Entries with the tag: arenas

Blackhawks Ticket Prices Shoot Up

by Alanah on 05/08/08 at 09:43 AM
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From Chris Kuc at the Chicago Tribune,

“I knew this day was coming—I think we all did,” said Eric Rabbers, a season ticket-holder in the 300 level of the United Center for three years who saw his tickets increase from $13.50 per game to $25. “We realized, especially in my section, the prices we were paying were pretty cheap.

“The problem I have is [accepting] an 85 percent increase for my tickets in one year. I think that’s out of line, especially seeing the team didn’t make the playoffs. I have a buddy who sits in the 100 level and his seats went up from $67.50 per to $115. I know the prices have been cheap for the past 10 years, but to try to make it up in one off-season is kind of ridiculous.”

more...

Pittsburgh Approves New Arena Design

by Alanah on 05/07/08 at 11:12 AM
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From the Triangle Business Journal,

A $290 million arena that will serve as the new home to the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins got the go-ahead Tuesday from Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission. The 6-0 vote came about a month after the panel rejected a design by HOK Sport of Kansas City as being too “generic.”

HOK Sport unveiled updated designs at the meeting, including night-time renderings that show light the 18,500 seat-venue shining light from nearly every angle.

Plus more from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (hat-tip to Empty Netters) who also have a photo of the design.

Filling Joe Louis A Priority

by Paul on 12/11/07 at 07:42 AM
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from Tom Walsh of the Detroit Free Press,

“Detroit’s Hockeytown crown has slipped,” wrote SI hockey writer Michael Farber.

Not so fast, says Mike Ilitch, owner of the Red Wings.

On Monday, Ilitch announced the hiring of Steve Violetta as senior vice president for business affairs, a new position reporting directly to Ilitch. Ken Holland, executive vice president and general manager, will continue to run the hockey operation.

Violetta’s mission is clear: Get more butts back in those seats. ASAP.

read on

Ted Lindsay Points To Schedule For Wings Attendance Problems

by Paul on 12/04/07 at 09:32 PM
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from the CP via the Hockey News,

The Montreal Canadiens commemorated their 81 year-old rivalry with the Detroit Red Wings before the two Original Six teams played their only game of the season Tuesday.

It is that disparity in the NHL’s current schedule that has Red Wings Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay believing that Detroit will never have a similar rivalry with another team ever again.

Lindsay said Tuesday that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is to blame if attendance numbers are down in Detroit because fans in Hockeytown are sick of seeing teams like Columbus and Nashville so often every year.

“We had it for a couple of years there with Colorado and Detroit, but Bettman has taken advantage of Detroit because of it being a great hockey city and it being a well managed hockey team,” Lindsay said.

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IIHF Goes With NHL Rink Dimensions

by Paul on 11/30/07 at 01:32 PM
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from NHL.com,

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has voted to play all upcoming international tournaments scheduled for North America between 2008-2012 – including the 2008 World Championship – on NHL-size rinks.

Generally, IIHF tournaments are played on international-size rinks, which measure 200 feet long by 100 feet wide. The NHL ice surface is 200 feet long by 85 feet wide.

To compensate for the loss in ice width, the IIHF Council, voting in Zurich, will use NHL ice markings. The blue line on an NHL rink is 64 feet from the end boards, while international-size rinks place the blue line just 58 feet out.

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What Starts In Pittsburgh & Ends In Montreal?

by Paul on 11/28/07 at 07:19 AM
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How about a road trip that hits every NHL, AHL and ECHL arena…

All About NHL Ice

by Alanah on 11/26/07 at 01:46 PM
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From Carter Gaddis at The Tampa Tribune,

It’s alive. The ice, that is. Not in the biological, breathing-in-and-out sense that defines much of the life on this planet.

But to Tim Friedenberger, it often seems as if the massive sheet of frozen water at the St. Pete Times Forum has a mind of its own. And if it can think…

“It is alive,” said Friedenberger, the Forum’s vice president of facility operations. “It’s a living thing. I’d say every facility, the ice has a personality.”

Like any living thing, a sheet of ice has its good days and bad. A unique facet of the NHL is how vulnerable the aesthetics of the game itself can be to the vagaries of the playing surface.

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Hockey Weekend

by Paul on 11/23/07 at 12:39 PM
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from Brad Holland at NHL.com,

Nashville’s Game Presentation: I had a chance to sit low in a very good seat last night, and watched the game with an ice-level view instead of a bird’s-eye. Outstanding! The Nashville fans were energetic, into the game, and right on top of the action. They were courteous, asking questions of me and even weren’t shy to give a few tips on how to make NHL.com better (I spent the third period sitting next to a young Predators fan and youth Nashville hockey player who knew as much about hockey-at-large as any Canadian kid…

more on Brad’s hockey weekend… and I think I may have to have a sit-down with young Bradley!

No!

by Paul on 11/14/07 at 11:04 AM
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from Icing at the Chicago Tribune,

Judging by the amount of e-mails I received today, it seems many Blackhawks fans are upset with the team’s apparent decision to phase out long-time organist Frank Pelico.

Pelico has long been a fixture in front of the big pipe organ pounding away at the keys and leading Hawks fans in “Let’s Go Hawks!” chants.

The Hawks were off today so I didn’t get a chance to ask anyone in the organization what the deal is, but it appears from reports that Pelico has been replaced with recorded “popular” music.

continued & a suggestion for the Blackhawks, you should survey Wings fans about popular recorded music!

