I have always wanted to go to an NHL game in a different city, but I have yet to get the chance, so I thought maybe it would be cool to learn a little bit about other fans' experiences. Speaking with people about their teams, arenas, experiences and special traditions has gotten me so excited to visit different NHL teams, and I hope it excites you too. Who knows, maybe this will help you plan your next trip!
Philadelphia Flyers
Emma tells us a bit about what a game day in Philly is like!
Best way to get to your home rink?
Coming from the north, I normally stick to the highway routes, taking the I-476 and I-95.
Name and fun fact about your rink
Wells Fargo Center, which is also home to the Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia Wings!
Door open rule? (What time do doors typically open before a game)
Doors open 90 minutes before the game!
Go to food item?
Chickie and Pete’s crab fries are the best!
Warmups
It's best to arrive and get a spot on the glass when doors open. Players tend to give pucks to fans with signs pointing them out; Nicolas Deslauriers is always tossing pucks over the glass for fans. After a bit during warmups, Travis Konecny will always be the one to get a bunch of pucks out of the net. Players tend to make fun and mess with each other towards the corners of the rink, so those are good hangout spot for funny videos!
Pregame walkouts
While announcing the starting lineup, there is a short second of flames from the jumbotron for each home player being announced, and you can feel the heat instantly! Also when announcing the away team, after a player is announced the crowd yells “sucks”, and repeats that for all 6 starters.
Anthem traditions and singers
Lauren Hart (daughter of Gene Hart; a late Flyers announcer) has been the anthem singer since 1997!
Whose is your arena PA, in arena host, any other notable people during games?
Lou Nolan is the Flyers PA announcer. Gritty and his guards will always make his presence known around the arena, especially in his chaos corner!
Giveaways during games?
I recommend getting there early for giveaway games as some are limited, but they are handed out right after the security and ticket checks by the dancers and ice team!
TV timeout games and intermission games?
Most of the time during intermission they have the “Mites on Ice” where little kids that attend their hockey programs play on the ice for about 10 minutes! The crowd always gets involved and cheers for them!
3 Stars of the game traditions?
When they start announcing the 3 stars lots of people start clearing out, so more room opens up on the glass as the players that get a star skate around and throw a puck over to the fans.
New York Rangers
Molly talks about MSG and being there for a Rangers game!
Best way to get to your home rink?
We take the New Jersey Transit in from Jersey. Public transit is definitely the most common way people get to the Garden.
Name and fun fact about your rink
Madison Square Garden - it’s “the world’s most famous arena!”
Door open rule?
Doors open one hour before the game.
Go to food item?
The chicken nachos at the taco stand or the Fuku spicy chicken sandwich. Everyone loves the pastrami sandwich from Carnegie Deli though!
Warmups
Warmups start 30 minutes before the game. If you want to see Rangers players, stand either to the left of the Rangers bench or right across (section 119). We always get there to watch warmups, but players have very minimal interaction with fans as the seats are a bit more elevated and far back.
Pregame walkouts (jumbotron videos, player intros, songs)
They always play Baba O’Riley by The Who when the players come out onto the ice, and it’s become a classic!
Anthem traditions and singers
No words are emphasized during our anthem, but we have John Brancy sing a lot of our anthems, and when he’s not there, there are a lot of Broadway performers who step in.
Whose is your arena PA, in arena host, any other notable people during games?
The most notable person during our game presentation is Sam Rosen, who will be retiring this year after announcing for the team since 1984. You can see him around the league this year as almost every team has been featuring him at their arenas during our away games.
Giveaways during games?
They do t-shirt tosses.
TV timeout games and intermission games?
They do t-shirt tosses, guess the song, follow the puck, and some on ice races and puck shooting games as well.
3 Stars of the game traditions?
They come out at the end of the game and toss the pucks to fans.
Where to go for player signings and meetings after games?
The players will go out to the north side of the Garden right between the Garden and Penn Station. Not all of them will sign, but Matt Rempe comes out and talks to every person after every game.
Colorado Avalanche
Laura talks about her time in Colorado and her time with the Avalanche.
Best way to get to your home rink?
It depends on what direction you’re coming from, but I know when my friend goes she uses I-25. When I went, we were downtown in a hotel, so we were able to park close and walk. It felt pretty safe and there were a lot of people out going to the game!
Name and fun fact about your rink
My favorite fact about Ball Arena itself is knowing its birthday is October 1st, 1999 because my birthday is October 2nd, so it’s special for me. My favorite obscure thing about the rink that I know is that when they cover the ice for other events, it takes them like 600 pieces of inch thick fiberglass or something, which is interesting to think about. I always wondered how they handled that when they were switching out for the Denver Nuggets games.
