$4 Million Jumbotron Crashed To Ice After Morning Skate

Published on January 9th, 2024 1:40 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


"Jumbletron".

This is the headline that ran in a local newspaper after the Jumbotron at the brand-new Marine Midland Arena came crashing to the ice.

It was November 16th, 1996, and the Buffalo Sabres were set to play host to the Boston Bruins later on that night.

The two teams had finished their morning skate, and arena employees were now doing their preparations for the game.

The arena crew was lowering the Jumbotron as part of their routine maintenance.

A cable loosened or snapped completely, sending the Jumbotron crashing to the ice below.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt, as the results could have been disastrous.

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The new arena had only been open for a few weeks, and the Jumbotron reportedly cost $4 million to build and install.

The manufacturer of the Jumbotron, Daktronics, had completely an inspection just a week prior and found everything to be fine.

The company was left with egg on their face, as the $4 million, 20-ton Jumbotron was essentially reduced to dust after it crashed onto the ice below.

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The game between the Sabres and Bruins was ultimately postponed, as the arena crew had to clean up the massive mess.

The incident didn't impact the relationship between the Sabres and Daktronics, as the two sides continues to collaborate to this day.