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HSBC Arena opened on September 21, 1996, replacing the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. At the time, its name was Marine Midland Arena. The Marine Midland bank, which was part of the HSBC banking group, had purchased the naming rights. In 1999, as part of HSBC's worldwide corporate rebranding, the arena's name was changed to HSBC Arena. This name change coincided with the playing of the first college basketball tournament game in the arena's history.
Both sporting events and concerts at the arena are served by the Special Events station of the Buffalo Metro Rail.
For sporting events, the arena seats 18,595.