What's the best NHL arena?
1. MTS
1. Xcel
2. Nationwide
3. Consol
4. Air Canada
5. Bell

Ok, I'm going to throw in Verizon Center. It's not a homer pick, I just don't think a lot of people outside of the DC area realize just how awesome this place is.

The interior is nothing really creative, unlike the odd arenas that are being built today (Prudential Center/Toyota Center). There are no awkward pillars or funky seating arrangements, just a regular 3 tiered bowl. There's a ton of suites and a big HD scoreboard. Not a bad seat in the house. As for food and beer, there's a lot.

There are only two arenas in the US that I can think of off the top of my head that are completely surrounded by a downtown area-Madison Square Garden and Verizon Center. I'm not talking about on the outskirts of downtown like TD Garden, Staples Center, or American Airlines Arena, I'm talking smack dab in the middle, built on a city block kind of downtown. If you didn't already know it was there, you could walk right by it without noticing. Therefore, the bar/dining/retail outside creates one of the best atmospheres I can think of at a sporting event. During the playoffs, 7th St. is a madhouse with everyone walking towards the arena when they get off the Metro. Location and transportation make Verizon Center the best place I can think of.

The reason I think it's the best is because at most modern arenas, everyone is pretty much on the same page. Views from the seats are similar, the scoreboard will be about the same size, and beer will still be overpriced. It's the bonus points that matter.

Hmmm, tough acts to follow. Maple Leaf Gardens used to be in this category. Right smack in the middle of downtown Toronto. Add to that the classic art deco architecture, unique roof, and history associated with the arena and it would blow the pants off Verizon and MSG. But now they have the ACC just outside of downtown with the Sky Dome.

Nowadays, you don't typically get that type of arena because for the city to survive each event, the arena has to be near some sort of high capacity conveyance. For the vast majority of the US, that means being near a freeway and providing space for the cars people will most likely be driving. DC and NY have the most heavily used high capacity transit in the country, so it makes sense that they could get away from needing to be near a freeway or lots of parking, or on the edge of downtown to avoid jamming downtown streets. Its just a shame it doesn't work more often in this country.

For cities that do have good transit access, but maybe an arena thats just outside of downtown (e.g. TD Garden, Staples Center, ACC, AAC, GM Pla...errr Rogers Area) its also its a matter of finding space in the center city street grid. MSG unfortunately displaced one of the architectural gems of this country (the old Penn Station) to make room for itself. Hard to recall what stood where the Verizon Center is now. But even the ones that are on the very edge of downtown are close enough to still have the city streets atmosphere outside the arena. Even if they're not tucked away between sky scrapers and offices. Thats still pretty cool to me.

My top 5:

1: Verizon Center, Washington D.C. (C..A..P..S..Caps Caps Caps!)
2: Rogers Arena, Vacnouver B.C.
3: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul MN
4: MSG, New York, NY
5: Air Canada Center, Toronto ON
Honorable Mention: New Seattle Arena to host future NHL franchise or the displaced Coyotes, Thrashers, Blue Jackets, or Islanders

Boulder are you a Caps fan?

Scotiabank Saddledome
Calgary, AB
Built 1983
Capacity 19,289
Home of the Calgary Flames, Calgary Hitmen and Calgary Roughnecks and hosted events during the 1988 Winter Olympics.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1247/5136560439_02b3fc4b6b_z.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5132/5440623776_6b0c36fbb0_z.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/5136606059_422fd13ff1_z.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/5137310946_33119dd40f_z.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4044/5137186364_7c9df8b5b1_z.jpg

We also hosted an outdoor game. The 2011 Heritage Classic against the Montreal Canadiens.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5017/5465399208_b7a5434a72_z.jpg

Boulder are you a Caps fan?

Caps, Avs, and Nucks. Didn't include the Pepsi center since its in parking lot wasteland on the outskirts of downtown Denver, but it seems like downtown is sortof spreading towards it. Maybe it will be on the list some day? Been to several games at both Verizon and the old USAir Arena, but those were in the original Red White and Blue, and Jagr eras for the Caps. Never got to experience 'rock the red'. Since I moved to Seattle, I have been to 2 Canucks games and 1 of the Olympic games up here. Canadians know their hockey...

