I have been wanting to post my thoughts on what makes an arena stand out from the pack for a while. The fact that I am closing in on attending games at 50 different arenas, coupled with the fact that I have been slacking in adding entries to this blog make now as good a time as ever to post this. There are several key factors to whether or not I enjoy my trip to an arena, and since this is my website I will use some cheesy alliteration to describe them.
In order from least importance to most importance:
-Area- OK you probably haven't figured out the theme of this list yet, but I couldnt think of a synonym for location which starts with A, so we are going with the word area. By this I mean the importance the physical location of the building plays in whether or not a night at the arena is enjoyable. I have been to many arenas in downtown settings, as well as suburban areas, and either can work well if designed properly. The biggest things to consider are parking and ease of access. Not much ticks me off more than paying $12-15 to park for a minor league game where the ticket costs the same as parking my car in the lot or parking garage. Downtown arenas can either have a ton of charm based on their setting, or can be a deterrant to attending a game there depending on the surroundings. Let's put it this way- if I am concerned my car may not still be there when the game is over that is not a good location for an arena. The suburban arenas often dont have the "bad part of town crime problem", and often offer easier access, but in the early days of the opening of the arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA, when the Penguins franchise started, I attended 1 game there, and only made 1 return in the 10 or so years since as it took over an hour to exit the parking lot that first game. The area an arena is in will not deter me from attending an arena to document it for this site, but it can certainly have an effect on whether or not the enjoyment factor is as high as it should be.
-Assymetry- I like arenas that have quirks. There seem to be too many "cookie cutter" arenas popping up where when you walk around the concourse or seating bowl you cannot tell which side of the ice you are on without looking at the location of the benches or penalty boxes. Sure you can still enjoy a game at an arena where the seating bowl is uniform all the way around. My call to arena designers would be- Change it up a little will ya!! I have been to great places in Quebec where one end has seating or standing room which extends high above the rest of the seating area. Even a classic old building such as the War Memorial in Rochester has added charm with the balcony on one end which hangs over the ice and offers a unique view. Even the odd setup is Syracuse with the stage at one end makes for a unique and memorable setting. Its not that arenas with the generic seating pattern are bad, its just that those with unique features stand out from the pack.
-Ammenities - This catch all category covers everything from whether an arena has a huge video scoreboard and cupholders to whether or not you sit on wooden benches or actual seats. My views on this may surprise some as I actually prefer the throwback arenas with fewer ammenities. I dont know if it is because I like to torture myself, or strictly because I like to experience hockey the way it was years ago. All I really ask for is a place to sit for 2 and a half hours and enough legroom not to get a cramp, although some of my favorite arenas such as Jack Gatecliff Arena where the Niagara IceDogs play had uncomfortable and cramped seating and concourses so narrow it was almost impossible to move around at intermission. Also- this is hockey, so I expect it to be cold inside the building and get a little peeved when some of these newer arenas want to climate control the building to 72 degrees. Sure a building where you can sit in luxury is great, I just dont want the creature comforts to overshadow the charm of the sport of hockey.
-Architecture- OK, we are getting to the important ones now. This category cover both the exterior and interior design of the building. Probably the most important aspect of that is the site lines of the seating. We purchase a ticket to watch the game, we want to be able to SEE it. My favorite places have insanely steep seating where you are almost hanging over the ice, and due to the slope can see really well whether you are in the front or back of the seating. Although having support columns in the way can add charm in an older building I certainly would not put up with that week after week. For the inside of the building it is simple- give me a place where you can see the action from anywhere in the building and still not seem too far away. A wide concourse is also a plus, although as mentioned above it really doesnt matter that much. The exterior of the building should reflect the times it was built, as the older exterior in Shawinigan certainly lets you know the era it was built in. Many of the modern arenas are starting to look like pole barns from the outside, but some still have a classic, yet current look, such as the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario, which fits into the neighborhood nicely including using an older period facade for the back side of the building. Arenas are meant to be the showplaces of the community, and their exterior should reflect that.
