Prudential Center is a multipurpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey, United States.

The Prudential Center primarily serves as the home arena for the New Jersey Devils, a National Hockey League franchise.

[15] The Prudential Center is also the home court of the NCAA's Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball team, which played in the Meadowlands from 1985 to 2007.

The Devils' first playoff series-clinching win at the arena was on May 25, 2012, when they defeated the rival New York Rangers 3–2 in overtime on a goal by Adam Henrique to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Prudential Center was originally intended to also be the home of the New Jersey Nets, but the team was sold to real estate developer Bruce Ratner, who intended to build an arena in Brooklyn for the team, and the Nets remained in the Meadowlands while awaiting construction of what became the Barclays Center.

[19] The New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) played home games at Prudential Center during the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons, due to renovations at Madison Square Garden.

It has additionally hosted concerts for acts such as Celine Dion, Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Marc Anthony, My Chemical Romance, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Elton John, Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa, The Weeknd, Daddy Yankee, and Tool.

[42] The Daktronics display is split up into thin panels with gaps in between, in order to prevent the fans' view from inside from being obstructed.

[44] The interior's lower level concourse provides views of downtown Newark on the Edison Place and Mulberry Street sides through large windows.

One 6,000-square-foot (560 m2) mural[45] encompasses a long stretch of the lower concourse wall and features Devils Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens, and Ken Daneyko, along with tributes to other New Jersey sports and Newark landmarks, with depictions that include Seton Hall men's basketball legends Richie Regan and Terry Dehere, soccer player Tony Meola, a boxer, and tennis legend Althea Gibson.

[48][49][50][51] The Devils' practice rink, the RWJ Barnabas Health Hockey House (formerly AmeriHealth Pavilion), is attached to the arena, located on the south side of the building.

On the opposite end of the arena, a statue of former Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur was dedicated outside of the Lafayette Street entrance tower and practice rink on October 22, 2016.

Small-scale projects in the immediate vicinity of the arena around Four Corners have led to the construction of new hotels,[54][55][56] loft conversions,[57] and a restaurant row.

[58] The development of Mulberry Commons, a city square originally proposed as the centerpiece of a commercial and residential complex near the arena, stagnated for a decade.

[63] The arena was built amidst financial concerns and years of speculation that the Devils would relocate, despite the fact that the team was a perennial playoff contender and had been at or near the top of the NHL's standings for over a decade.

[63] In 2004, former Lehman Brothers executive Jeffrey Vanderbeek bought the team from Puck Holdings and became a strong proponent of the proposed arena.

"[63] After legal battles over both eminent domain and the city's financial participation in the arena project, the final deal was approved by council and went through in October 2004.

The site was the location of the never-completed Renaissance Mall and, previously, the tracks and train shed of the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Broad Street station whose building still stands nearby.

On January 24, 2006, the Devils averted having the project canceled by submitting a guarantee in writing that the team would contribute $100 million to the arena,[65] one day before their deadline.

[66] Though construction was well underway, in late summer 2006, Cory Booker, who had recently taken office as Mayor of Newark, promised to reevaluate the deal and considered backing out.

Prudential Financial purchased the naming rights to the stadium in January 2007 for $105.3 million over 20 years, reducing the city's cost for the project.

[6][74] In total, more than 18,000 tons of steel were used to build the bowl area and high roof, while 62,000 linear feet of ductwork were installed throughout the arena.

It officially opened on October 25, 2007, with a series of 10 concerts by the New Jersey native rock group Bon Jovi, featuring a star-studded lineup of opening acts including Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Daughtry, The All-American Rejects and fellow New Jersey native group My Chemical Romance.

[78] Tampa Bay won, 4–2, with Lightning center Steven Stamkos scoring two goals in the contest: one on Friday and one on Sunday.

[79] Before a preseason game between the Devils and the New York Islanders, on October 7, 2021, the lights in the northeast corner of the arena could not be turned on due to a power outage.

[81] The venue is a block east of Halsey Street, an independent shopping and dining corridor between Washington and William, near Rutgers' Newark campus.

In 2023 the Mulberry Commons Pedestrian Bridge broke ground, billed as the High Line of Newark and slated to connect the venue and the station over McCarter Highway.