Managed by the Oak View Group,[5] the arena was built alongside the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater and opened on October 10, 2001.

[6] When this agreement ended, the City entered into a new one on March 8, 2022, that granted the naming rights to Total Mortgage of Milford, Connecticut.

[10] Fairfield is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) where the Stags annually compete against perennial MAAC powers including the Iona Gaels, the 1995 and 2004 NCAA Tournament Cinderella Manhattan Jaspers, the Niagara Purple Eagles, and the 2008 and 2009 NCAA Tournament Cinderella Siena Saints.

During the second round of the 2011 National Invitation Tournament, the Stags, led by head coach Ed Cooley and Derek Needham played the Kent State Golden Flashes.

In recent years, Fairfield has brought several perennial national college basketball powers to the arena including the Georgetown Hoyas, Providence Friars and St. Joseph's Hawks.

The 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament featured the Air Force Falcons, Michigan Wolverines, Vermont Catamounts, and Yale Bulldogs.

[16] The Vermont Catamounts won a dramatic double overtime game against the Air Force Falcons to win the East Regional and advance to the 2009 Frozen Four.

[20] Most recently, in 2018, the top-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat the second-seeded Providence Friars to win the East Regional; the Michigan Tech Huskies and Clarkson Golden Knights also participated.

The arena would again host the East Regional in 2023 on March 24 and 26, which would feature the eventual 2023 NCAA champion Quinnipiac Bobcats, Ohio State Buckeyes, Harvard Crimson, and Merrimack Warriors.

[21][22][23] The arena has served as the home venue for the Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team since the 2016–17 season.

[28] During their inaugural season, the Sound Tigers won a division championship and made the Calder Cup Finals where they lost to the Chicago Wolves four games to one.

[30] On September 30, 2006, the Arena at Harbor Yard hosted an National Hockey League (NHL) preseason game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Islanders.

On October 18, 2003, the Arena at Harbor Yard hosted an National Basketball Association (NBA) preseason game between the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors.

On October 30, 2010, the President of the United States Barack Obama joined Democratic Party candidates, including former Stamford Mayor and candidate for Governor Dan Malloy, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Congressman Jim Himes at a "Moving America Forward Rally" at the Arena at Harbor Yard.