Arena talk: how many have you been to, do we need a new one, what about those banners?

[PASabreFan]

Harrington had a good piece on NHL arenas today.

 

http://buffalonews.com/2017/11/24/inside-the-nhl-in-first-season-little-caesars-heads-right-to-the-top-of-nhl-arena-crop/

 

Shocker — our arena apparently lags behind almost everyone else.

 

I noticed that in Detroit they put the old banners from Joe Louis Arena in their practice rink and hung new banners in the new place. It's something that desperately needs to be done in Buffalo. Those old bedsheets are an embarrassment.

 

I've been to the old Cap Centre in Landover. The lights were dimmed for the game, which was pretty cool. And the old Igloo in Pittsburgh. I just remember the fans being awesome.

 

Kind of a hound's breakfast of a topic, but have at it.

[SwampD]

Harrington had a good piece on NHL arenas today.

 

http://buffalonews.com/2017/11/24/inside-the-nhl-in-first-season-little-caesars-heads-right-to-the-top-of-nhl-arena-crop/

 

Shocker — our arena apparently lags behind almost everyone else.

 

I noticed that in Detroit they put the old banners from Joe Louis Arena in their practice rink and hung new banners in the new place. It's something that desperately needs to be done in Buffalo. Those old bedsheets are an embarrassment.

 

I've been to the old Cap Centre in Landover. The lights were dimmed for the game, which was pretty cool. And the old Igloo in Pittsburgh. I just remember the fans being awesome.

 

Kind of a hound's breakfast of a topic, but have at it.

Where did you get that from? I thought he put the Keybank Center in the Mid tier.

 

I've been to MSG, Prudential Center (NJ), and Capital One Arena (Washington). I would put KBC in with Capitol One.

[French Collection]

I haven't been to many "new" arenas, more of the old barns. Montreal Forum, Maple Leaf Gardens, The Aud, Met Centre in Minneapolis, Le Collissee in Quebec, Calgary Saddledome and the Civic Centre in Ottawa. Copps Coliseum in Hamilton for a Memorial Cup was also considered NHL caliber at the time.

 

"Modern" ones are Air Canada Centre, Canadian Tire Centre, Key Bank Centre. I would rate KBC in the middle of the other two.

 

The one thing that stands out in the architecture for me were the escalators at the Forum. They looked like crossed hockey sticks from the outside windows. It felt like you were going into a hockey temple.

[inkman]

My only gripe with the KBC is the strange locations of concessions that aren't in the 200s. They seem weird to me.

[PASabreFan]

Where did you get that from? I thought he put the Keybank Center in the Mid tier.

I don't think so. I was going by his descriptions. I'm guessing he would put it bottom tier. Maybe Smell can Tweet Mike to get a clarification.

 

What should we say about MMA? Canalside with its skating and 716 and the French Connection statue are upgrades to the arena neighborhood from earlier rankings. The pavilion is nice and open and you almost never have to wait long to get it in. I don't know what else would distinguish the arena itself. The scoreboard seems meh. I miss the smoking, snorting buffalo after the Sabres score. All in all, it's pretty cookie cutter.

[ubkev]

Only been to KeyBank and MSG. Not much of a sample size.

[PASabreFan]

I guess I should add that I've been to the Aud and Crossroads lol. For non NHL games, the Erie Civic Center for the Otters and the Amway Center in Orlando for the ECHL Solar Bears.

[Sabel79]

I’ve been to the Aud, KBC. Bell Centre (Montreal), Whatever they call it in Columbus, and MSG.

 

MSG was an absolute Aud-level dump when last i was there. It’s been redone since then. Both Colombus and Montreal blow KBC away in terms of amenities and atmosphere.

 

A Saturday night game in Montreal is a surreal experience. I suggest doing it at least once to everyone.

[mjd1001]

Key bank center is 'fine'.  There is nothing 'wrong' with it, but it is for sure toward the bottom of the league in terms of how nice of a place it is for an event.

 

It hasn't always been for Hockey, but I have been to Columbus, Boston, Tampa, Toronto, Pittsburgh, and NY (Barclays).  The Key bank Center reminds me of what baseball and football stadiums were like in the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980s....all of them from that area were kinda the same, lacking any personality or 'fun' to the buildings. I really like the Arena district (surrounding area) in Columbus.

 

There aren't any bad seats in Buffalo, and the Arena does its job....but in the other buildings I can go in armed with a couple hundred dollars and have a lot more fun and enjoyment than just the game.  I KNOW a lot of people say that is what is good about Buffalo...you focus on the game for the most part.  In Detroit's new place, there are a lot of empty seats because we have heard that people are hanging out at the bars and restaurants (watching the games on TV while there.)  But in all honesty, I personally like that better.  I'll pay for the seat, maybe sit in it 60-80% of the game but to have other things (places) there I can visit when I want.

