The Dow Event Center

The Dow Event Center opened in 1972 as the Saginaw Civic Center, and the name changed to The Dow Event Center in 2004 after the chemical company took the rights.

The Saginaw Spirit have lived here since 2002. The ice is real, not artificial, and the cold in the concourse is what keeps the players honest. The stands are close enough that you can hear the slap of the stick from the glass. The roof does not cover the rafters, and the light from the floodlights hits the ice directly. The scoreboard on the far side is a flat panel of LEDs, not the old mechanical kind, but the sound of the crowd is the same.

The lower bowl is painted green, matching the ice, and the seats are plastic, not vinyl. The upper deck is higher than it needs to be for a minor league team, a job for the Memorial Cup that came through in 2024. The ribbon board around the ceiling is new, but the concrete pillars are old. The entrance is on the street level, and the stairs lead up to the concourse where the beer is sold. The building is not beautiful, but it is warm when the game is on. The Spirit won the tournament on home ice, and the crowd refused to go away. The arena is still here, and the ice is still frozen.