I'd say Kansas City has the best arena in Canada/United States. I'm not fully abreast of hockey arenas beyond America.

Sprint Centre, Kansas City
http://www.aecom.com/deployedfiles/Internet/About/sprint-center.jpg
http://www.aecom.com/deployedfiles/Internet/About/sprint-center.jpg

I'd say Kansas City has the best arena in Canada/United States. I'm not fully abreast of hockey arenas beyond America.

Sprint Centre, Kansas City
http://www.aecom.com/deployedfiles/Internet/About/sprint-center.jpg
http://www.aecom.com/deployedfiles/Internet/About/sprint-center.jpg

But has anyone played and ice hockey game there?

But has anyone played and ice hockey game there?

There was an NHL exhibition game there a few years ago. One team was the Islanders, don't remember who the other one was but I do remember the attendance was awful for a city supposedly vying for an NHL franchise.

Winter Classic this year will be Ranges v Flyers in Philly at Citizens Bank Ballpark (Lincoln Financial is being used New Years day for an Eagles v Redskins game):
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=6537075

Russia to host 2016 Hockey Worlds

http://www.sports.ru/images/object_57.1291310320,68868.jpeg?1291310335,74853

Friday 13 has become a lucky day for Russia as the country has won the right to host the 2016 Ice Hockey World Championships.

The Russian national team stunned long-time rival Canada with a 2-1 victory at the World Championships in Slovakia on Thursday.

And there was more good news for the country’s hockey the next day as Russia triumphed in the race for the 2016 Worlds, partially without a fight.

The voting was to take place at the International Ice Hockey Federation Congress in Bratislava, but Ukraine and Denmark, who also hoped to snatch the event, withdrew their applications at the final moment.

Russia went all out to perfect its own bid.

The Russian delegation at the congress included Russian Hockey Federation President Vladislav Tretyak, Deputy Mayor of Moscow, Alexander Gorbenko, and Deputy Minister of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy of the Russian Federation, Yury Nagornykh.

Vladimir Putin also arrived at the congress for the announcement of the results of the bidding campaign.

While Russia got the championships, Putin also received a special gift from the President of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Rene Fasel – a hockey sweater with the Russian Prime Minister’s name on the back.

Putin is expected to be in the stands for Russia’s semifinal game against Finland on Friday night.

The prime minister's personal involvement also played a significant role in the success of his country’s bids to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Russia is planning to hold the World Championship games at Moscow’s Megasport Arena and Ice Palace in St Petersburg. The estimated budget for the event is around US$14 million.

The World Championships in 2016 will kick off on April 29, with the final scheduled for May 15.

“We’ve prepared a colorful multimedia presentation with a detailed description of all the advantages of our bid: the arenas, the infrastructure, a developed transportation network, the best hotels, surprises in the reception of guests – participants of the tournament, the estimated prices of tickets, opportunities to accept thousands of fans from abroad. In principle, our country can host the Hockey World Championships even tomorrow. Moscow and St Petersburg have everything to stage the event of the highest level,” Valery Fesyuk, executive director of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, told Sport-Express newspaper.

It is going to be the third Hockey World Championships in Russia since the start of the new millennium as the country hosted the annual event in 2000 and 2007.
http://rt.com/news/russia-hockey-2016-putin/

1TxJ9QqpJUM

o1cCA7V-_TE

http://fhr.ru/images/full/4011.jpeg

http://fhr.ru/images/origin/4013.jpeg

The World Hockey Championship would be so much better if it was played once every 4 years in between the Olympics with the BEST players playing.

Harvard Stadium, home to the Harvard University Crimson men's ice hockey team from 1903 to 1906:

http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/8640/00stadiumrink.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/851/00stadiumrink.jpg/)

Kontinental Hockey League Arenas

http://i.imgur.com/E1Skv.png

Dynamo Minsk

http://i.imgur.com/f5Y2Y.png

Minsk-Arena
Capacity: 15,000
Opened: 2010
Seat layout:

http://i.imgur.com/ZQBdN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/lSNho.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/rho8G.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/PynJk.jpg

Dynamo Moscow


http://i.imgur.com/aBO8k.png

Megasport Arena
Capacity: 14,000
Opened: 2006
Seat layout:

http://i.imgur.com/BeY0Z.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/PEok9.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/tpRFb.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6ZNIt.jpg