 

I'm not a season ticket holder, and only go to a couple games a year so my dollar doesn't count much...but I really wish Buffalo could have one of those new Arena's in the next decade. I just don't see the $ in the area to pay for it. (unless it was a combo deal with a new Bills stadium...same complex or attached...but that might be too rich of a complex also.)

Edited November 27, 2017 by mjd1001

[Neo]

The Aud

Key Bank / HSBC

Boston Garden

TD Garden

Maple Leaf Gardens

Madison Square Garden

Capital Center

The Joe in Detroit

Amalie Arena

 

Favorites - the old school Aud and Maple Leaf Gardens. Honorable mention to Boston Garden and The Joe.

 

Least favorites - Key Bank and Capital Center (a new and an old).

 

Hard to believe KBC is middle aged.

[Eleven]

KBC

Aud

MSG

Whatever they call the one in DC now.

ACC

 

KBC and the DC arena are basically twins.  They seem like perfectly well-functioning arenas to me.  There's no need to even think about replacing an arena that's only 20 years old. 

 

ACC is as corporate as they say it is.  But the food is a LOT better than what we have. 

 

MSG is a mess.

 

The Aud, we all have nostalgia for it, but really, that arena would be woefully insufficient today.

[Doohickie]

I've been to 4 NHL arenas, three of which no longer exist:  the Aud, Joe Louis Arena (Detroit), Reunion Arena (Dallas) and American Airlines Center (Dallas). 

 

I barely remember the Aud; I think the last Sabres home game I attended was in the late 1970s.  I remember going to a Braves game or two as well.  But really, I have only vague memories.

 

I remember Reunion has being very cramped.  It just oozed 1970s style (it didn't open until 1980 so was out of style right from the start). 

 

Joe Louis was okay to watch a game but the building itself was a hideous monolith of reinforced concrete.  From the outside it was just as ugly as can be. 

The concourses were old school.  The rink itself had good sight lines for the games I saw there.  I felt it was long overdue for replacement the first time I was there.  It struck me that Joe Louis was newer than Reunion but they were contemporaries- the Joe was completed in 1979.

 

American Airlines Center is beautiful.  Big arching windows leading into the concourses give it a modern art deco look.  At 16 years old it still looks "new" to me.  It would be a great place to watch a game if the Sabres could win there.

[MattPie]

KBC: Haven't been to a game there since it was relatively new in the late 90s; just a place to see a game

The Aud: I remember the Aud when I was kid, but never got there as a adult to give a meaningful comparison

MSG: cool, but pretty dank and small

Philly: just a place to see a game

Carolina: just a place to see a game

DC: just a place to see a game

[Drunkard]

I've been to whatever the Sabres arena is called now a couple of times and whatever the Hurricanes arena is called about 20 times. The Sabres arena was nicer but I don't have much to compare it to.

 

I haven't gone to a game in several seasons though. I was pro-tank but the tank itself zapped a portion of my hockey soul and caused me to stop caring about the team as much and definitely caused me to stop spending money on it. If they ever get their heads out of their and make the playoffs, I'll be interested to see if that fixes my apathy level or if the partial soul sucking was permanent.

[Winston]

I’ve been to FNC, Nationwide in Columbus, and Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Buffalo is probably the worst, but that’s some stiff competition.

 

Thoughts on Columbus: The arena district is pretty awesome for food/drink. The practice rink (IceHaus) is visible from the outside so you can sometimes catch early warmups). In-game production and general crowd atmosphere blow Buffalo away. There isn’t a bad seat in the arena, and the goal cannon/goal song is awesome if you’re rooting for the home team.

 

Thoughts on Toronto: The shopping vibe outside ACC is pretty neat. I remember the bar options being decent but expensive. I was only at ACC for a World Cup game though, so it wasn’t their normal production. I did sit in the 300s with an obstructed view of the scoreboard. To remedy this, they have TVs posted. It was actually kinda cool, but obviously would rather see the scoreboard. It’s a corporate vibe. The view is obstructed because the 300s are under the boxes so you’re sitting under those, not rafters.

 

Buffalo has some things going for it that others don’t. The ice skating at canal side is pretty neat. Same goes for the Harborcenter rinks. I always used to walk through to see if anything was going on after games. One time the puck had just dropped on a Beauts game, so I watched the Sabres lose and then the Beauts win. I love Pear Street and like 716, but there just aren’t enough food/beer options in a reasonable walking distance. I think a 100 point season would do wonders for our in-arena atmosphere.

 

I rarely eat or drink at games (too expensive) so I can’t really comment on that.

 

*Edit to change the spelling of Center -> Centre. Please forgive me, Canadian friends.

Edited November 28, 2017 by EichSnipe