The arena hosted various events during the 1980 Winter Olympics, most famously the ice hockey tournament that saw the United States' 4–3 victory over the Soviet Union, the game commonly referred to as the Miracle on Ice.

From 1993 to 2002, the arena annually hosted the ECAC Hockey League's championships every March.

The ECAC announced in July 2012 that the league would again crown its champion in Herb Brooks Arena for the 2013–14, 2014–15, and 2015–16 seasons.

[2] The Glens Falls-based Adirondack Thunder ice hockey team have used the arena for a few games because of high school basketball championship games being held at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

[3] Over a two-week period in late January through early February 2021, the National Women's Hockey League held its 2020–21 season at the arena in an isolation bubble due to the COVID-19 pandemic.