Capital One Arena as downtown home of the Capitals and Wizards

Capital One Arena opened in 1997 as the MCI Center and became Washington's primary downtown arena for professional hockey and basketball. It is the home venue for the NHL's Washington Capitals and the NBA's Washington Wizards (formerly the Bullets) and has hosted multiple playoff series and notable regular-season games for both franchises. The arena has also been a site for NCAA tournament games and other major indoor sporting events since its opening.