September 21, 1996
Brian Holzinger scores the first Buffalo Sabres goal at Marine Midland Arena in a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
KeyBank Center History
KeyBank Center opened its doors on September 21, 1996, with the Sabres' first preseason game. KeyBank Center's Opening Night Gala then followed it on September 27.
September 27, 1996
Jean Knox cuts the ribbon at the KeyBank Center Opening Gala.
September 28, 1996
The Goo Goo Dolls perform the first concert at KeyBank Center.
April 27, 1997
Derek Plante scores the OT game-winner in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
June 27, 1998
The Sabres host the NHL Draft. KeyBank Center went on to host the event again in 2016 and 2026.
June 12, 1999
Sabres host the Stanley Cup Final for the first time at KeyBank Center.
November 22, 2005
Danny Gare becomes the first player to have his number retired at KeyBank Center.
March 3, 2006
Pat LaFontaine has his number raised to the rafters.
April 22, 2006
Danny Briere's double overtime goal starts the Sabres' memorable run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
February 22, 2007
“The Brawl Game.”
May 4, 2007
Sabres come back to beat the Rangers in Game 5.
May 17, 2008
The Bandits win their 4th NLL Championship (and first at KeyBank Center), defeating the Portland LumberJax 14-13
December 2010 - January 2011
KeyBank Center hosts the IIHF World Junior Championship.
February 22, 2011
Terry Pegula is joined on the ice by The French Connection after purchasing the Buffalo Sabres.
January 13, 2015
Dominik Hasek has his No. 39 retired to the rafters.
April 13, 2019
Minnesota-Duluth defeats Cale Makar and UMass in the Frozen Four championship at KeyBank Center.
March 17, 2022
KeyBank Center hosts the NCAA men’s basketball tournament (The arena has hosted the tournament five times.)
April 29, 2022
Rick Jeanneret makes his final Sabres call at KeyBank Center.
January 19, 2023
Ryaan Miller has his No. 30 retired to the rafters.
March 23, 2023
Bruce Springsteen performs at KeyBank Center. He has played eight shows at the arena, more than any other headlining musical act.
June 3, 2023
The Bandits win first the NLL Finals for the first time since 2008.
October 10, 2024
A new state-of-the-art billboard is introduced at the start of the 2024-25 season.
May 18, 2024
The Bandits repeat as NLL Champs.
March 3, 2025
WWE makes its 58th stop at KeyBank Center. The show has now stopped at KeyBank Center 60 times since 1996.
May 3, 2025
Shane Gillis performs at KeyBank Center and becomes the highest-attended comedy show in arena history with 19,129 fans.
May 24, 2025
The Bandits win their third straight NLL Championship, defeating the Saskatchewan Rush in a best-of-three series.
July 30, 2025
Sabres announce a 10-year extension of arena naming rights with KeyBank.
March 8, 2026
"The Tampa Game."
April 19, 2026
The Sabres win first playoff game at KeyBank Center since 2011.