The DCU Center (originally Centrum in Worcester, formerly Worcester's Centrum Centre and commonly Worcester Centrum) is an indoor arena and convention center complex in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts. The facility hosts a variety of events, including concerts, sporting events, family shows, conventions, trade-shows and meetings. It is owned by the City of Worcester and managed by SMG, a private management firm for public assembly facilities.
Ten-year naming rights were purchased in 2004 by Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) and went into effect January 2005. DCU's naming rights were later extended to 2025.
History
The Centrum, or officially Centrum in Worcester as it was then known, opened in September 1982 after years of construction delays, with a capacity of roughly 12,000. The first performance on September 1, 1982, was a free concert sponsored by The City of Worcester with Mayor Sara Robertson acting as Master of Ceremonies with the New England Symphony Orchestra performing. The first paid opening event was a Frank Sinatra concert on September 2, 1982. The arena was expanded to 14,800 seats in 1989 with the addition of the 300-level balconies. The convention center addition was completed along with a renovation of arena infrastructure in 1997. This upgrade resulted in the facility's name change to Worcester's Centrum Centre. The venue received further updates with the DCU naming rights purchase, including new signage both inside and outside the facility, and a new center-hung video scoreboard for the arena bowl.
Sports
Ice hockey
The arena is home to the Worcester Railers which began play in 2017 as a member of the ECHL. The arena was formerly home to the Worcester Sharks American Hockey League (AHL) team, owned and operated by its NHL affiliate San Jose Sharks, which moved its farm team to the west coast in 2015. Prior to this, the venue was home to the Worcester IceCats, also of the AHL. The arena also hosted the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic on January 29, 2009. The PlanetUSA All stars defeated Team Canada, 14–11, in the highest-scoring AHL All Star game in history.
Basketball
Worcester has been host to Boston Celtics preseason games in some years. They also hosted the first and second rounds of the 1992 and 2005 NCAA men's Division I basketball tournaments.
Indoor football
The arena has been home to multiple indoor football teams. The Massachusetts Marauders of the Arena Football League played in the arena in the 1994 season, but folded after one year in Massachusetts. The New England Surge of the Continental Indoor Football League also called the Center home for two seasons, but ceased operations after the 2008 season. In 2018, the Massachusetts Pirates began their inaugural season in the National Arena League, going 11-5 and regular season champions in their first year. They joined the Indoor Football League in 2021, and went on to win that year's United Bowl.
Professional wrestling
On May 17, 1998, it was the host of WCW's WCW Slamboree. Additionally, on April 27, 2003, WWE Backlash came to the DCU Center.
In additional several WWE events have taken place at the DCU Center. On December 28, 1998, Mick Foley, performing under the name Mankind, won his first WWE Championship during the taping of the January 4, 1999 edition of Monday Night Raw at the Worcester Centrum Centre, defeating The Rock. On July 12, 2005, it was the host of the July 14, 2005 taping of SmackDown!. On November 2, 2009, it was the host of WWE Raw for the first time in nine years. On January 14, 2014, it was the host of the January 17 taping of SmackDown!. It was the host of WWE SmackDown when it went live on July 19, 2016, an episode featuring WWE's second ever brand extension draft.
For the first time Total Nonstop Action Wrestling debuted at the DCU Center on January 20, 2012.
Boxing
On February 11, 1983, Marvelous Marvin Hagler retained his WBC, WBA and The Ring Middleweight titles against English boxer Tony Sibson at the arena. It was Hagler's 60th professional fight and his 56th win overall. The fight was the only time Hagler fought at the arena and was the last of 36 he fought in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Collegiate
The College of the Holy Cross uses the facility as an alternate location for anticipated larger attendance home games for men's basketball and men's ice hockey.