SKA Saint Petersburg

http://i.imgur.com/WvOgI.png

Ice Palace
Capacity: 11,500
Opened: 2000
Seat layout:

http://i.imgur.com/nqoW3.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/mylgC.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/NSUey.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/8B0Ud.jpg

Dinamo Riga

http://i.imgur.com/7K1kL.png

Arena Riga
Capacity: 10,300
Opened: 2006
Seat layout:

http://i.imgur.com/by1Eu.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/z30Hj.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/hTTwY.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/QUGgk.jpg

American Airlines Center - Dallas, TX

Arena Zagreb :cheers:
http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/1918/p1120429panorama.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/810/p1120429panorama.jpg/)

BOk Center (Bank of Oklahoma Center): Tulsa, OK
Capacity: 17096
Opened: August 2008

Home to the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League.

Designed by Cesar Pelli (yes, the same designer of the Petronas Towers; this was his first arena design). Most of these photos were taken around the time the arena opened in August/September of 2008.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3207/2794237430_4456af41c7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/oilerfan/2794237430/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3159/2750709436_dd7b45dc01_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/oilerfan/2750709436/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3186/2749903193_cae737a56a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/oilerfan/2749903193/)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2135/2812013226_ae51b97510_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/oilerfan/2812013226/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3104/2811163559_2815794528_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/oilerfan/2811163559/)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3181/2811158237_5ccfec7b3e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/oilerfan/2811158237/)

15,000? It's gon' have to grow a bit to support an NHL team. Even the Coyotes could average 15,000 fans (when they weren't on the verge of being moved).

You idiot.

^Great first post, an insult. MTS Centre is small.

There was an NHL exhibition game there a few years ago. One team was the Islanders, don't remember who the other one was but I do remember the attendance was awful for a city supposedly vying for an NHL franchise.
Pens/Kings sold out this preseason

Cox Convention Center
Oklahoma City, OK
Capacity:12,947
Home of the Oklahoma City Barons.

http://www.okcbarons.com/commonfiles/images/photomanager/full/ice5.jpg

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/558753/Febuary_2011_Hockey_002.JPG

http://aviewfrommyseat.com/wallpaper/NachoMommy-20110402210515.jpg

http://image1.stadiumjourney.com/images/stadiums/1047_Cox_Convention_Center_End.jpg

http://tours.360okc.com/5382/still.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6040/6261169547_7582224b27.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7zAOf6KlIy4/TT9AgNBAyGI/AAAAAAAACpo/wFuMIm7-Juo/s1600/WALNUT%2BCREEK%2BCHAPEL%2B011.jpg

^^ off-topic about the Myriad (I still call it that) -- why couldn't they just build the Thunder's practice facility onto it (or convert some convention space) instead of putting it 3 miles north of downtown?

^^ off-topic about the Myriad (I still call it that) -- why couldn't they just build the Thunder's practice facility onto it (or convert some convention space) instead of putting it 3 miles north of downtown?

It was part of the MAPS extension and the Thunder wanted a new practice just for themselves. In other words, they didn't want to have to share a building with someone else.

It was part of the MAPS extension and the Thunder wanted a new practice just for themselves. In other words, they didn't want to have to share a building with someone else.
but they cut out the practice gym they were going to build onto the arena because MAPS didn't raise enough money

makes no sense to build it in the middle of nowhere

SC Bern 10th time on top
Swiss club and Swedish league lead European attendance rankings


SC Bern's PostFinance Arena was the European hockey rink with the most fans for the tenth year in a row. Photo: Daniel Wenger / Photopress

ZURICH – Swiss club SC Bern was the most-attended European hockey team for the tenth consecutive time in the 2011/2012 regular season, which saw a record number of seven clubs reach the 10,000 mark.

The average attendance at the arena that hosted the 2009 IIHF World Championship went down from 15,856 to 15,779, but SC Bern defended its position with a comfortable margin. The Swiss club has higher attendance average than nine NHL franchises this season.

Scroll down for the chart with the top clubs and leagues.

The last time another team than SCB was first in Europe was in 2002 when Kölner Haie from Cologne, Germany, beat the Swiss by a margin of 64 spectators.