Not Showing Up

by Paul on 11/10/07 at 07:31 AM
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from Mike Boone of the Montreal Gazette,

Attendance problems in Boston and Chicago are more troubling. These cities had passionate fans when Bettman was in knee-pants, bossing other kids around the playground. When Chicago Stadium opened in 1929, it was the largest indoor arena in the world. The Stadium sat 17, 317 for hockey, but standing-room boosted attendance to a record 20,069 for a 1982 playoff game against Minnesota. The legendary Boston ‘Gahden’ was smaller - about 16,000. Attendance Thursday night was an announced 15,183 - above the season average, but still disappointing.

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Barry Melrose Apologizes to NJ

by Alanah on 11/06/07 at 06:24 PM
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From the AP,

ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose apologized Tuesday for negative remarks about the area around the New Jersey Devils’ new Prudential Center arena.

In a video segment posted on ESPN.com last week, Melrose described the recently opened arena as a “beautiful new building” but added, “Don’t go outside if you have a wallet or anything else, because the area around the arena is just horrible.”

Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker and Municipal Council President Mildred Crump took exception to the remarks and called for Melrose to apologize.

“All of us make mistakes, but it’s a shame when it’s at the expense of 300,000 people,” Booker said, referring to Newark’s population.

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Time For A New Arena On Long Island

by Paul on 10/28/07 at 07:47 AM
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from Mark Herrmann of Newsday,

It’s too trite to say “Give the Devils their due,” but kudos to owner Jeff Vanderbeek and the team that probably ranks last among New York-area franchises in Q rating. They’re finally first at something. With their home opener last night, they became the first in this generation to build a new house.

Last night was an occasion, the kind that makes you feel, “If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.”

It also made you think, if you happen to be from someplace, say, east of New York City, “How come we can’t pull off something like this?” As a member of the Islanders organization said the other day, “I’m jealous.”

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Devils Talks Prudential Center

by Paul on 10/22/07 at 04:07 PM
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from Fire & Ice,

Brent Sutter: “It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s first class and beyond. Obviously, it’s a beautiful facility and Mr. Vanderbeek has done a great job and Lou in doing what they needed to make it the way they wanted it to be.

Jay Pandolfo: “It’s really nice. Just the size of it, the facilities, the concourse, everything. We’re going to be spoiled down there.”

read on

Hockey Tunes on a 300,000 Watt Organ

by Alanah on 10/21/07 at 12:33 PM
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From Paul Ladewski at Daily Southtown,

At a time when live organ music has been drowned out by computer-programmed rock-’n’-roll in most sports arenas, Blackhawks organist Frank Pellico is a survivor.

About half of the 30 NHL teams employ keyboard players, but Pellico is among the few who play an actual organ at the games.

What’s more, Pellico said, “to my knowledge, the Blackhawks are the only team that has an organ of this size and capacity. I mean, a real pipe organ.”

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If the Predators Leave, What Happens to the Arena?

by Alanah on 10/20/07 at 01:19 PM
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From The Tennessean,

If the Nashville Predators left town, they would leave behind a gaping hole in Sommet Center’s calendar that would be tough for the city to fill, some experts said.

But other observers said losing the Predators eventually could be turned into a positive for the arena and Metro taxpayers. [...]

By not having to block off at least 41 dates a year for hockey, Brown said, an arena might be able to draw concerts and other events that previously may not have stopped in the city because the arena was already booked.

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The Sabres Streak Ends

by Paul on 10/16/07 at 09:15 AM
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from the Buffalo News,

Not even a game with their nearest rival could keep the Buffalo Sabres’ sellout streak alive.

The Sabres failed to fill HSBC Arena for the first time in more than a year and half Monday, drawing 18,217 for their game with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Sabres had sold out 45 straight regular-season games dating to the finale of 2005-06. They had packed the 18,690-seat arena for 62 games in row including the playoffs.

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Can I Use “White Out”?

by Paul on 10/16/07 at 09:09 AM
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from the Arizona Republic,

The Coyotes haven’t gotten much use lately out of their “White Out” tradition of filling their arena with white-clad fans for the playoffs.

But that doesn’t mean they’re going to stand by without a fight and let anybody else take it.

It seems that Penn State has developed a similar tradition, designating some important games as “White Outs.”

And last season, the school had a student contest to design an official “White Out” T-shirt to be sold for a game.

Trouble is, the Coyotes have trademark rights to the term “White Out.” The club registered the term even before moving from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Phoenix and has reapplied when necessary to keep it up to date.

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Power Outage in San Jose

by Alanah on 10/14/07 at 05:34 AM
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From David Pollak at the SJ Mercury News,

A pregame power outage delayed the start of the Sharks home opener Saturday night by about 20 minutes.

Players were warming up on the ice when the arena bowl went totally dark about 7:05 p.m. Five seconds later, the HP Pavilion generators kicked in and there was enough light for the players to continue skating, but limited power elsewhere in the building.

Fans weren’t able to enter the building for a short period and the parking lot was also dark.

As efforts were being made to restore the power, Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson and Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli huddled to determine the best way to begin the game once conditions were ready.

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A Clearer Picture

by Paul on 10/10/07 at 06:24 AM
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via William Houston of the Globe and Mail,

As Hockey Night’s Elliotte Friedman reported last week, the NHL is beginning to install high-definition overhead cameras in the arenas as well as HDTV video recorders, which help clarify reviews of disputed goals.

The HDTV technology helped make possible the correct calls on two disputed, but difficult-to-see goals in the New Jersey Devils-Ottawa Senators game on Monday.

By the end of the week, 14 arenas will have the HDTV technology. By the end of the month, it will be in all the buildings.