The best NHL arenas for fans revealed
- Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, ranks as the best NHL arena for fans, with below-average beer prices, close proximity to public transport and food, and dedicated on-site parking.
- Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan ranks second and Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, takes third place.
- Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta offers the cheapest beer for hockey fans at $0.44 per ounce.
Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, has been named the best stadium for NHL fans in a new study.
CanadaSportsBetting evaluated all 32 current NHL arenas on four key metrics; the average price per ounce of beer (USD), the walking distance from each arena to the closest public transport, the walking distance to the nearest external restaurant, and the availability of dedicated parking.
These criteria were chosen to provide a well-rounded assessment of the overall fan experience at each arena. Each arena was given a score out of 10 on each metric, for a maximum possible score of 40 points.
The study found that Ball Arena in Denver, CO ranked as the best NHL stadium, scoring an impressive 35.57 points out of 40. Home to the Colorado Avalanche, The Ball Arena offers below-average beer prices at $0.78 per ounce and is just a one-minute walk from the closest bus station on Auraria Pkwy & 9th St. The arena was also found to be just a one-minute walk from the nearest external restaurant, Brooklyn’s At Ball Arena, and fans who drive to games can benefit from dedicated on-site arena parking.
Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI, home to the Detroit Red Wings, came in second with a score of 34.86 points out of a possible 40. The arena is a one-minute walk from the Woodward & Temple bus station, and its closest restaurant, The Mixing Board, is within a one-minute walk. On top of this, Little Caesars Arena also has dedicated arena parking and beer priced at a reasonable $0.90 per ounce.
Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH takes the third spot. Home to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the arena follows closely behind with 34.02 points out of 40. Nationwide Arena has a beer price per ounce of $1.08, is just a one-minute walk from the closest bus station on Nationwide Blvd & Mcconnell Blvd, and is a one-minute walk from the nearest external restaurant, Rodizio Grill Brazilian Steakhouse.
Ranking fourth is the Capital One Arena, located in Washington D.C. with a total score of 33.12 points. The Washington Capitals’ home arena is a one-minute walk away from the nearest eatery, Guy Fieri’s DC Kitchen + Bar, and it also offers dedicated on-site parking. Capital One offers the second cheapest beer of any arena at $0.54 per ounce, and visitors are just a two-minute walk from the nearest metro station, Gallery Pl-Chinatown.
Scoring 29.11 points, TD Garden, located in Boston, MA ranks as the fifth-best NHL arena. Boston Bruins’ home stadium offers fans beer at just $0.66 per ounce, and is a four-minute walk from North Station – its nearest subway station. The arena’s closest external restaurant, Momosan Morimoto, can also be found just a one-minute walk away.
Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA ranked as the sixth best area, scoring 29.04, while San Jose Sharks SAP Center in San Jose, CA came seventh, scoring 28.73.
Home of the Montreal Canadiens, Bell Centre in Quebec ranked as the eighth-best NHL arena scoring 27.74 points, while the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, came ninth with a score of 26.56 points.
Rounding off the top ten is the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN, home to the Minnesota Wild, which scored 25.98 points.
Across all of the NHL arenas, the average price of beer was found to be $0.84 per ounce. The most expensive game day beer was found in Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators, at a steep $1.33 per ounce. The cheapest beer can be found at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta costing just $0.44 per ounce.
When considering all 32 arenas, the average walk to the closest restaurant is under 5 minutes, it would take just under six minutes to walk to the nearest bus or subway station, and 94% of arenas were found to have dedicated on site parking (30 out of the 32 arenas).
A spokesperson from CanadaSportsBetting commented on the findings:
“By considering factors like affordability, accessibility, and convenience, this study aims to provide valuable insight into which arenas offer the best gameday experience for avid hockey fans.
“Ball Arena ranking top suggests that Avalanche supporters can expect to enjoy the most well-rounded game-day experience. With the promise of easy access to amenities and low-priced drinks, its appeal might also extend to rival supporters, who may be considering attending away day matches.”
