The Buffalo Sabres NHL ice hockey team plays its home games at KeyBank Center (formerly called First Niagara Center, HSBC Arena, and Marine Midland Arena) in the Cobblestone District of downtown Buffalo, New York.
The Sabres moved to the newly-built arena in 1996, having played nearby at the now-demolished Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, or the ‘Aud’, for the preceding 26 years.
Their first time playing at the new arena was in a pre-season NHL exhibition game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 21st, 1996, which the Sabres won 3-1. The Sabres share the KeyBank Center as a home arena with the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League (NLL).
