Playoff hockey at Cable Dahmer Arena scores big for Independence economy

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (KCTV) - As the Kansas City Mavericks prepare for another playoff showdown, the City of Independence is already skating ahead with a major win — economically speaking.

In the past five years, the Community Improvement District (CID) around Cable Dahmer Arena has brought in more than $43 million in revenue. That impressive figure comes solely from a 1% additional sales tax collected in the district — a testament to just how much business the arena and its surrounding area generate for the city.

“The more games we can get here is awesome,” said Charlie Dissell, Assistant City Manager for Independence. “Sometimes that means maybe we’re going to a game 6 and 7, which, I know the last series they swept 4-0, so we missed out on maybe some additional games with that. But that’s still good.”

This marks the third straight year the Mavericks have reached the playoffs, and with each run, the arena fills up with fans eager to their team and spend money locally.

“It’s just short of 6,000 people that can fit into the arena for any given hockey game,” Dissell said.

That kind of crowd brings real revenue to nearby restaurants, hotels, and retail businesses — many of which rely on big event nights to drive profits.

Behind the scenes, arena staff are hard at work ensuring every detail is perfect — especially the ice. Cable Dahmer Arena General Manager Mike Young gave KCTV5 a tour of those preparations ahead of the big game.

“You can imagine that over the course of 36-plus games a year, we’ve got a significant amount of ice maintenance that we have to do here,” Young said. “It’s critically important that we provide the flattest, nicest sheet of ice that we possibly can, so that this team can be successful.”

And when the Mavericks score, fans don’t hold back.

“You’re going to hear a lot of cowbells every time they score, and that’s going to be very frequently,” Young said.

The arena’s impact stretches far beyond hockey. Cable Dahmer has become one of the region’s top entertainment venues, hosting everything from indoor soccer matches to concerts featuring major names.

“The city built the building back about 16 years ago,” Young said. “We opened up with the Zac Brown Band, if you can believe that. He’s now this giant A-list celebrity.”

Since then, stars like Bruno Mars, Billie Eilish, and Ariana Grande have taken the stage — making Cable Dahmer Arena a destination for fans and performers alike.

Tonight, though, it’s all about playoff hockey. And with the Mavericks charging into Game 1, the entire city is hoping for more goals, more games — and more economic momentum.

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