In the 2011/2012 season, Europe had for the first time seven clubs that reached the 10,000-fan mark. The previous record was five clubs (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010).

Dynamo Minsk from Belarus claimed second place for the first time, averaging 14,193 spectators. The club brand that existed during the Soviet times returned when the club was revived in 2003.

In 2008 the team from the Belarusian capital joined the Russian Kontinental Hockey League. Dynamo Minsk went from 61st to third place last year following the opening of the 15,000-seat Minsk Arena and overtook Germany’s Eisbären Berlin for second place.

Eisbären was third with 14,073 fans ahead of league rival Kölner Haie (10,494) and Sweden’s Frölunda Gothenburg (10,482), which improved one spot from last season.

The newest team in the “10,000 club” is SKA St. Petersburg. With an average of 10,126 spectators SKA became the first Russian club ever to average a five-digit attendance. Germany’s Adler Mannheim broke the 10,000 mark in the last few games, ending up with 10,018 fans per game.

Other notable facts:


Lokomotiv Yaroslavl averaged 8,961 fans in Russia’s second-tier league, where the club played part of the season following the tragic air-plane crash last September that wiped out the entire team. The number helped “Loko” to stay in the ranking as 11th. Another second-tier team in the top-50 were the Malmö Redhawks (33rd). The city in southern Sweden will host the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship and has been attempting to get back to the Elitserien since being relegated in 2007.

Salavat Yulayev Ufa sold out every KHL game with 7,950 fans with a little more than nine months to go before the 2013 IIHF World Juniors in the city. The only other club to sell out all games came also from Russia. Amur Khabarovsk from the Far East had 7,100 in each and every home match.
HIFK Helsinki and HV71 Jönköping even had numbers that exceeded their arena capacity, but that was due to outdoor games.

Also the home teams of the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship venues did well. Jokerit Helsinki improved to ninth place with 9,173 fans while Djurgården Stockholm averaged 7,723 fans and came 17th. The team played three games in the Ericsson Globe and the others in Hovet, the ancient arena from 1955 across the square.

Croatian club Medvescak Zagreb continues to impress with its attendance figures. The club that is currently playing in the semi-finals of the Austrian EBEL league improved its position (12th) and attendance (8,835) to break last year’s record. Impressive for a country with only 437 registered ice hockey players. Thanks to its success the club is being courted by the Russian KHL.

Slovan Bratislava was the club that gained the most places in the ranking, improving from 114th to 36th. The club from the Slovak capital averaged 5,907 fans after moving back to their rink. The arena was torn down and reconstructed prior to the 2011 IIHF World Championship. With this number Slovan was also ranked two spots above arch-rival HC Kosice. Another big jump was done by the Växjö Lakers (112th to 49th) that played in the Swedish top league for the first time.

There are even two third-tier clubs in the top-100, both from two German cities that used to play in the DEL until recently. The Kassel Huskies had to restart with their amateur team in the fourth tier after bankruptcy in 2010, but went up to Germany’s third tier, Oberliga, and averaged 4,293 fans in the regular season. Putting it in perspective: That’s more than the three KHL teams in Moscow average. Kassel’s destiny is shared by another team from the Hesse state. The Frankfurt Lions were re-launched as Löwen Frankfurt and played in the same Oberliga division, averaging 4,056 fans.

While the top spot is occupied by a Swiss club for the tenth straight time, the Swedish Elitserien claimed back the title of the league with the highest average attendance.

The attendance of the Elitserien clubs rose from 6,160 to 6,385 (+3.65%) while it went down by one to 6,305 in Switzerland’s National League A.

Leagues also swapped places below the top two. Germany’s DEL surpassed the Russian KHL and is now third with 6,060 fans (+5.28%) while the Russian league averaged 5,891 fans (+1.83%).

The Finnish SM-liiga improved to fifth place with 5,103 fans (+5.59%) overtaking the Czech Extraliga that averaged 4,824 spectators (-2.27%).

Four European leagues have attendance figures that are only behind the NHL, but ahead of the American Hockey League, the second-best attended league in North America.

