Arenas with specific quirks

[JMCx4]

Every single one of the O6 arenas was multipurpose from day 1.

Hell the Rangers had to defer to the Circus back in the 40s

Your point is well taken. Perhaps what has changed is the multi-corporate influences on the designs & the demands for the buildings?

 

[tarheelhockey]

Your point is well taken. Perhaps what has changed is the multi-corporate influences on the designs & the demands for the buildings?

I think it has a lot to do with architectural trends in materials and design.

A lot happened in the world of architecture between 1940 and 2000. Modern concrete, plastics and glass changed the possibilities for what could be done with any given building. Market efficiencies changed the dynamics of construction, building maintenance. Advertising revenue changed dramatically. Car culture emerged and pushed arenas out of cities and into the suburbs, then that trend reversed itself. Consumer demand changed expectations for what would be done during the 2-3 hours spent inside the building. Real estate trends changed the demands for how spaces were monetized. All of that played into what architects had in mind for designing a state-of-the-art arena.

For what it’s worth, the old arenas were also trend-chasers, not intended to be quirky or necessarily even unique. They felt a lot quirkier 60 years later in a much different environment than when they were constructed. A bit like a house which once marched its neighborhood, survived multiple generations of urban decline and renewal, and ended up in the unlikely position of being the oddball building on the block.

 

[VanIslander]

I recall reading how Bruins players noted the deflection patterns off of the end boards and would use that knowledge to make passes off of the boards accordingly.

That's right up there with Gretzky using reflections in the glass to make no-look passes.

 

[Johnny Engine]

I recall reading how Bruins players noted the deflection patterns off of the end boards and would use that knowledge to make passes off of the boards accordingly.

That's right up there with Gretzky using reflections in the glass to make no-look passes.

Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay were particularly renowned for doing this at the Olympia, right?

 

[Retire91]

The Joe Louis arena is not necessarily vintage but it is retired and Mickey Redmond the color commentator for the wings for years talked about a key point on the boards to the side of the net that was spongy and seriously bounced the puck out to the crease area. Lidstrom would sometimes target this spot to try and bank in a shot off the back of the goalie or put it net front for someone like holmstrom.

I always wondered if they just found it by accident or if it was by design. Either way Lidstrom knew exactly where it was and could hit it from the blue line.

 

[JianYang]

The Chicago stadium had the most character. The anthem, the organ, the horn etc..., but my favourite quirk was seeing the players climb a flight of stairs just before hitting the ice.

Maple leaf gardens seemed to have this weird bunker location where management or executives would sit between the crowd rather than above the crowd.

The forum had the blue striping around the boards rather than the regulation yellow we see now. I think Ferraro has said in the past that most of the old buildings were total dumps, but the forum was an exception. Very clean, and cathedral like.

The garden seemed to have the most flexible plexiglass. It looked amazing when a player was checked into them. The glass had tons of give, and the noise it made was pretty awesome too. Their crowd used to get very excited by it.

 

[Stephen]

I think it has a lot to do with architectural trends in materials and design.

A lot happened in the world of architecture between 1940 and 2000. Modern concrete, plastics and glass changed the possibilities for what could be done with any given building. Market efficiencies changed the dynamics of construction, building maintenance. Advertising revenue changed dramatically. Car culture emerged and pushed arenas out of cities and into the suburbs, then that trend reversed itself. Consumer demand changed expectations for what would be done during the 2-3 hours spent inside the building. Real estate trends changed the demands for how spaces were monetized. All of that played into what architects had in mind for designing a state-of-the-art arena.

For what it’s worth, the old arenas were also trend-chasers, not intended to be quirky or necessarily even unique. They felt a lot quirkier 60 years later in a much different environment than when they were constructed. A bit like a house which once marched its neighborhood, survived multiple generations of urban decline and renewal, and ended up in the unlikely position of being the oddball building on the block.

The character that modern hockey and multipurpose arenas are missing is an intangible combination of industrial aesthetics, decrepitude via urban decay, and ad hoc renovations carried out over multiple generations. Mix in a bygone era of working class Eastern Seaboard crowds, childhood memories, throw on a coating of indoor smoking, mid century grime and you have your deep nostalgia punch.

I think baseball's been trying to recapture that Fenway, Wrigley Field feeling in their current generation of ballparks, starting with Camden Yards in the early 90s, but hockey/basketball has never attempted that approach.