-Atmosphere- This should certainly always be number one in any hockey fan's list of criteria for a good arena. An example would be Lynah Rink at Cornell. From appearances it is an old building with wooden bench seating which extends around 3 sides of the ice. In reality it is a place you can go and scream your lungs out for 2 and a half hours while standing on top of said benches and have a blast. The atmosphere of an arena can certainly overcome negatives in all 4 of the other categories. Another example would be Windsor Arena, where crowds packed nightly into this dump of a place to experience hockey like you can at few other locations. Another example would be just about any older arena in Quebec, whether it be for a QMJHL game or the rough and tumble LNAH. I cant describe it any more than as something you must experience yourself. Dont worry, if you forot your airhorn on the trip to Quebec their will be plenty of others in the crowd. The coolest thing about atmosphere is that it dynamic and can change from game to game, and year to year. A place where the home fans try their best to make a trip to town a nightmare for opposing players means that the fans who attend the game are almost guaranteed a good time. Going to a building where the crowd is only at 50% of the building's capacity means it is hard to conjur up that "7th player" vibe that so many (although dying in numbers) places are famous for.
When I go to a new arena, whether it be a Division 3 college game, or an AHL game I still look for the same things in the experience of watching the game. That is why I have this site, and hope you all will continue to enjoy it.
Looking back at my recent 3 arena trip to Quebec finds me reflecting on the highs and lows. Of course a trip to the old Province means some delectable dining treats in the Poutine and some communication challenges in figuring out the language. Luckily I survived and am able to tell the tale on these pages. In the next couple weeks I will do detailed reviews of the 3 new arenas attended: 1- Pavillon De La Jeunesse in Quebec City, 2- Arena Jacques Plante in Shawinigan, and 3- The surprisingly fun and virtually unknown Arena Grand-Mere in Grand-Mere (loosely translated Grand-Mere means "Big Mama"). The trip was a success overall and also allowed for return visits to LNAH arenas in St Jean and St Hyacinthe for photos so I can do reviews on those previously visited arenas as well. Now for the highs and lows:
Assist of the game- thanks to hockeyfights.com poster Simon Fortin for the fun conversation during the Radio X game in Quebec. It was a blast talking to him and you should all check out his webpage http://ca.youtube.com/user/simonfortin2 where he posts videos of all of the Quebec Radio X fights. (This is the LNAH, so there are plenty). Again Simon- Nice to meet you buddy!
Game winning goal- This award goes to the Arena Jacques Plante itself, as this ancient barn, which is in its last year of use in the QMJHL, is now my new favorite arena and the highlight of my trip. I will save the details for the arena review, but needless to say this place exudes hockey atmosphere like few other places in the world. Mark this place down as a must see, but do it soon as you only have until December of 2009.
Save and a beauty!- After shuffling my hotel reservations to avoid a blizzard (I guess I didnt really avoid it, but was able to get a game in under awful weather circumstances) I am super glad to have visited the Arena Grand-Mere for some LCH action. This semi-pro league is a feeder for the LNAH. This barn was a pleasant treat as I had no information on the place except for the address, and had no idea what to expect. Even the outside of the building did not elude to the fact that inside was as old school of a hockey barn as you will find. The game experience was a blast as well, although not exactly family friendly as there were as many fights in the stands as on the ice. Gotta give these fans credit though, they love their team. The 7 mile drive back to the hotel in Shawinigan was white knuckles to say the least, as had I not kept my car moving through the blizzard like conditions and lightning I would surely been trapped on the roadway, as I found many motorist to be when I watched the news the next morning. Scary for sure, but a memorable experience.
Now for the penalties:
Delay of game- Well actually not delay of game, but delay getting to the game as I was amazed how bad the traffic is in Quebec City. The 1.6 miles from my hotel to the arena for the Radio X game took exactly 47 minutes. Much of the delay was at the Quebec Expocite itself, as they had horse racing also going on this evening. Needless to say it wasnt much fun to sit in traffic however.
Roughing- this goes to both the Quebec Radio X and their opponent the Sherbrooke St Francis. Not that roughing is a bad thing, but the problem was that there was not a single fight in the LNAH game. That is virtually unheard of in this most pugilistic of all hockey leagues. An additional downer was that one of my all time favorite players, Curtis Tidball of the Radio X was a scratch, along with most of the tough guys for both teams. I did get a chance to shoot the breeze with Tidball, and we discussed his former home team my Elmira Jackals. Still seeing him drop the gloves would have been more enjoyable than talking to him in street clothes. You still have to give the warriors of the LNAH credit as the go to battle every night. I just happened to catch them on an off night.