An encouraging fact is that the numbers increased in ten of the 13 best-attended leagues in Europe (Sweden, Germany, Russia, Finland, Austria, Slovakia, Great Britain, Norway, France, Belarus) while the numbers were virtually unchanged in Switzerland and Denmark, and dropped only in the Czech Extraliga.

The best attended club team in the world are again the Chicago Blackhawks with 21,525 fans, followed by the Montreal Canadiens with 21,273. The AHL’s Hershey Bears are the best-attended minor-league team with 9,780 spectators per game while the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts are by far the best-attended junior team, averaging 10,525 fans.

The Asian team with the highest average attendance were Japan’s Nikko Ice Bucks with 1,466 spectators. The Asia League comprised of teams from Japan, Korea and China averaged 1,024 fans, a number that’s behind the top leagues of 13 European countries, but before Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland and Ukraine.

MARTIN MERK



Attendance figures in European hockey leagues 2011-2012


Club
Country
Average
Cap. %

1.
(1.)
SC Bern
SUI
15,779
92.11%

2.
(3.)
Dynamo Minsk
BLR
14,193
94.08%

3.
(2.)
Eisbären Berlin
GER
14,073
99.11%

4.
(4.)
Kölner Haie
GER
10,494
56.72%

5.
(6.)
Frölunda Gothenburg
SWE
10,482
87.03%

6.
(11.)
SKA St. Petersburg
RUS
10,126
81.01%

7.
(5.)
Adler Mannheim
GER
10,018
73.66%

8.
(20.)
Hamburg Freezers
GER
9,221
72.02%

9.
(10.)
Jokerit Helsinki
FIN
9,173
67.13%

10.
(7.)
Avangard Omsk
RUS
9,143
88.61%

11.
(8.)
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
RUS-2
8,961
98.80%

