Tampa M&A firm buys naming rights to NHL arena

Tampa’s hockey arena has a new name.

Vinik Sports Group has sold the naming rights to the downtown arena to mergers and acquisitions firm Benchmark International. It replaces Amalie Motor Oil, which had held the naming rights since 2014.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but a report in the Sports Business Journal cites a source who says the agreement it is for 10 years and "ranks among the top five richest for a standalone National Hockey League arena."

The newly named arena first opened in 1996 as the Ice Palace. Before Amelie bought the naming rights, it was known as the St. Pete Times Forum and later the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

Vinik Sports, in a statement, says the agreement calls for the 19,092-seat arena to undergo a full rebranding that includes new signage inside and out and the renaming of several in-arena “experiences.”

The changes will happen incrementally with new signage and activations making their debut before the start of the Tampa Bay Lightning season. (The team’s first home preseason game is scheduled for Sept. 26.)

Vinik Sports and Benchmark will also host a series of community events in mid-October.

But just because the physical changes are happening in phases doesn’t mean the process is not moving forward. The arena’s website already carries the new name and its Wikipedia page has been updated.

The question now is when will fans begin referring to it as Benchmark International Arena.

Tampa-based Benchmark International is a firm that, according to the statement, has “closed more than $12.5 billion in transactions value across multiple industries.”

According to its website, it has 14 offices worldwide and over the past three years has averaged 193 closings per year. On the site, the firm says it represents “business owners who are highly motivated and want to take the next logical step with their businesses, to which they have dedicated a significant amount of their time and effort.”