I miss the old quirky/original arenas. Now they look almost all the same. Tell us your personal favorite
January 23, 2024
I miss the old quirky/original arenas. Now they look almost all the same. Tell us your personal favorite
46 comments
As a kid I always liked the Boston garden
The Omni in Atlanta with its great sight lines and rust bucket exterior
Chicago Stadium. Analog scoreboard, clock with hands on it that my child brain couldn’t figure out and louder than a jet engine. That place fucking rocked.
Edmonton Colosseum
I love the new building, but Northlands was a huge part of growing up in the city.
The ThunderDome AKA Tropicana Field. Where you could kick a field goal and play air hockey during intermission.
MSG, obviously. Biased answer, but maybe because it doesn’t look the same as other arenas, and it looks the same as I remember from when I was a kid. All about that ceiling.
Joe Louis Arena
I love old shitty hockey stadiums. They have charm.
I love the saddledome so much and i’m gonna be sad to see it gone. It has so much charm, personality, and history, plus the prices are all still so solid (I can see a weekday game for $20 up in the nosebleeds) Honestly can’t really complain
Expo Hall.
The Joe Louis. Cramped seats, steeper than steep upper bowl, piss troughs and enough Stanley Cup history to fill the whole thing. Some ROWDY hockey experiences through the Bruise Bros/Russian Five/Grind Line eras. Unforgettable
The upper deck of the old Winnipeg Arena was so steep that it felt like you were over top of the ice and could fall directly down onto the rink (at least kid me thought so). Queen Elizabeth hanging in the rafters with AVCO Cup banners. 👌 👌
Definitely a ‘character’ building.
I grew up walking distance from the Old Barn in St. Louis. It was a shit hole, but it was our shit hole and we loved it
Windsor Arena aka the barn. Grew up watching the Spits play there as a kid
I miss when attending didn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Maple leaf gardens…..
remember when there was an NHL stadium inside a shopping mall in Connecticut? that was weird lol
Maple Leaf Gardens – cramped & congested, but there was an intimacy & charm to that building that has never translated over to the new building, or many of these newer arenas.
The Joe Louis was the same. Newer arenas are bright, shiny, and very modernized, but they feel overly sanitized and bland.
Hartford! Show some love for the whale!
The Spectrum! I love Wells Fargo Center but going to the spectrum was a completely different experience
I saw the islanders play at Nassau then at Barclays in consecutive seasons lol completely different
Most NHL arenas lack the history and charm that say, soccer aka football stadiums have across Europe. Some European football stadiums date back over 100 years, and they have that same rustic, old school charm and uniqueness.
As a kid, Mellon Arena, the old Joe Louis…these were interesting and unique stadiums that stood out to me the most. Wasn’t it great 2008 and 2009 Cup Finals were in these two unique buildings?
I love looking at old pics and vids of even older stadiums, like those of the Original Six. Current day stadiums lack personality and are too copy/paste.
I’d always wanted to watch a game in the Nassau Coliseum. Anyone who did what was the atmosphere like?
I recently went to the Xcel Center in St Paul for the first time and I was really impressed. it’s so nice to go to a rink that is for hockey only. the dual NHL/NBA thing for most arenas is what makes them cookie cutter imo. the Xcel Center FEELS like a rink and not an arena and it’s amazing.
Buffalo Memorial Aud. Steepest 300’s section you’ll ever see
Mullett Arena
McNichols Sports Arena
The old Montreal Forum that had no glass between fans & players/pucks except behind the nets.
I liked Joe Louis Arena, but my favorite is Pembroke Saddledome, but now it has a new name because someone bought the rights to it.
Saddle dome. Except for the losers heading to Cowboys after.
Metropolitan Sports Center. Bloomington, MN.
RIP.
The Met Center in Minnesota with the multi coloured seats – white/yellow/green.
All the old barns had distinct characteristics about them. These new arenas have no personality, cooker cutter stuff, but money talks.
The Chicago Stadium was freakin’ sweet. It was so LOUD. All the seats seemed to be closer to the action as well. Loved the organ. Players coming up the stairs from the locker rooms was definitely not ordinary (or safe).
You can still visit one. Kitchener Memorial Auditorium is still alive and well. Packed full of history. Not NHL but the closest thing you’ll get to an old school original arena.
The Igloo…. Just a classic arena and fitting for the Penguins
I’m partial to the old Boston Garden, but even I have to acknowledge its problems. Once had seats in the back row of the lower deck and had to slouch to see the entire ice. Also sat in an upper deck row that was nominally five seats but only four average sized adults could actually fit. And because of the way the upper deck was built, there were sections that were intentionally built with a slight lean to the left or right.
(I did see one Celtics game from the luxury boxes that used to be the third deck. That was flippin’ sweet.)
Took a road trip to Montreal and saw a game at the Forum. That place was great. Even from one of the back rows, superb sightlines.
Civic Arena, later known as Mellon was badass. The top opened too!
The Aud in Buffalo,The Igloo in Pittsburgh
L’ancien Forum de Montréal 😍
Nassau coliseum. Steep singular bowl with tight crammed concourse. Wish new arenas followed steeper Bowls.
The LA Clippers are making a new stadium with that concept and I fucking love it
Nassau coliseum. Islander last cup was the last time any change was made in that place. You can still smell the beer and cigarettes from 1982
Usually when people describe an arena as “quirky” they just mean the seats are uncomfortable and the entire building reeks horribly or urine and beer.
