9 Oldest Arenas in the NHL

9 Oldest Arenas in the NHL

There are nine remaining NHL arenas left standing among those opened in 1995 or earlier, including the only two without corporate sponsor names, and two others in Canadian cities. There are only three remaining stadiums built before the 1990’s, and just one of them isn’t going to be demolished in the near future.

TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts: September 30, 1995

TD Garden Hockey

Home of the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics, replacing the mythical Boston Garden. The annual Beanpot challenge is played there, and it has hosted the Frozen Four three times: 1998, 2004 and 2015. It has a capacity of 17,565 for NHL games.

Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia: September 21, 1995

Rogers Arena Canucks

Home of the Vancouver Canucks, and for a short while, also the Vancouver Grizzlies until they moved to Memphis. Rogers Arena replaced the Pacific Coliseum. It was the Ice Hockey venue in the 2010 winter olympics, and has a capacity of 18,910 for hockey games. It often hosts preseason games for the Toronto Raptors, and even a college basketball game between Gonzaga and Hawaii a few years ago.

Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri: October 8, 1994

Scottrade Center Blues

Home of the St. Louis Blues (and them alone, not sharing it with an NBA team), it was previously known as the Kiel Center until 2000, followed by Savvis Center up to 2006. The hockey games capacity is 19,150, but the biggest attendance ever was during Arch Madness, the MVC tournament, with  22,612 showing up.

United Center in Chicago, Illinois: August 18, 1994

United Center Blackhawks

The arena is co-owned by the Blackhawks and the Chicago Bulls, and fans inside saw the Blackhawks clinch the Stanley Cup in the 2015 series vs the Tampa Bay Lightning, the first time the Blackhawks clinched the championship on their home ice since 1938. It’s hockey capacity is 19,717, but with standing room it’s 22,428.

SAP Center in San Jose, California: September 7, 1993

SAP Center

Home of the San Jose Sharks, it was also the home of the Golden State Warriors for one season, and since 2015, the home of the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Also known as The Shark Tank, it was previously sponsored by Compaq and HP, and simply known as the San Jose Arena during the first 8 years of existence. It has a capacity of 17,562.

Honda Center in Anaheim, California: June 19, 1993

Honda Center

The Honda Center is mainly the home of the Anaheim Ducks, but also the Los Angeles Kiss, an Arena Football League, and was also the second home of the Los Angeles Clippers from 1994 to 1999. The capacity of the venue is 17,174 for hockey games, but the record attendance for the Ducks is 17,610, playing the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013.

Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta: October 15, 1983

Minnesota Wild v Calgary Flames

The oldest NHL arena in Canada, the Saddledome was first known as the Olympic Saddledome, built for the 1988 winter olympics held in Calgary, and for the Flames as well. The Calgary Hitmen of the WHL also use the Arena, as do the Calgary Roughnecks for Lacrosse. The arena was heavily damaged in the 2013 Alberta floods, but managed to be fixed in time for the 2013-2014 preseason. It has a capacity of 19,289. It will be replaced in the future as part of the CalgaryNEXT project: a sports complex which would be located in the western downtown area, and would include replacements for both the Saddledome and McMahon Stadium.

Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan: December 12, 1979

Joe Louis Arena Red Wings

One of only two NHL arenas without a corporate sponsored name, it’s named after boxer Joe Louis, who grew up in Detroit. It replaced the Detroit Olympia, and unlike most NHL/NBA cities, it does not share homes, as the Detroit Pistons play in Auburn Hills. The Pistons did however play there in a 1984 playoff game and some games in the 1984-1985 season due to the Silverdome (their home at the time) having roof problems, as in the roof collapsed. It has a capacity of 20,027. The Red Wings new arena, Little Caesars Arena, should be completed by 2017, and will replace the soon to be demolish Joe Louis Arena.

Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York: February 11, 1968

MSG Rangers

Maybe the most famous sports arena in the world, Madison Square Garden has been around New York City for almost 140 years. The first two Gardens were located just Northeast of its current location, which is 4 Pennsylvania Plaza. The third Garden, opened in 1925, was on 8th Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets. The current and fourth MSG opened after Irving M. Felt, who purchased the air rights from the Pennsylvania Railroad, tore down the above-ground portions of the original Pennsylvania Station. The new structure was one of the first of its kind to be built above the platforms of an active railroad station. The New York Rangers and New York Knicks both call it home, and the arena and both teams are owned by the same person: James L. Dolan. It has a capacity of 18,006 for hockey games.

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