The 21 NHL Arenas I Have Visited

About 10 years ago I got this crazy idea to see a hockey game in all the NHL arenas. Since then, I have visited 21 NHL arenas. I originally kept a journal of all my experiences in the city and the arena itself. Every city and arena was totally unique and I’ve really enjoyed my trips. Which, by the way, are all in winter. So I’m often traveling from sunny California to the bitter and cold east coast and I love every second of it.

I had planned to polish and publish every article in my collection to my blog one at a time. I had some great notes with images and everything. However, I lost them. Not like a hard drive failed or anything like that, I literally just lost them. I forgot where I saved them. I’ve checked all my external hard drives and backup locations and I can’t find them. Past me put them somewhere dumb and thought “Yeah, I’ll totally remember where I put these.“ Chances are I will find them on a random thumb drive 20 years from now.

The show must go on, so I’m going to post a few quick thoughts that I can remember to catch everyone up, and then we’ll just have to move on from there. Whenever I visit a new arena, I’ll write an article about it and post it right away.

Anaheim Ducks - Honda Center
I can’t possibly say anything bad about my team. This is the franchise that originally got me into hockey and I love this organization. Henry and Susan Samueli have shown a true commitment to growing hockey in Southern California and I thank them for that. I feel so lucky to have them as the owners of the Ducks. I’ve been to Ponda Center more times than I can count and I feel like there’s not a bad seat in that place.

Buffalo Sabres - Keybank Center
Digit-wise, this was the coldest weather I have experienced. I think it was -8 and we walked a few blocks to the arena. I wanted to get the full experience. Nobody can ever question the commitment the fans have to this organization. It was -8 and they were tailgating outside the arena. Awesome fans that honestly know how to respectfully trash talk. The Sabres were playing the Ducks and I was wearing a Ducks jersey and I got a few friendly jabs thrown my way. But everyone was smiling though. I had so much fun at this game. There were just a ton of hockey fights.

Pheonix Coyotes - Gila River Arena
What is happening with the Coyotes organization right now is absolutely insane. They are currently playing in a 5000-seat college arena because of reasons. So they aren’t playing in Gila River anymore. Which is kind of a shame. The arena was really nice and what surrounding the Gila River arena is awesome. You exit that place after a game and there are a ton of bars and restaurants right in front of you. I don’t know if all of that is still there, but it was there when I was there and I thought it was rad.

Los Angeles Kings - Staples Center
As a Ducks fan, I love it when we play the Kings. In Staples Center or at Honda Center it is the most charged atmosphere ever. I like King’s fans. They are knowledgeable about hockey and the trash talk is amazing. My favorite playoff series was when the Ducks played the Kings. The Ducks got killed in game 7 and ended up losing, but those were the greatest games. Every single game in that series felt like a game 7. If I’m being honest, there would be no Ducks without the Kings. Their arena is really in a cool area and it’s in a very LA area.

Washington Capitals - Capital One Arena
So far, the Washington Capitals have the best intro in the NHL. The lights are all red. There are fireworks going off. Everyone is screaming like a psychopath. It’s amazing.

Vancouver Canucks - Rogers Arena
Vancouver might be one of my favorite cities in the world. It’s like someone dropped a massive city in the middle of the forest. Everything just seems super relaxed there and it’s in Canada, so everyone is friendly. As long as you ignore the riot that took place after Boston beat them to win the cup. A security guard actually let us into the arena the day before the game and we got to walk around the totally empty arena. He showed us around and just let us hang out there for a bit. I saw a preseason game when I was there, so this one has a little red check mark next to it. I have to make it back here for a regular-season game.

New York Rangers - Madison Square Garden
It’s Madison Square Garden. What else do I need to say about it? We saw the New York Rangers play the New Jersey Devils. These groups of fans absolutely hate each other. Madison Square Garden has a common area in the front where people can hang out before a game. It’s so you can get out of the cold and wait for the doors to open so that you can get into the arena. We walked into this place and there were about 500 people in there and it was dead silent. Half the room was Rangers fans and the other half was Devils fans. Nobody was talking, nobody was saying a word. They were just staring at each other like some kind of 1950s gang fight stare-down. I leaned over to my dad and said, “Somebody is going to get stabbed in this room.“ and his response was “Just go to the Ranger’s side and stand in the back, we’ll be fine.“
When the game started, the combinations of swear words that the two groups of fans were putting together were insanely creative. They screamed things that would make a sailor say, “Jesus, these people hardcore.“ Then some girl showed her Rangers-branded panties to our entire row. She literally announced, “I’m wearing Rangers panties“ and then just pulled down her pants. Nobody did anything, that’s just how they roll.