12.
(13.)
Medvescak Zagreb
CRO
8,835
96.50%

13.
(9.)
HC Pardubice
CZE
8,380
82.21%

14.
(26.)
HIFK Helsinki
FIN
8,284
102.02%

15.
(12.)
Salavat Yulayev Ufa
RUS
7,950
100.00%

16.
(15.)
Dinamo Riga
LAT
7,733
75.08%

17.
(16.)
Djurgården Stockholm
SWE
7,723
95.42%

18.
(14.)
ZSC Lions Zurich
SUI
7,625
71.26%

19.
(18.)
Traktor Chelyabinsk
RUS
7,337
97.83%

20.
(22.)
HV71 Jönköping
SWE
7,232
103.31%

21.
(19.)
Amur Khabarovsk
RUS
7,100

22.
(27.)
Met. Magnitogorsk
RUS
7,035

23.
(17.)
Kometa Brno
CZE
6,960

24.
(26.)
Linköpings HC
SWE
6,903

25.
(21.)
Genève-Servette
SUI
6,769

26.
(25.)
Fribourg-Gottéron
SUI
6,636

27.
(23.)
Färjestad Karlstad
SWE
6,589

28.
(32.)
Atlant Mytishi
RUS
6,278

29.
(45.)
Sparta Prague
CZE
6,273

30.
(29.)
EV Zug
SUI
6,265

31.
(35.)
Brynäs Gävle
SWE
6,265

32.
(30.)
MODO Örnsköldsvik
SWE
6,119

33.
(64.)
Malmö Redhawks
SWE-2
6,072

34.
(34.)
Kloten Flyers
SUI
6,041

35.
(28.)
Sibir Novosibirsk
RUS
5,918

36.
(114.)
Slovan Bratislava
SVK
5,907

37.
(37.)
Kärpät Oulu
FIN
5,821

38.
(33.)
HC Kosice
SVK
5,678

39.
(31.)
HC Plzen
CZE
5,584

40.
(40.)
TPS Turku
FIN
5,534

41.
(52.)
Torpedo N. Novgorod
RUS
5,481

42.
(36.)
AIK Stockholm
SWE
5,450

43.
(51.)
Tappara Tampere
FIN
5,358

44.
(41.)
SCL Tigers Langnau
SUI
5,290

45.
(44.)
DEG Metro Stars
GER
5,225

46.
(42.)
Ilves Tampere
FIN
5,208

47.
(43.)
Luleå HF
SWE
5,154

48.
(39.)
Bili Tygri Liberec
CZE
5,140

49.
(112.)
Växjö Lakers
SWE
5,099

50.
(50.)
Skellefteå AIK
SWE
5,078

51.
(46.)
Neft. Nizhnekamsk
RUS
5,037

52.
(81.)
Vienna Capitals
AUT
4,906

53.
(54.)
Ak Bars Kazan
RUS
4,876

54.
(47.)
Vitkovice Ostrava
CZE
4,867

55.
(103.)
Met. Novokuznetsk
RUS
4,822

56.
(65.)
Straubing Tigers
GER
4,820

57.
(53.)
Leksands IF
SWE-2
4,820

58.
(66.)
Lausanne HC
SUI-2
4,798

59.
(59.)
Ässät Pori
FIN
4,781

60.
(80.)
Pelicans Lahti
FIN
4,750

61.
(60.)
EHC Biel
SUI
4,749

62.
(62.)
Nottingham Panthers
GBR
4,694

63.
(58.)
PSG Zlin
CZE
4,553

64.
(93.)
Sev. Cherepovets
RUS
4,548

65.
(61.)
HC Davos
SUI
4,544

66.
(49.)
Timrå IK
SWE
4,523

67.
(72.)
Yuzhny Ural Orsk
RUS-2
4,493

68.
(48.)
Slavia Prague
CZE
4,492

69.
(63.)
Krefeld Pinguine
GER
4,486

70.
(69.)
KAC Klagenfurt
AUT
4,343

71.
(62.)
HC Litvinov
CZE
4,336

72.
(56.)
Ceske Budejovice
CZE
4,319

73.
(-.)
Lev Poprad
SVK
4,313

74.
(-.)
Kassel Huskies
GER-3
4,293

75.
(91.)
Augsburger Panther
GER
4,267

76.
(77.)
KalPa Kuopio
FIN
4,170

77.
(67.)
Rapperswil-Jona
SUI
4,135

78.
(75.)
HC Lugano
SUI
4,125

79.
(90.)
Iserlohn Roosters
GER
4,124

80.
(57.)
Nürnberg Ice Tigers
GER
4,112

81.
(-.)
Löwen Frankfurt
GER-3
4,056

82.
(95.)
Yermak Angarsk
RUS-2
4,036

83.
(38.)
Dynamo Moscow
RUS
4,026

84.
(76.)
JYP Jyväskylä
FIN
3,975

85.
(97.)
Khanty-Mansisk
RUS
3,937

86.
(87.)
Belfast Giants
GBR
3,898

87.
(82.)
ERC Ingolstadt
GER
3,854

88.
(78.)
Lukko Rauma
FIN
3,849

89.
(70.)
Hannover Scorpions
GER
3,847

90.
(79.)
EHC München
GER
3,843

91.
(55.)
Barys Astana
KAZ
3,756

92.
(84.)
HC Ambrì-Piotta
SUI
3,707

93.
(68.)
Espoo Blues
FIN
3,682

94.
(-.)
Donbass Donetsk
UKR
3,556

95.
(73.)
Yekaterinburg
RUS
3,550

96.
(125.)
Black Wings Linz
AUT
3,512

97.
(94.)
HPK Hämeenlinna
FIN
3,480

98.
(83.)
Ocelari Trinec
CZE
3,444

99.
(102.)
Fehervar AV19
HUN
3,437

100.
(88.)
VSV Villach
AUT
3,422





Regular-Season average attendance Europe & Asia


League
Attendance

1.
Sweden - Elitserien
6,385

2.
Switzerland - National League A
6,305

3.
Germany - Deutsche Eishockey Liga
6,060

4.
Russia - Kontinental Hockey League
5,891

5.
Finland - SM-liiga
5,103

6.
Czech Republic - Extraliga
4,824

7.
Austria - EBEL
3,606

8.
Slovakia - Extraliga
2,687

9.
Great Britain - Elite Ice Hockey League
2,028

10.
Norway - Get Ligaen
1,462

11.
France - Ligue Magnus
1,391

12.
Denmark - AL-Bank Liga
1,301

13.
Belarus - Extraliga
1,111

14.
Asia League (CHN/KOR/JPN)
1,024

15.
Italy - Serie A
987


Regular-Season average attendance 2nd-tier leagues Europe


League
Attendance

1.
Sweden - Allsvenskan
2,606

2.
Germany - 2. Bundesliga
2,303

3.
Russia - VHL
2,252

4.
Switzerland - National League B
2,112

5.
Finland - Mestis
1,172

6.
Czech Republic - 1. liga
1,130


Regular-Season average attendance North America (pro/juniors)