Game misconduct- This goes to the LNAH for the weather cancellation of the game in Trois Rivieres due to the severe blizzard the night before. I had no idea of the cancellation until I arrived at the rink, and by the time I found out it was too late to make a backup plan, so unfortunately this trip yielded 1 less arena than I had planned.
That's it for my brief recap of the Quebec trip. Look for full reviews in the Arena and Roadtrip report section shortly.
As I sit here completing this update to my site I am hit with the fact that 3 of the arenas I attended this year can now be classified as "former arenas" at least as far as minor league hockey is concerned. When I read about the announcement of the MAHL's formation I was pretty excited. Why wouldn't I be? After all it meant 5 more cities would have the ability to have teams of their own in the coolest sport there is. I also liked the fact that most of the 5 teams were small towns, figuring that the locals would rally around the teams as there are not a whole lot of other hockey options in these areas (Valley Forge excluded as it is close to both Reading and Philly). Having attended the arena in Jamestown previously for a preseason Erie Otters game I also felt that was an ideal venue for a lower level team.
After attending a Vikings game just before Christmas, and then a Mon Valley game a couple days later on the same road trip I immediatley had some doubts on the viability of the league. Jamestown had an OK crowd, but Mon Valley had a crowd you could actually count by simply looking around the empty building. I was impressed with the effort put forth by the players, as I was when I attended a game in Indiana last month. (I made getting to as many MAHL rinks as I could a priority as honestly I didnt think I would get the chance next year at quite a few of these rinks. Sadly I missed out on Wooster and Valley Forge).
So what went wrong? The style of play was good. It was about what you would expect from single A level hockey. I think the answer lies in that lack of financial support the league had. A league where all 5 teams are league owned seemed doomed from the start, although the majority of teams did find local owners. On my visits to these games there seemed to be little to no marketing or advertising. I realize that no team owned their arena, and many had unfavorable leases, but why was there not a single ad on the boards of any of the 3 rinks I attended? I would think if a team sold advertising and sponsors came forward to put their names on the boards, or ice, or game programs, etc that everyone would benefit. There was also little to no promotional give aways at the games. There were barely any between period contests to get the casual fans interested. I honestly do not know how much local advertising in print or on radio was done, but I can draw a conclusion that it was not enough. I had a discussion with the fan who named the Ice Miners and was surprised to find out there were no radio broadcasts for the games. Come on- our local high schools have their games on the radio, how come a professional team would not figure that was important? I also think the ticket prices were a bit high for the level of entertainment the games offered. I am not referring to the games themselves, but rather the game day experience as there were no mascots, sometimes no music during the stoppages, and the games did not really have a professional feel to them. The ticket prices were a catch 22 however as small arenas like Indiana would need to be standing room only to break even as the seating capacity was so low. The teams did a lot right including having all players greet the fans after each game. I think accessibility to the players in small townd like these is a good way to sell the sport.
The next theory may ruffle some feathers, but I will mention it anyway. How many people go to single A level hockey to see the skating and passing? I'm gonna guess not very many. I think the league could have found a niche by marketing the rough stuff. The first ever game in the league had a bunch of fights, including a goalie fight. Although attendance was never released by the league I am gonna guess that the second Vikings game had a bunch more fans after they heard about all the fighting. These are small town teams, and I am guessing that the fans would enjoy old time hockey. There were guys like Joe Pelle for Valley Forge who put up a bunch of fighting majors, but did anyone who did not get on the MAHL forums know about it? Granted there was not much marketing to begin with, but marketing which even vaguely eluded to "old time hockey" could have brought in the fans. Not having any Canadian players may have hurt the draw a little, but I dont think that would have mattered if the league was marketed correctly.
I think that single A hockey could be a good draw, and although the MAHL has said they will reorganize and come back next year I have serious doubts. Starting a league or franchise would clearly be a money losing proposition for the first couple years, and I am not sure the supporters have deep enough pockets to sustain the league through the rough times. Also with the recent incident of the Jamestown players trashing a local landmark hotel, and the fact that this is the second league that went belly-up on Jamestown I dont think anyone will be too eager to try it again, so there goes the facility which was best suited for minor league hockey in this league.
Overall I am bummed that it did not work out, and glad that I was able to attend games at 3 of the 5 arenas and document them on this site. I feel bad for fans in the towns that had teams the most as they, along with the players who played without pay at the end of the season, are the real losers here. This is not the first league to bite the dust however, and will surely not be the last.