Dallas Stars - American Airlines Center
This was the closest game I’ve ever witnessed live. It was Ducks vs Stars, so I was wearing my Ducks jersey. It was the 3rd period and Dallas was up 3-2. Time is ticking down and the Dallas fans get on their feet and start cheering because they are going to win. With like 5 seconds left, Teemu Selanne scores. I’ve never heard so many people “ohhhhhhhh“ at the same time and then it was dead silent. Except for me and the other 3 Ducks fans in my area screaming. The Ducks ended up winning in overtime. What a game that was.

San Jose Sharks - SAP Center
I try to stay positive when I’m assessing an arena, but this is a tough one. It was a Sharks vs Ducks game. I was wearing a Ducks jersey and 3 people at different times tried to fight me. People screamed literally right in my face. I’m all for trash talk and having fun, but I’m not in a gang. I don’t want to fight you over a hockey game. The arena is really nice and the Sharks team is a loveable bunch of weirdos.

Winnipeg Jets - MTS Center
This was a special trip all around. I won’t go into it, but Teemu Selanne is basically a god in Winnipeg. If you’re a hockey fan you know why. If you’re not a hockey fan, you probably don’t care. If he ran for office in that town, he would win, easily. They love him there. He was on the Ducks and this was his first time visiting and playing in Winnipeg since he got traded. So Winnipeg fans were hyped. I was wearing a Ducks jersey and they were high-fiving me as I walked through the arena. When they saw him, they went nuts. They were chanting his name, they were screaming, they were cheering, and they were having a blast. Winnipeg is a very active crowd. They don’t just sit and watch the game. They cheer every shot and chant ‘go jets go!‘ When hockey is being played, the crowd is yelling, cheering, or doing something. They would cheer whenever Selanne would touch the puck. They would boo whenever any other Duck would touch the puck. I’m convinced that Winnipeg is the loudest building in the NHL. There is a restaurant attached to the arena. The waitress told me that glasses and dishes fall off shelves whenever the Jets score because the crowd loses their minds. As a hockey fan, this was just an amazing experience.

Minnesota Wild - Xcel Energy Center
We actually saw Winnipeg and Minnesota play on the same trip. It was kind of shocking how silent the Wild fans are. They do not make a sound. If there’s a goal or a big hit or something, they cheer, but then it is dead silent again. It was the weirdest experience. Especially after being in Winnipeg, where everyone is screaming their heads off. I was sitting in the nosebleeds of Xcel Energy Center and I could hear the players yelling at each other from up there. There were two guys talking behind me in what I considered a normal tone. The guy next to me turned around and said “Excuse me. Would you mind keeping it down? I’m watching the hockey game.“ and the two guys were like “Yes, of course. Sorry about that.“ Then they just sat there silently. It was like a library. It’s not like they don’t have a dedicated fanbase. They pack that arena every night. They are just very quiet fans. Minnesota’s theme is that they are THE state of hockey. I thought that was really cool. They have college jerseys up all over the arena and it’s just all about hockey.

Montreal Canadians - Bell Center
Montreal is just a monster of a franchise. They’re an original six team, they’ve won the most cups, and they’ve had some absolute legends play for them. There are statues and plaques outside and inside the arena. walking into that arena feels like you are walking into some kind of hockey museum. It makes you feel like you’re about to witness something historic. It reminds you how big the sport is and what a rich history it has.

