{"id":439797,"date":"2026-02-01T12:27:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T12:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/439797\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T12:27:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T12:27:25","slug":"nhl-arenas-of-yore-here-are-some-of-the-fun-quirks-and-features-we-miss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/439797\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL arenas of yore: Here are some of the fun quirks and features we miss"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article is part of our NHL Arena Rankings series<\/a>, in which we rank all 32 current rinks and present stories about memorable rinks of the past and present.<\/p>\n

Modern NHL arenas might have all the bells and whistles. They certainly come with larger concourses, more leg room and an abundance of technological advances. \u201cBarns,\u201d as buildings that housed hockey were once affectionately called, is not a term that applies today.<\/p>\n

Still, fans of a certain, uh, vintage hold dear those arenas of yesteryear. And while nostalgia is powerful, the affection for buildings that lacked modern amenities is rooted in a fondness for unique features that helped people connect to their NHL teams through those old arenas.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at some of the NHL\u2019s most-loved former arenas, and some of their defining quirks.<\/p>\n

Boston Garden\u2019s small ice<\/p>\n

Boston Bruins (1928-95)
Designed with boxing matches in mind, Boston\u2019s version of New York\u2019s Madison Square Garden \u2014 its original name was \u201cBoston Madison Square Garden\u201d \u2014 was famous to NHL fans for its small ice dimensions. The ice surface measured at 191 by 83 feet, nine feet shorter and two feet narrower than the NHL\u2019s regulation dimensions. Boston Garden was not the only arena with ice that didn\u2019t meet standard measurements. However, the Bruins, especially in the 1970s, constructed rosters to feature players who would excel on the shorter, narrower ice. The Bruins\u2019 size and physicality seemed more noticeable on the diminished rink.<\/p>\n

Chicago Stadium\u2019s fog, organ, steep steps<\/p>\n

Chicago Blackhawks (1929-94)
Nicknamed the \u201cMadhouse on Madison,\u201d<\/a> Chicago Stadium was modeled after Detroit\u2019s Olympia. Both arenas were boxy, but Chicago Stadium was memorable for its poor ventilation, which could lead to fog forming during Blackhawks games, and a massive Barton organ. Chicago Stadium, like Boston Garden and Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, had an ice surface that was not regulation, with less space in the neutral zones. And then there were the steep stairs<\/a> \u2014 at least 20 \u2014 that players had to climb to reach the ice after leaving the dressing rooms.<\/p>\n

Cow Palace\u2019s high roof<\/p>\n

San Jose Sharks (1991-93)
The team\u2019s current home is fondly referred to as the \u201cShark Tank,\u201d but the Sharks started their NHL journey inside Cow Palace<\/a> in Daly City, Calif. The Sharks were dreadful during their two-season stay at Cow Palace, so it existed primarily as an arena where scorers would show up to fatten their point totals. But any player who took the ice at Cow Palace recalls the building\u2019s seemingly sky-high roof, which consisted of steel trusses and was 110 feet above the building\u2019s floor. Even when viewed on television, the Cow Palace looked like hockey was being staged in an aircraft hangar.<\/p>\n

Hartford Civic Center\u2019s mall entrance<\/p>\n

Hartford Whalers (1979-97)
This arena was home to professional hockey starting in 1975, with the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association. A collapsed roof<\/a> in January 1978 forced the Whalers, who had already relocated from Boston\u2019s Matthews Arena, back to Massachusetts in the Springfield Civic Center. (Changing cities is kind of a thing for this nomadic franchise, known since 1997 as the Carolina Hurricanes.) But what stood out about Hartford Civic Center was its apt nickname, \u201cThe Mall.\u201d Part of a large, multi-use complex, the Hartford Civic Center was situated in the center of retail\/public spaces, along with food courts \u2014 part of a connected mall. Fans accessed the arena by way of the mall. Also, this was the home to \u201cBrass Bonanza,\u201d arguably the greatest goal song in NHL history.<\/p>\n

The Forum\u2019s Roman Coliseum resemblance<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Kings (1967-99)
The late Jack Kent Cooke, a Canadian, brought the NHL to Los Angeles. Suburban Inglewood became home to what was a groundbreaking facility. Known by Southern Californians as \u201cThe Fabulous Forum,\u201d this building was designed to resemble a Roman Coliseum \u2014 and from the outside, it did. Once inside, the absence of numerous support beams, combined with a cables-suspended roof with an approximately 400-foot diameter, made the Forum feel expansive compared to other arenas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n The Forum was quite a sight from the outside. (Rick Stewart \/ Allsport \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Joe Louis Arena\u2019s bouncy boards<\/p>\n

Detroit Red Wings (1979-2017)
The Red Wings can claim two famous former homes. \u201cThe Joe\u201d followed Olympia Stadium, and it was constructed in just more than two years. (Perhaps such a short time frame is how a press box was omitted; legend had it that the architect simply forgot.) The boards were always bouncy, with pucks seemingly to be slung off them compared to other arenas. It wasn\u2019t until the Red Wings finally gave captain Steve Yzerman a contending roster in the mid-1990s that Joe Louis Arena\u2019s boards became legendary as a home-ice advantage. The Red Wings created chances because their players were familiar with how the puck would propel off the boards.<\/p>\n