46 comments
As a kid I always liked the Boston garden
The Omni in Atlanta with its great sight lines and rust bucket exterior
Chicago Stadium. Analog scoreboard, clock with hands on it that my child brain couldn’t figure out and louder than a jet engine. That place fucking rocked.
Edmonton Colosseum
I love the new building, but Northlands was a huge part of growing up in the city.
The ThunderDome AKA Tropicana Field. Where you could kick a field goal and play air hockey during intermission.
MSG, obviously. Biased answer, but maybe because it doesn’t look the same as other arenas, and it looks the same as I remember from when I was a kid. All about that ceiling.
Joe Louis Arena
I love old shitty hockey stadiums. They have charm.
I love the saddledome so much and i’m gonna be sad to see it gone. It has so much charm, personality, and history, plus the prices are all still so solid (I can see a weekday game for $20 up in the nosebleeds) Honestly can’t really complain
Expo Hall.
The Joe Louis. Cramped seats, steeper than steep upper bowl, piss troughs and enough Stanley Cup history to fill the whole thing. Some ROWDY hockey experiences through the Bruise Bros/Russian Five/Grind Line eras. Unforgettable
The upper deck of the old Winnipeg Arena was so steep that it felt like you were over top of the ice and could fall directly down onto the rink (at least kid me thought so). Queen Elizabeth hanging in the rafters with AVCO Cup banners. 👌 👌
Definitely a ‘character’ building.
I grew up walking distance from the Old Barn in St. Louis. It was a shit hole, but it was our shit hole and we loved it
Windsor Arena aka the barn. Grew up watching the Spits play there as a kid
I miss when attending didn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Maple leaf gardens…..
remember when there was an NHL stadium inside a shopping mall in Connecticut? that was weird lol
Maple Leaf Gardens – cramped & congested, but there was an intimacy & charm to that building that has never translated over to the new building, or many of these newer arenas.
The Joe Louis was the same. Newer arenas are bright, shiny, and very modernized, but they feel overly sanitized and bland.
Hartford! Show some love for the whale!
The Spectrum! I love Wells Fargo Center but going to the spectrum was a completely different experience
I saw the islanders play at Nassau then at Barclays in consecutive seasons lol completely different
The Joe, obviously. LCA is just a glass box
Colisée de Québec / Colisée Pepsi
[old r/ post](https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/gawm1l/interior_of_the_colis%C3%A9e_pepsi_during_its_last/?rdt=53595)
Most NHL arenas lack the history and charm that say, soccer aka football stadiums have across Europe. Some European football stadiums date back over 100 years, and they have that same rustic, old school charm and uniqueness.
As a kid, Mellon Arena, the old Joe Louis…these were interesting and unique stadiums that stood out to me the most. Wasn’t it great 2008 and 2009 Cup Finals were in these two unique buildings?
I love looking at old pics and vids of even older stadiums, like those of the Original Six. Current day stadiums lack personality and are too copy/paste.
I’d always wanted to watch a game in the Nassau Coliseum. Anyone who did what was the atmosphere like?
I recently went to the Xcel Center in St Paul for the first time and I was really impressed. it’s so nice to go to a rink that is for hockey only. the dual NHL/NBA thing for most arenas is what makes them cookie cutter imo. the Xcel Center FEELS like a rink and not an arena and it’s amazing.
Buffalo Memorial Aud. Steepest 300’s section you’ll ever see
Mullett Arena
McNichols Sports Arena
The old Montreal Forum that had no glass between fans & players/pucks except behind the nets.
I liked Joe Louis Arena, but my favorite is Pembroke Saddledome, but now it has a new name because someone bought the rights to it.
Richmond coliseum mid 90s. ECHL Richmond renegades. Fond memories
The forum
Saddle dome. Except for the losers heading to Cowboys after.
Metropolitan Sports Center. Bloomington, MN.
RIP.
The Met Center in Minnesota with the multi coloured seats – white/yellow/green.
All the old barns had distinct characteristics about them. These new arenas have no personality, cooker cutter stuff, but money talks.
The Chicago Stadium was freakin’ sweet. It was so LOUD. All the seats seemed to be closer to the action as well. Loved the organ. Players coming up the stairs from the locker rooms was definitely not ordinary (or safe).
You can still visit one. Kitchener Memorial Auditorium is still alive and well. Packed full of history. Not NHL but the closest thing you’ll get to an old school original arena.
The Igloo…. Just a classic arena and fitting for the Penguins
I’m partial to the old Boston Garden, but even I have to acknowledge its problems. Once had seats in the back row of the lower deck and had to slouch to see the entire ice. Also sat in an upper deck row that was nominally five seats but only four average sized adults could actually fit. And because of the way the upper deck was built, there were sections that were intentionally built with a slight lean to the left or right.
(I did see one Celtics game from the luxury boxes that used to be the third deck. That was flippin’ sweet.)
Took a road trip to Montreal and saw a game at the Forum. That place was great. Even from one of the back rows, superb sightlines.
Civic Arena, later known as Mellon was badass. The top opened too!
The Aud in Buffalo,The Igloo in Pittsburgh
L’ancien Forum de Montréal 😍
Nassau coliseum. Steep singular bowl with tight crammed concourse. Wish new arenas followed steeper Bowls.
The LA Clippers are making a new stadium with that concept and I fucking love it
Nassau coliseum. Islander last cup was the last time any change was made in that place. You can still smell the beer and cigarettes from 1982
Usually when people describe an arena as “quirky” they just mean the seats are uncomfortable and the entire building reeks horribly or urine and beer.