Odd Hockey Homes....

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GKJ

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....me and my brother were discussing old hockey arenas today and the Cow Palace and the ThunderDome came up in the dicussion. I was wondering if anyone has old pictures or videos. He was talking about how the Lightning used to play host to games where half the arena was blocked off because it was too big (because of the horrid ice conditions), much like how the Spurs play in the AlamoDome.


Can anyone help me out?
 

Terrier

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How about the Ottawa Senators' first home, the Ottawa Civic Centre, which was located beneath a football stadium and seated about 10,000?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_Civic_Centre

When the Coyotes moved to Phoenix, they played in a building designed for basketball, so you had all these obstructed view seats on one end of the upper deck, which I believe were very cheap. The team put a video screen up so those folks could see the action in their own end.

http://hockey.ballparks.com/NHL/PhoenixCoyotes/

Before the Thunderdome, the Lightning played in tiny Expo Hall, which a visiting Bruins fan once described as looking "like a Stop & Shop warehouse".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_Hall
http://hockey.ballparks.com/NHL/TampaBayLightning/oldindex.htm
 

GKJ

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Terrier said:
How about the Ottawa Senators' first home, the Ottawa Civic Centre, which was located beneath a football stadium and seated about 10,000?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_Civic_Centre

When the Coyotes moved to Phoenix, they played in a building designed for basketball, so you had all these obstructed view seats on one end of the upper deck, which I believe were very cheap. The team put a video screen up so those folks could see the action in their own end.

http://hockey.ballparks.com/NHL/PhoenixCoyotes/

Before the Thunderdome, the Lightning played in tiny Expo Hall, which a visiting Bruins fan once described as looking "like a Stop & Shop warehouse".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_Hall
http://hockey.ballparks.com/NHL/TampaBayLightning/oldindex.htm


oh man...to have been to any of these places just to see what it looks like
 

swiftwin

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Ive been to a few games at the civic center. Its a bit different but not totally weird. That wall gives the arena a really small feel.
 

Rumblick

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The old Newmarket Saints of the AHL played their games at a recreation complex. There was a swim club attached to a small rink that had only 8 rows of seats. They had heat lamps above the seats to keep people warm during the games (we called them "bug zappers").
 

GKJ

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Any pics of Hartford Civic Center and "The Mall"
 

Ted Hoffman

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The Ottawa Civic Centre ... when there was a camera shot from one end of the rink, you could see the grandstand stadium rise above the ice surface. IIRC one of the ends had *no* seating.

Phoenix - America West Arena. It was built for basketball, fans on one end sat something like 12 feet above the ice - so those in the front row couldn't see the action until it got out to about the faceoff dots, those in the rows behind had to wait until the blue line or so.

The best thing about the Thunderdome? The Thunderseats. IIRC, it was $99 for a season ticket - you couldn't have food or drink at your seat, because you sat above the ice looking down on the play.
 

GKJ

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Irish Blues said:
The best thing about the Thunderdome? The Thunderseats. IIRC, it was $99 for a season ticket - you couldn't have food or drink at your seat, because you sat above the ice looking down on the play.


Say what now? Where did you sit like in the rafters?
 

Lard_Lad

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Irish Blues said:
The best thing about the Thunderdome? The Thunderseats. IIRC, it was $99 for a season ticket - you couldn't have food or drink at your seat, because you sat above the ice looking down on the play.

Eh? I went to one game there and don't remember any seats overhanging the ice surface. The side I was on definitely didn't, although the sightlines were bad enough from the upper deck that play along the near boards wasn't visible. Awful, awful place for a hockey game.
 

Herby

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Feb 27, 2002
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The Kings and Rangers played an exhibition game at The Caesers Coliseum in Las Vegas (Where they did Wrestlemania 9).

Outdoors in Vegas.
 

Sotnos

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Terrier said:
Before the Thunderdome, the Lightning played in tiny Expo Hall, which a visiting Bruins fan once described as looking "like a Stop & Shop warehouse".
It is a lot like a warehouse actually! It's a "barn" on the Florida State Fairgrounds. Never saw a game there myself, but I have a tape of the Bolts first ever game and you could tell it was just teeny.

I was at several games at the Thunderdome. I know a lot of people liked it, but it was just WAY too big and the nosebleeds had badly obstructed views due to the scoreboard. I remember not being able to see the other net at all, but the tickets were $12 or something, so a little hard to complain. I don't remember overhanging seats either, but I do believe they did have $99 season tickets.
 

Puckclektr

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Dango said:
The old Newmarket Saints of the AHL played their games at a recreation complex. There was a swim club attached to a small rink that had only 8 rows of seats. They had heat lamps above the seats to keep people warm during the games (we called them "bug zappers").
Still one of my favorite rinks...Played there every Friday....
 

God Bless Canada

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Anyone who has ever been to the Coalfields Memorial Arena in Bienfait, Saskatchewan (a town of nearly 1,000 people nudged in the southeast corner of the province) would describe it as odd. As in "It's odd that it's -30 C outside, but it's still colder at ice level in an indoor arena than it is outside."
 
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