League
Attendance

1.
National Hockey League
17,381

2.
American Hockey League
5,545

3.
Western Hockey League
4,196

4.
ECHL
4,188

5.
Central Hockey League
4,024

6.
Ontario Hockey League
3,624

7.
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
3,208

8.
Southern Professional Hockey League
2,765

9.United States Hockey League 2,335


Note: The regular season in North America and Great Britain were not completed as of publication date, 15 March 2012.

http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/recap/6508.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=955&cHash=fb6171f7ea

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Pepsi Coliseum. An Art Deco gem in Indianapolis, IN.

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/2373/pc3ok.jpg
http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/3029/pc1bd.jpg

And it looks like Populous have won the bid for a renovation.

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/8456/pc2f.jpg

I went to my very first Ice Hockey game at the Pepsi Coliseum, kind of in a run down area but will always hold a nice memory for me.

There is a Pepsi coliseum in Indy as well? Cool.

Looks like Lucas oil stadium and the barn where that college basketball team play at. Indy seem to do Art Deco really well

Pepsi Coliseum. An Art Deco gem in Indianapolis, IN.

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/2373/pc3ok.jpg
http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/3029/pc1bd.jpg

And it looks like Populous have won the bid for a renovation.

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/8456/pc2f.jpg

That.
Is.
Awesome.

Kansas City has the best arena, but no NHL.

I hope they do renovate the Pepsi Coliseum. Just looking at the set up they have now for hockey is just bad.

http://www.iihf.com/uploads/RTEmagicC_DSC_3533.jpg.jpg

Why do European hockey arenas rarely go all the way up to the glass like north american arenas? Are they against making the corners rounded? if your going to spend the money to build the arena why would you get rid of its best seats?

Looks as if the first few rows of seats are retracted in your example, the front row probably does meet the glass.

Looks as if the first few rows of seats are retracted in your example, the front row probably does meet the glass.

Oh yes i do see how it gets pushed up in the particular arena but why do most others have a gap in between the rink and the seats?

This is my hometown arena the United center
http://www.unitedcenter.com/flash/seating_chart/photos/hockey/section207.jpg
http:// http://cbschicago.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/united-center-crowd.jpg
http://goldcoasttickets.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/madhouse-on-madison.jpg
During playoffs http://cache.boston.com/multimedia/sports/bigshots/nhl_finals_2010/bs1.jpg
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5148/5639521396_a7c0d3d07c_z.jpg
Outside
http://www.illinoisloyalty.com/i/20051203-illini-xavier-united-center-01.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3550/3377191145_509e3bc78c_z.jpg

Oh yes i do see how it gets pushed up in the particular arena but why do most others have a gap in between the rink and the seats?

Numerous reasons I guess why many of the European Arena's don't follow the same footprint as their North American counterparts.

Some Factors may be the following:

The venue is not built to the specifications of a major sporting league (ie NHL or NBA). So no particular tenant is the anchor.

Different uses or primary tenants from other disciplines that aren't relevent to North America like European Handball or Indoor Athletics.

The venue's funding may play a major role. If publically built as a community facility it may need for a compromised flexible design may not be the most perfect fit for hockey.

Many European Arenas are built specifically as sporting gymnasiums instead of "entertainment centres" while others are firstly the later which will certainly see a variation of tier shape.

Fan habits are different. Many Europeans like to stand. Often there is less demand for as many corporate boxes/suites so you may see more single tier European Arenas but this may be a factor in my last idea.

In my view, European Architects tend to follow more austere Architectural ideals (sometimes following the straightline too far) as their North American counterparts seem very aware that they are designing in the entertainment industry where maybe the spectators comfort is more important that some rigid expression. Some may find a curved seating bowl around the corners are counter to their design theme. A single tier structure may be purely practical as there is little demand to break the tier to fit in a belt of corporate facilities or it could be an idealistic egalitarian expression.

