The final few of 5,000 new seats have been installed in Hartford’s newly renovated People’s Bank Arena. Now, it’s ready for its big reveal.

When it opens to the public on Oct. 17 for the Hartford Wolf Pack home opener, city leaders say it will be a game changer for downtown.

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“The building is a critical anchor for downtown Hartford,” Mike Freeman, executive director of the Capitol Region Development Authority, said.

The thinking is simple: a better arena facility will bring in more big events (specifically concerts), more days with arena events will boost economic activity downtown and thus downtown’s vibrancy will improve.

Still, skeptics believe Hartford has been down this road before.

“They have been. There’s b

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