Maple Leaf Gardens\u2019 penalty boxes, gondola<\/p>\n

Toronto Maple Leafs (1931-99)
Considered, along with the Montreal Forum, as one of hockey\u2019s cathedrals<\/a>, Maple Leaf Gardens was the first arena to construct penalty boxes for each team. The boxes were installed in 1963 after a major fight between the Maple Leafs\u2019 Bob Pulford and the Canadiens\u2019 Terry Harper. Another famous feature was the gondola that hung until 1979, when it was torn down to make room for private boxes. This caused controversy, as the gondola was where legendary Canadian broadcaster Foster Hewitt regularly called games for \u201cHockey Night in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n

Metropolitan Sports Center\u2019s mismatched seats<\/p>\n

Minnesota North Stars (1967-93)
Later shortened to \u201cMet Center,\u201d this arena in Bloomington, Minn., was home to the North Stars before their relocation to Dallas. Players loved the ice surface, which rivaled that in Edmonton\u2019s Northlands Coliseum, for the unofficial title of NHL\u2019s fastest ice. The North Stars were rarely good enough to take advantage. Though when they did make deep postseason runs \u2014 including Stanley Cup Final losses in 1981 and 1991 \u2014 fans watching on TV were treated to repeat viewings of the peculiar pattern among the arena\u2019s seats. Colored white, black, yellow and green, the seats appeared to be randomly placed throughout the arena. That\u2019s because, apparently, they were<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Montreal Forum\u2019s open benches<\/p>\n

Montreal Maroons, Montreal Canadiens (1924-96)
With an unrivaled history, the Montreal Forum was home to many of the NHL\u2019s greatest teams, players and personnel. It was essentially the unofficial home rink of the Stanley Cup Final throughout the 1970s. And Canadiens superstar goalie Patrick Roy called attention to the building\u2019s standout quirk. There was no glass behind the benches to separate spectators from players and coaches, providing the Forum with unmatched intimacy in terms of closeness to the action.<\/p>\n

Had there been glass behind the benches, Roy would have had to climb it to reach Canadiens president Ronald Corey in 1995, when Roy was furious for hearing sarcastic cheers and being left in the game during a blowout loss to the Red Wings. The Canadiens trailed 9-1 when Roy was finally pulled from the game by his rookie coach, Mario Tremblay. Agitated while seated near Tremblay, Roy walked past the coach multiple times before finally leaning into the stands<\/a> and telling Corey that he had just played his last game with the Canadiens. Four days later, Roy was traded to the Colorado Avalanche.<\/p>\n

The Spectrum\u2019s acoustics<\/p>\n

Philadelphia Flyers (1967-96)
When it opened, the Spectrum was mockingly referred to as a \u201ctuna can\u201d because of its outward appearance. Then, early in its life, its roof partially collapsed<\/a>, forcing the Flyers play games in Toronto, Quebec City and New York. It was hardly the best beginning for what would become one of the NHL\u2019s most lively venues. The Flyers\u2019 bullying and their fans\u2019 bloodlust became synonymous with the building. But contributing to the intimidating nature of the Spectrum was its acoustics. Referred to as \u201cAmerica\u2019s Showplace\u201d<\/a> because rock bands loved the way their music sounded inside, the Spectrum\u2019s circular inner design made it one of the NHL\u2019s most deafening arenas. Rarely was the building louder than when a fight broke out during a Flyers game.<\/p>\n

Civic Arena\u2019s steel dome<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Penguins (1967-2010)
Indeed, the Penguins once played in an arena nicknamed \u201cthe Igloo\u201d because of the Civic Arena\u2019s stainless steel dome<\/a>. Perfect, right? The building was the first of its kind, a sports venue with a retractable roof. Why would a hockey arena have a roof that could open within minutes? Well, the Civic Arena was intended for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera when it debuted in 1961. The NHL\u2019s expansion into Pittsburgh happened six years later, and the Penguins played in the Civic Arena until 2010. Because it wasn\u2019t built with hockey or even sporting events in mind, the stands were steeply sloped. Fans in the back rows could touch the dome, and that continued whenever new sections were added to the arena.<\/p>\n

St. Louis Arena\u2019s roof<\/p>\n

St. Louis Blues (1967-94)
Officially known for a time as the \u201cCheckerdome,\u201d the Blues\u2019 first hockey home was a massive structure that rivaled New York\u2019s Madison Square Garden in size. Like the Penguins in Pittsburgh and the Sharks in San Jose, the Blues played in an arena with an unforgettable roof. The one in St. Louis was supported by cantilever steel trusses and consisted of ribs that went together diagonally. It was known as the \u201cLamella\u201d roof design, which, according to one report, \u201celiminated the need for large view-obstructing pillars.\u201d<\/a> As for the \u201cCheckerdome\u201d moniker \u2014 that was the name given to St. Louis Arena when Ralston Purina purchased it, and the Blues, in 1977.<\/p>\n

The NHL Arena Rankings series is part of a partnership with StubHub. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.<\/p>\n