Door open rule?
Doors open an hour before puck drop.
Go to food item?
Personally, I think you can never go wrong with popcorn or kettle corn at hockey.
Warmups
Warmups start about 30 minutes before puck drop. When I was in Denver, my friend Ynse, Audrey, and I went and we made sure to get to the arena as early as we could for the game. If you want to get a good space for warmups, you should get there probably 30 minutes before the doors even open. Players don’t normally interact with people right behind the bench because they aren’t focused right there, so I would say the best place to be for warmups is somewhere in the corner or the sides. We were lucky though and had signs, so we got put on the jumbotron. We even caught the eye of a couple players and Mikko Rantanen waved at us.
Pregame walkouts (jumbotron videos, player intros, songs)
I have always watched the beginning of Avs games at home, but there is nothing like seeing it in person! The building is entirely electric. My favorite part was seeing the addition of the red “Avalanche Warning” system blaring. My friend Audrey, who lives in Colorado and goes more than I am able to, says that she hadn’t seen it before when we went last January. It was really cool. The announcers do a really great job with player intros.
Whose is your arena PA, in arena host, any other notable people during games?
Oh! I love this question. They are so beloved on the broadcast but seeing them in action there was extra special. My favorites are Kyle Keefe, who is a studio anchor for Altitude, Conor McGahey, who is the play-by-play announcer for Altitude SR, Mark Rycroft, who works on the Altitude broadcast and in- arena (also former Avalanche player), and Marc Moser, who is the television play-by-play announcer. Rachel Tos is the in-arena reporter and I love seeing her because she is so thoughtful and funny.
I actually got to meet Kyle Keefe, which was a surreal experience with two of my great friends Ynse and Audrey. We are only friends because of the Avs, so to share that with him was really special.
Another great member of the Ball Arena atmosphere is DJ Triple T. He is the DJ for the Colorado Avalanche. It really keeps the energy going in the arena with the supreme selections he has going. You can always hear it on the broadcast too, so I am a fan; I even follow him on Spotify. It’s such a community that is built across the country. I could go on and on about the amazing team that is so beloved by all of Avs Faithful.
Giveaways during games?
When I was there, they did give out some foam pucks! My friend Ynse, who flew all the way from Belgium to see the Avs play, got one which is so special. It was amazing getting to meet her for the first time along with my friend Audrey at Ball Arena to see the team that made us all friends.
TV timeout games and intermission games?
Sometimes they play videos of the players doing funny games or media questions!
3 Stars of the game traditions?
Rachel Tos is a reporter and host for the Avalanche and usually does the 3 stars of the games and intermission interviews! It is so amazing to see her during the broadcast because she does such a great job.
Where to go for player signings and meetings after games?
I am not sure if they have a dedicated area to wait like other arenas like the Canes do or the Rangers, but sometimes you can wait around and see them leave and they’ll wave.
Players that typically interact with fans after games?
I am not sure if there are really players that typically interact with fans after games. My friends and I waited after the game and did see the players leaving and got a couple waves from Cale Makar, Valeri Nichushkin, and Nathan MacKinnon to name a few.
Calgary Flames
Sophia talks about the game experience at the historic Saddledome.
Best way to get to your home rink?
Driving or transit.
Name and fun fact about your rink
The Scotiabank Saddledome. The building is shaped like a saddle to refer to the Calgary Stampede and Calgary’s western culture.
Door open rule?
An hour before puck drop.
Go to food item?
A pocket dawg.
Warmups
Many players like Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman always interact with their kids through the glass. MacKenzie Weegar often gives pucks to young fans during warmups.
Pregame walkouts (jumbotron videos, player intros, songs)
Player intros for the starting lineup are shown on the jumbotron with hype up videos and highlight reels.
Anthem traditions and singers
George Canyon and Mikayla Sheedy are the anthem singers. Fans yell out “see” and “red” during the star spangled banner.
Whose is your arena PA, in arena host, any other notable people during games?
Grant Buchanan and Angela Valiant are the in-game host for the Flames.
Giveaways during games?
Flames merch and sponsored merch, like Pete the Plumber hats for example.
TV timeout games and intermission games?
Often a timbits scrimmage game or a game played between fans in the stands is shown on screen.
3 Stars of the game traditions?
They throw a hat to a fan when called out onto the ice. After that, they give a Flames chain to a kid chosen to go on the ice and the kid gets a picture with the star player.
Edited by Neha Grewal
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