant show in its "Red" tour on May 1, 2016, a year before the circus itself closed.
On October 9, 2003, theNew York Knicks andNew Jersey Nets played a preseason game at the arena.[11]
George W. Bush held a rally for re-election to theoffice of the president at the arena in 2004.[12]
The arena has hosted multipleDonald Trump events, with the first being a rally on April 25, 2016, during his run in the 2016 election.[13][14] He held another rally on October 10, 2016.[13] Trump later returned as president on August 2, 2018, to assist inLou Barletta's campaign for Senate.[15][16] On September 3, 2022, the former President held a rally for the 2022 midterms.[17] On August 17, 2024, Donald Trump held another rally there for the 2024 presidential election.
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