Hockey arenas collect tickets, serve food and drinks, provide music, lighting, and prepare their ice surface for hours of intense hockey action. All this in consideration, which arena is the best? Which arena hosts the most entertaining, comfortable and enjoyable hockey games?
Ranking the NHL arenas in order of which one is “the best” is, of course, a completely subjective process. There are many factors that must be considered to determine whether an arena is “good,” and certain fans can love one arena that other fans may dislike. Still, many hockey fans have weighed in on the subject over the years, and many reporters, news outlets, and hockey websites have compiled lists of the best NHL arenas in North America.
Here are 8 NHL arenas that made the list.
Madison Square Garden (New York Rangers)
Madison Square Garden. Located in Midtown Manhattan, New York, and home to the New York Rangers.
Madison Square Garden (MSG) opened in 1968, making in the current oldest NHL arena still in use. Aside from hosting sporting events, MSG is also a busy concert venue—-in 2016, it was the second-busiest music arena in the world based on ticket sales.
A few years ago, MSG underwent a billion-dollar renovation that improved many aspects of the arena: the sight lines for fans, the lighting, the food options, and the cleanliness, among other things. With the recent renovations, MSG is a fine choice to catch a hockey game.
Rogers Place (Edmonton Oilers)
Rogers Place. Located in Edmonton, Alberta, home of the Edmonton Oilers, and opened officially in 2016.
Rogers Place was built to replace Northlands Coliseum, and altogether the project cost a whopping $600 million. Being newly built, the interior of the arena is attractive and sleek, with great sight lines and food options.
United Center (Chicago Blackhawks)
The United Center in Chicago, Illinois, home to the Chicago Blackhawks and was completed in 1994.
For visual interest, the arena contains statues of various Chicago-based sports legends like Michael Jordan, Stan Mikita, and Bobby Hull. The United Center is the largest arena in the U.S. in terms of sheer size, and is quite tall, at 140ft. It’s an extraordinarily loud stadium, and the volume magnification produces powerful national anthems and roaring cheers that are sure to excite any patron.
SAP Center (San Jose Sharks)
The SAP Center, also knows as “The Shark Tank,” was opened in 1993. The arena is in San Jose, California, and is home to the San Jose Sharks.
Originally, is was named the “San Jose Arena.” In 2001, the naming rights were bought by Compaq, who named the arena the “Compaq Center at San Jose.” A year later, the name was changed to “HP Pavilion” after HP purchased the naming rights. In 2013, once again, the name of the arena changed to the current “SAP Center” when the rights were bought by the company SAP.
Talk about an identity crisis!
The SAP Center is reportedly the loudest building in the NHL and is very spacious and comfortable for the fans. The sight lines are fantastic and so is the food; a hockey game at the SAP Center promises a good time!
Bridgestone Arena (Nashville Predators)
Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators in downtown Nashville, Tennessee.
The Bridgestone arena was completed in 1996. It’s located right on Nashville’s broadway strip, so there’s always a party nearby, if not at the arena! The Bridgestone often hosts concerts along with its sporting events and offers a wide variety of poplar country artists to sing the national anthem at the Predators games. If you want to have fun before, during, and after a hockey game, be sure to visit Bridgestone Arena!
Xcel Energy Center (Minnesota Wild)
The Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, home to—-you guessed it—-the Minnesota Wild.
The arena’s nickname is “The X,” and it was opened in late 2000 with a moderate seating capacity of almost 18,000 people. The Xcel Energy Center is said to be home to some of the friendliest hockey fans out there. Also, hanging from the concourse of the arena is a jersey from every high school in Minnesota.
The Xcel Energy Center also boasts a classic organ that’s played during Wild games, setting a fantastic nostalgic atmosphere.
Bell MTS Place (Winnipeg Jets)
The Bell MTS Place in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba. The arena is home to the Winnipeg Jets.
The Bell MTS Place was built to replace the declining Winnipeg Arena, and began officially operating in late 2004. The arena was originally supposed to be named the “True North Centre” but adopted the name MTS after Manitoba Telecom Services following a naming rights disagreement. Once Bell acquired MTS, they slapped their name on the front as well.
Although Bell MTS Place is a relatively small arena, it is routinely considered one of the most spirited, lively places to catch a hockey game. Winnipeg, itself, is one of the smaller markets for hockey, but the arena is always packed with devout fans cheering on their home team.
Bell Centre (Montreal Canadiens)
The Bell Centre in downtown Montreal, Quebec, home to the Montreal Canadiens.
The Bell Centre was opened in 1996 after three years of construction. It has steeply sloped grandstands, which help all fans see the ice no matter their seats and has an impressive video board and laser light shows. It’s the only NHL arena that can seat over 20,000 people and is credited with having the best hockey atmosphere.
The NHL Player’s Association recently conducted a poll requesting hockey players to vote on many different topics including skills, other players, and arenas. By the poll, the Bell Centre was also named the arena that NHL players most enjoyed playing at and the arena with the best ice.
What arena do you consider the best? Let us know on Instagram!