Philadelphia Flyers - Wells Fargo Center
So Philidelphia fans in general have a pretty brutal reputation. They threw batteries at Santa Clause during an Eagles game. The Flyers had the Broad Street bullies in the 1970s. These guys just beat up everyone in the league. I was excited to go to Philly. They were playing the Detroit Red Wings and any self-respecting hockey fan that isn’t a fan of the Detroit Red Wings hates the Red Wings. They won a lot, so now you have to hate them. It’s the rules. We walked into the front entrance and we are greeted by the biggest bar you can possibly fit into an arena. I’m pretty sure the entire 1st floor of that arena is a bar. Given Philly fan’s reputation, this seems like a bad idea, but in the most awesome way ever. I didn’t know it till it was too late, but I had some kind of weird flu that caught up to me in the 2nd period. I was suddenly shivering cold but sweating at the same time.

Calgary Flames - Scotiabank Saddledome
I wanted huge pyrotechnics for the intro of this team. I wanted to walk out of there missing my eyebrows. There was some fire and it was fine I guess. I was wearing my Ducks jersey again because the Flames were playing the Ducks. Calgary fans have got to be the friendliest people on the planet. Three people saw my jersey and said “a Ducks fan! Let me buy you a beer!“ Take note San Jose.

Colorado Avalanche - Pepsi Center
I love the city of Denver. It kind of has Vancouver vibes, but it’s like a big city on the top of a mountain. No, not like that, that’s literally what it is. Anyway, Denver is just a cool city. I didn’t expect this, but it’s a great eating city. I think every meal we had was incredible. I have a friend that’s a huge Joe Sakic fan. So I spent a lot of time between periods taking pictures with random strangers wearing Sakic jerseys.

Florida Panthers - BB&T Center
This was kind of a weird trip. The Panthers are a powerhouse of a team now, but when I went to see them, they were horrible. So they had roughly 7,000 fans in a huge arena that seats 18,000+. I’ll tell you though, those 7,000 people were pretty loud. I can’t find it, but I think I recall this game had an amazing goal scored. It was like a diving redirect that went over the goalie’s pad.

St. Louis Blues - Enterprise Center
I’m not going to lie, I thought that big arch was going to be lame and it was legitimately cool. First of all, way bigger in person. Second of all, when you see how they built it, it’s incredible. I think I just like a bunch of people going “screw it, we’re building a big arch and nothing is going to stop us.“ The Blues arena seemed like the ice surface sat higher than the lowest seats, which was actually really cool. If you’re sitting on the boards, you really get a great view of the board play that goes on. I wasn’t sitting on the boards, but I was there for warmups.

Chicago Blackhawks - United Center
The theme of that team is so unique and amazing. Chicago is an original six team, so they’ve been around forever. Their theme is looking at the old teams and their history and overlaying the new team over that. It’s like they are saying “look at our history and look at the history we are making.“ They have an intro video that almost made me cry. It’s so well done. Also, deep-dish pizza is amazing. I still prefer New York style, but Chicago deep dish is awesome.

Columbus Blue Jackets - Nationwide Arena
They fake like they are firing a canon whenever the Blue Jackets come on the ice and whenever they score. It’s very loud. It’s the kind of sound you feel in your chest. Respect though, it fired the crowd up. After the game was the coldest I have ever felt in my entire life. We were told about buses that would take us to our hotel after the game. We got out of the arena and the busses were all packed and it just looked like a mess. So me being the genius that I am said “It’s only a couple miles, let’s just walk.“ It was 10 degrees outside, which I figured wasn’t that bad. I toughed out -8 in Buffalo, this would be no problem. We start walking and I realize that our entire walk is uphill and there is a strong wind hitting us right in the face the entire way back. Jovial conversation stopped about a mile in and we all just trudged ahead as our eyes constantly watered from being hit in the face with high winds.

Las Vegas Golden Knights - T-Mobile Arena
The thing I love about this franchise is that it is so unmistakenly Vegas. Everything is flashy. They have a drum line with glowing drums that march through the hallways. A knight skates out on the ice and stabs it with a giant sword. It’s just a fun experience.

Detroit Red Wings - Little Caesars Arena
Ahh the Red Wings, the team that I love to hate. I really mean that by the way. Detroit is another one of those old-school franchises that have been around forever. I just love to have them as a rival. This place is fairly new, so it’s all fancy and cool. Great city and an awesome place to see a game. The Henry Ford museum is really cool. Definetly check that out if you’re there.