 

[The Panther]

I think baseball's been trying to recapture that Fenway, Wrigley Field feeling in their current generation of ballparks, starting with Camden Yards in the early 90s, but hockey/basketball has never attempted that approach.

Why would we want character and personality in hockey rinks when we could have cookie-cutter conformity across the board?

 

[The Panther]

One thing I didn't realize until recently is that in the really old days (maybe up to the 1950s or so), in some rinks players in the penalty "box" were actually sitting amid the fans, as there was essentially no partition.

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

One thing I didn't realize until recently is that in the really old days (maybe up to the 1950s or so), in some rinks players in the penalty "box" were actually sitting amid the fans, as there was essentially no partition.

Maybe a more innocent time, but youd think somebody might have pointed out it was a bad idea

 

[PurpleMouse]

Rinks looking more like each other is a natural evolution I'd say, cities more likely to learn from each other so if there's a template that's worked it's copied. It's beneficial for the in-arena experience, in terms of comfort, but not as fun for the fan that's watching on tv or that's touring all the different arenas when they're all the same.

Baseball is altogether different because there's no standard playing surface so it allows more creativity right off the hop.

Also, not an NHL building, but I'm pretty sure the rink used in Moscow in the Summit Series was 220 feet or something like that.

 

[Tarantula]

The Joe Louis arena is not necessarily vintage but it is retired and Mickey Redmond the color commentator for the wings for years talked about a key point on the boards to the side of the net that was spongy and seriously bounced the puck out to the crease area. Lidstrom would sometimes target this spot to try and bank in a shot off the back of the goalie or put it net front for someone like holmstrom.

I always wondered if they just found it by accident or if it was by design. Either way Lidstrom knew exactly where it was and could hit it from the blue line.

I once heard a commentator mention the end gate for the zamboni at the Aud in Buffalo. A regular worker would be standing behind it, and if the puck came around the boards while Buffalo was attacking that end, he would kick the gate and the puck would kick out toward the front of the net.

 

[The Panther]

Okay, I know the still-in-use Saddledome in Calgary isn't exactly "vintage", but hey it goes back to 1983 -- that's pretty old! Anyway, back in the day (maybe less so now?) the end-boards there were SO lively! This of course benefited the Flames with MacInnis firing bombs from the point...

 

[MarkusKetterer]

The Yardmen Arena (now CAA Arena) in Belleville had an international sized rink before being converted to the standard sized rink when the Senators came to town. Not only that, it had an upper balcony on one side that just looks so odd. And as a bonus, check out sections 18 and 20 in the background . You’ll never see that in new builds.

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

I think it has a lot to do with architectural trends in materials and design.

A lot happened in the world of architecture between 1940 and 2000. Modern concrete, plastics and glass changed the possibilities for what could be done with any given building. Market efficiencies changed the dynamics of construction, building maintenance. Advertising revenue changed dramatically. Car culture emerged and pushed arenas out of cities and into the suburbs, then that trend reversed itself. Consumer demand changed expectations for what would be done during the 2-3 hours spent inside the building. Real estate trends changed the demands for how spaces were monetized. All of that played into what architects had in mind for designing a state-of-the-art arena.

For what it’s worth, the old arenas were also trend-chasers, not intended to be quirky or necessarily even unique. They felt a lot quirkier 60 years later in a much different environment than when they were constructed. A bit like a house which once marched its neighborhood, survived multiple generations of urban decline and renewal, and ended up in the unlikely position of being the oddball building on the block.

What trends would the original building wave have been chasing back in the early days of arena building? Im also curious as to the historical significance of that wave of arena building from 1925-1931 or so that includes MLG, MSG III, Chicago Stadium, the Olympia, the Forum. How much were they an upgrade over the biggest arenas available at the time, and how long did it take for comparable facilities elsewhere to arrive?

I recall reading how Bruins players noted the deflection patterns off of the end boards and would use that knowledge to make passes off of the boards accordingly.

That's right up there with Gretzky using reflections in the glass to make no-look passes.

I once heard a commentator mention the end gate for the zamboni at the Aud in Buffalo. A regular worker would be standing behind it, and if the puck came around the boards while Buffalo was attacking that end, he would kick the gate and the puck would kick out toward the front of the net.

