Nashville Arena Reborn

The Gaylord Entertainment Center is set to revert back to its original name of Nashville Arena March 16th while its tenant, the NHL’s Nashville Predators, looks for a new naming-rights sponsor.

The Metro Sports Authority will decide later this month whether to accept the team’s request for the name change, according to the Tennessean.

The 20,000-capacity facility was dubbed Nashville Arena when it opened in 1966. It was changed to Gaylord Entertainment Center in 1999 under a 20-year, $80 million naming-rights deal. Gaylord also had a 20 percent ownership in the Predators, according to the paper.

But the two parties had a falling out, leading Predators officials to sue Gaylord in 2003 for reneging on the sponsorship deal. Gaylord officials countersued, claiming the hockey team had committed breach of contract in regard to the company’s investor status.

Gaylord Entertainment and the Predators resolved their legal battle in 2005 with Gaylord agreeing to give up naming rights to the venue and pay the team $4 million in cash and $5 million plus interest over five years.