All this being said, if it is close to the truth you will find just as many exceptions on both sides of the atlantic.
A great juxtaposition is the O2 World Berlin and the modern Max Schmeling Halle also in Berlin.

Looks as if the first few rows of seats are retracted in your example, the front row probably does meet the glass.

exactly... here it is:

http://c2058.r58.cf3.rackcdn.com/obrazky/77/77730.jpg

A rendering of the Pegula Ice Arena, future home of the Penn State Nittany Lions ice hockey team:

http://media.centredaily.com/smedia/2012/01/24/00/57/d7dH.AuSt.42.jpghttp://onwardstate.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Seating-Bowl.jpg

Compton Family Ice Arena, home of Notre Dame Fighting Irish ice hockey:

http://www.bartonmalow.com/sites/default/files/392_7331.jpg
http://www.bartonmalow.com/sites/default/files/392_7331_2.jpg

In addition to Commandant's post, to see more Pegula Ice Arena on the Penn State University Park campus, check out this link http://live.psu.edu/flickrset/72157628914509745

As a PSU Alum, I am excited the school finally has a NCAA level team in a modern facility (though, during construction the team will play at the Penn State Ice Pavillion (Greenberg Ice Pavillion). However, the exterior is not to par with how I envisioned the PIA looking. The PIA is located next to PSU's indoor football facility, the indoor tennis building, the field hockey field, and the admissions building. It is located across the street from the Bryce Jordan Center and a block from Beaver Stadium.

When compared to a new arena like Notre Dame's, the PIA is good on the inside but the exterior doesn't meet the vision I had for it in relation to its location.

Was wondering if anybody had any decent pictures of different ice hockey venues all around the world from the biggest to the smallest it doesnt matter. However ive always prefered the smaller venues ffrom 12,000 capacity or less :)


http://www.billleighty.com/images/bok_night9_approved.jpg


http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2541/4152340869_ccfa38db12_z.jpghttp://farm3.staticflickr.com/2541/4152340869_ccfa38db12_z.jpg

http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/77393701/for_web_reasonably_small.jpg

The bank Atlantic center is a very nice arena, home of the Florida panthers (NHL) and a max capacity of 20,200 im surprised its not even on the list to choose from?

Here in the RWTH Aachen University (http://www.rwth-aachen.de/cms/main/~a/root/?lidx=1) (germanies largest and best reputed technical university) we have a very fun annual icehockey university cup (RWTH Eishockey Uni-cup (http://www.sportarten.rwth-aachen.de/Eishockeyunicup/)), where the faculties of medicine, mechanical engineering compete for the cup. Each faculty team, the "Medical strikers", "Aachen Steelers" and "E-Tech Lions", consist of three subteams, the female students, the male students and faculty professors which play against both of the opponent teams in short matches and re-matches. All the scores are then added up and the winning faculty team gets the cup.

The whole event is a big party event for a good cause (the ticket sales go to some good cause) and is a lot of fun for the students and has about 2700 visitors, the tickets are allways sold out in advance immediately.

It is being hosted in a local icesports arena, the Tivoli Eissporthalle in Aachen, Germany:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Unicup6002RWTH.JPG/800px-Unicup6002RWTH.JPG
source:http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicup

Here's a picture gallery from last years unicup sorted by themes like cheerkleading shows, training etc... (just click on the pictures):
http://bildergallerie.hsz.rwth-aachen.de/v/Events/EishockeyUNI-CUP/2011/

And here's a youtubevideo of a (not very professional but fun) cheerleading show from the mechanical engineering faculty in one of the many "half times" of the tournament to give you an impression of the event:
sAY2nP5gBMk

The matches, especially those between the professors teams are anything but professional but a lot of fun to watch and usually the teams are very eager to win.

The Uni-cup is the biggest sport event that's being held in this small icesports arena, which nearly bursts from the amout of visitors then.
There are of course also concerts being hosted there during summertime with more visitors, but from the sport events hostred there, the Uni-cup has more visitors than the arena has seats and terracing, so unlike at regular matches from local club teams, the students stand cramped all around the field and not only on the regular stands.

I actually know a girl who is at that university. She was an exchange student at my high school for one year lol. Didn't realize they are supposedly big on hockey over there.