I used to play a lot of shinny at the UW rink when I was there and the boards had this awful kink in them that made it so that 9/10 times a puck ringed around the boards clockwise from one end would hit the kink in the boards and kick out at 90 degrees towards the faceoff circle. I remember laughing at how awful the flaw was for a rink used for varsity hockey. If you knew where the flaw in the boards was, you could basically just stand at the dot and get a free scoring chance.

I also found out that every goalie I talked to preferred the far end of the rink, although the answers given for why it was better were always different and sometimes conflicting.

The character that modern hockey and multipurpose arenas are missing is an intangible combination of industrial aesthetics, decrepitude via urban decay, and ad hoc renovations carried out over multiple generations. Mix in a bygone era of working class Eastern Seaboard crowds, childhood memories, throw on a coating of indoor smoking, mid century grime and you have your deep nostalgia punch.

I think baseball's been trying to recapture that Fenway, Wrigley Field feeling in their current generation of ballparks, starting with Camden Yards in the early 90s, but hockey/basketball has never attempted that approach.

Why would we want character and personality in hockey rinks when we could have cookie-cutter conformity across the board?

Yeah, what irritates me the most about it is that Bettmans admin has generally made it a priority to work in the opposite direction, and you could improve the issue just by trying to make the rinks unique at all. How much effort would it really take to inject a little bit of team colours into the seats, boards, etc? Why is it absolutely imperative that things like the dasher stripes on the board be the exact same colour league wide?

The Yardmen Arena (now CAA Arena) in Belleville had an international sized rink before being converted to the standard sized rink when the Senators came to town. Not only that, it had an upper balcony on one side that just looks so odd. And as a bonus, check out sections 18 and 20 in the background . You’ll never see that in new builds.

No handrails in sections 18 & 20?

 

[MarkusKetterer]

^ that, the fact that there’s a cinder block wall on one side, and seats on top. Instead of using that area for more seats.

Although my high school hockey teams home arena had the wall of the arena at one end of the rink, and a balcony over the net above the ice surface. It was the weirdest layout

 

[JMCx4]

... No handrails in sections 18 & 20?

I presumed that @cheveldae was generally musing over the box seating sections above & behind the far goal. While certainly unusual for new builds in major sports arenas, I've seen it in a handful of older minor pro & junior & college ice facilities. The more unusual constructions jut out over the end boards & provide an overhead view of the goalie.

ETA: ^^^ Mystery solved as I typed.

 

[hacksaw7]

In case that photo link ever gets broken:

Boston Garden
191' x 83'
Capacity: 14,880

(Buffalo) Memorial Auditorium
196' x 85'
Capacity: 10,331

Chicago Stadium
188' x '85'
Capacity: 17,100

(Detroit) Olympia Stadium
200' x 83'
Capacity: 13,500

Los Angeles Forum
200' x 85'
Capacity: 16,005

(Minneapolis) Metropolitan Sports Center
200' x 85'
Capacity: 15,095

Montreal Forum
200' x 85'
Capacity: 16,500

(New York) Madison Square Garden
200' x 85'
Capacity: 17,250

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena
200' x 85'
Capacity: 12,500

Philadelphia Spectrum
200' x 85'
Capacity: 14,618

Pittsburgh Civic Arena
205' x 85'
Capacity: 12,580

St. Louis Arena
200' x 85'
Capacity: 17,776

(Toronto) Maple Leaf Gardens
200' x 85'
Capacity: 16,115

(Vancouver) Pacific Coliseum
200' x 85'
Capacity: 15,564



Non-standard
Boston - 9 feet short, 2 feet narrow
Buffalo - 4 feet short
Chicago - 12 feet short
Detroit - 2 feet narrow
Pittsburgh - 5 feet long

Some of these can't be right. Olympia was 15,000 capacity. Civic Arena was over 16,000. Spectrum maybe was 14,600 at opening but was 17,000 when it closed. Buffalo was definitely not 10k...that's Ottawa Civic Centre size. The Memorial Auditorium sat north of 15,000

 

[tarheelhockey]

Some of these can't be right. Olympia was 15,000 capacity. Civic Arena was over 16,000. Spectrum maybe was 14,600 at opening but was 17,000 when it closed. Buffalo was definitely not 10k...that's Ottawa Civic Centre size. The Memorial Auditorium sat north of 15,000

To clarify, the figures I quoted were from the album produced by the NHLPA and Esso in 1971 (as posted by @Nerowoy nora tolad). The numbers you're posting appear to be from later.

