Home of the NHL’s Blue Jackets, the Nationwide Arena is located in Columbus, Ohio and hosts sporting events as well as concerts. Right outside of the arena you can find OhioHealth IceHaus, used by the Blue Jackets for practices and youth hockey games. When open to the public, this facility turns into a common ice skating venue for families and friends.

The History of Nationwide Arena

Nationwide Arena opened its doors on September 9, 2000, and became the first NHL arena to offer onsite practice to its team. There are only four other facilities that offer their teams the chance to practice without having to leave their hometown. The first game to be played at Nationwide Arena was on October 7, 2000, when the Blue Jackets played against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Although the Nationwide Arena is home to the Blue Jackets playing home games here, the venue can be converted for hosting other sports games. In June 2004, the Nationwide Arena hosted the WWE Bad Blood pay-per-view and in June 2015, the Money in the Bank WWE pay-per-view.

But wrestling isn’t the only event that can be attended at Nationwide Arena, as other MMA events have taken place here such as Gracie Fighting Championships, Caged Combat, UFC 68, Strikeforce: Henderson against Feijo as well as Tate vs. Rousey. The Nationwide Arena also hosted the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, as well as the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Tournament in 2018. As for live shows, the comedian Jeff Dunham graced the Nationwide Arena in 2011 and today fans can find music performers such as Blink 182 and Miranda Lambert playing to sold-out shows.