Specifically, the Aud was a very old building that underwent renovations (including the raising of its roof to add the entire upper level that we all remember) immediately after the 1971 season. Likewise the Civic Arena became a much larger capacity building after 1975.

 

[hacksaw7]

To clarify, the figures I quoted were from the 1971 album produced by the NHLPA and Esso in 1971 (as posted by @Nerowoy nora tolad). The numbers you're posting appear to be from later.

Specifically, the Aud was a very old building that underwent renovations (including the raising of its roof to add the entire upper level that we all remember) immediately after the 1971 season. Likewise the Civic Arena became a much larger capacity building after 1975.

Ah I see. Got it

 

[hacksaw7]

fwiw I had no idea Pittsburghs Civic Arena was 5 feet longer than the standard regulation rink. I wonder if that remained until the arenas closure or if they went to a 200 foot ice surface eventually? First I've heard of this

Due to the camera angles used during the games the Boston Garden always came across as tiny. Chicago Stadium was small too but actually looked regulation during broadcasts because the camera was set further back. The Bruins broadcast camera was pushed way up close to center ice. When the puck was around the nets the camera would tilt and zoom in so close that you couldn't even see the blue lines anymore.

This is why the arena looked extra tiny on television

Meanwhile Chicago was like this

 

[tarheelhockey]

fwiw I had no idea Pittsburghs Civic Arena was 5 feet longer than the standard regulation rink. I wonder if that remained until the arenas closure or if they went to a 200 foot ice surface eventually? First I've heard of this

I don’t have specific info at hand, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they went to a standard 200 foot rink during the 70s renovations. There seemed to be a lot more tolerance for oddball rink dimensions in the early and mid century (granted there were only 6 rinks) and a gradual standardization after expansion. Maybe even because of expansion, going from a small number of rinks to a much larger variety.

 

[DJ Man]

I know I mentioned this here at least once before, but (based upon my TV viewing in the 1960s and '70s), at Boston Garden, the penalty box was right next to the Boston bench, and the doors were arranged so that when a Bruin penalty expired, the player could (and often would) step onto the ice, turn and step into his team's bench, to be replaced by the best alternative for the home team.

A visiting player had to either join the action (giving his team three wings or two centers or three or four defensemen, from various lines for a time), or else skate a long way to his team's bench for a proper substitution.

This had to result in an extra home team advantage!

 

[HisIceness]

Not an NHL Arena, but it's about a 5 minute walk from one.

This is Dorton Arena in Raleigh, the ECHLs Icecaps played here from 1990 until their relocation to Augusta, GA in 1998. As you can see, this facility wasn't built with Hockey in mind, it was built originally for the NC State Fair and Expos and the occasional concert (Michael Jackson, Prince, Jimi Hendrix, and KISS among others played in this tiny odd-shaped coliseum).

The owners of the Icecaps were Baseball guys and as such did the ice rink on the cheap, installing a system of mats to keep the ice cool instead of digging up the concrete floor for a better installation system. Because of this, the ice was among the worst in the entire ECHL which is saying a lot considering the time period and the towns/arenas that other teams played in. It should also be mentioned there was and still is no A/C unit in this building, so yeah some games in the fall/spring were not conducive to the ice.

Sometimes the sun would shine right onto the ice creating fog which led to players and refs skating in circles to dilute the fog while the rink guys would use squeegees to clean the glass, other times as in the last game I went to in one of their last seasons, heavy rain would pound on the glass and the game had to be stopped as it was thought a tornado may have been passing through (and you don't want glass flying around during a tornado), just nothing but a wall of rain for about 5 minutes in the late afternoon one spring day.

The Icecaps were simply a minor-league team but they were the first Hockey team to set up shop in the Triangle and eventually paved the way for an NHL team, and it all took place in a former Expo/Fair Coliseum with a odd shaped roof.

 

[Stony Curtis]

Sitting in the first row of the mezzanine at the Olympia was a highlight. It was like you were hanging out over the ice, and the view was incredible. I remember being at a playoff game vs the Atlanta Flames in 1978. I was in the mezzanine behind the net. Billy Lochead tried to roof one from close in, and he shot it over the net, over the glass, and up into the mezzanine! The puck landed about 4 seats to my left, and hearing 14,000 people laughing their asses off is something I'll never forget.