Overall rankings of all 32 NHL arenas
| Rank | Arena Name | Location | Team Name | DedicatedParking | Price of Beer Per OZ | Closest PublicTransport (Mins walking) | Closest Restaurant (Mins walking) | OverallScore |
| 1 | Ball Arena | Denver, Colorado | Colorado Avalanche | Y | $0.78 | 1 | 1 | 35.57 |
| 2 | Little Caesars Arena | Detroit, Michigan | Detroit Red Wings | Y | $0.90 | 1 | 1 | 34.86 |
| 3 | Nationwide Arena | Columbus, Ohio | Columbus Blue Jackets | Y | $1.08 | 1 | 1 | 34.02 |
| 4 | Capital One Arena | Washington, D.C. | Washington Capitals | Y | $0.54 | 2 | 1 | 33.12 |
| 5 | TD Garden | Boston Massachusetts | Boston Bruins | Y | $0.66 | 4 | 1 | 29.11 |
| 6 | PPG Paints Arena | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh Penguins | Y | $0.59 | 6 | 1 | 29.04 |
| 7 | SAP Center | San Jose, California | San Jose Sharks | Y | $1.17 | 2 | 1 | 28.73 |
| 8 | Bell Centre | Montreal, Quebec | Montreal Canadiens | Y | $0.63 | 12 | 1 | 27.74 |
| 9 | Scotiabank Arena | Toronto, Canada | Toronto Maple Leafs | Y | $0.85 | 7 | 1 | 26.56 |
| 10 | Xcel Energy Center | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Minnesota Wild | Y | $1.25 | 4 | 1 | 25.98 |
| 11 | Canada Life Centre | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Winnipeg Jets | Y | $0.71 | 4 | 2 | 23.67 |
| 12 | Rogers Place | Edmonton, Alberta | Edmonton Oilers | Y | $0.75 | 4 | 2 | 23.3 |
| 13 | Amalie Arena | Tampa, Florida | Tampa Bay Lightning | Y | $0.70 | 5 | 2 | 23.23 |
| 14 | T-Mobile Arena | Paradise, Nevada | Vegas Golden Knights | Y | $0.75 | 5 | 2 | 22.8 |
| 15 | American Airlines Center | Dallas, Texas | Dallas Stars | Y | $0.92 | 4 | 2 | 22.25 |
| 16 | PNC Arena | Raleigh, North Carolina | Carolina Hurricanes | Y | $0.47 | 7 | 11 | 21.62 |
| 17 | Crypto.com Arena | Los Angeles, California | Los Angeles Kings | Y | $1.08 | 4 | 2 | 21.52 |
| 18 | Enterprise Center | St. Louis, Missouri | St. Louis Blues | Y | $0.61 | 3 | 10 | 21.47 |
| 19 | Scotiabank Saddledome | Calgary, Alberta | Calgary Flames | Y | $0.44 | 18 | 12 | 21.39 |
| 20 | United Center | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Blackhawks | Y | $0.61 | 13 | 3 | 21.22 |
| 21 | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, New York | Buffalo Sabres | Y | $1.25 | 4 | 2 | 20.98 |
| 22 | Bridgestone Arena | Nashville, Tennessee | Nashville Predators | Y | $1.33 | 6 | 2 | 19.93 |
| 23 | Prudential Center | Newark, New Jersey | New Jersey Devils | Y | $1.25 | 7 | 2 | 19.91 |
| 24 | FLA Live Arena | Sunrise, Florida | Florida Panthers | Y | $0.58 | 7 | 10 | 19.89 |
| 25 | Rogers Arena | Vancouver, British Columbia | Vancouver Canucks | Y | $0.64 | 6 | 8 | 19.74 |
| 26 | Climate Pledge Arena | Seattle, Washington | Seattle Kraken | Y | $1.00 | 4 | 4 | 19.35 |
| 26 | Madison Square Garden | New York City, New York | New York Rangers | N | $1.00 | 2 | 1 | 19.35 |
| 28 | Canadian Tire Centre | Ottawa, Ontario | Ottawa Senators | Y | $0.68 | 4 | 27 | 19.24 |
| 29 | Wells Fargo Center | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Flyers | Y | $0.88 | 7 | 5 | 18.4 |
| 30 | Mullett Arena | Tempe, Arizona | Arizona Coyotes | Y | $0.84 | 11 | 7 | 17.5 |
| 31 | Honda Center | Anaheim, California | Anaheim Ducks | Y | $1.06 | 6 | 12 | 16.59 |
| 32 | UBS Arena | Elmont, New York | New York Islanders | N | $1.00 | 10 | 12 | 6.18 |
Credit and link to: https://www.canadasportsbetting.ca/betting-odds/nhl/betting-sites.html
Methodology:
To determine the rankings for the best NHL arena, data was collected on four key factors: the availability of dedicated parking, the price of beer per ounce (USD) as taken from stadium menus, the walking distance from each arena to the closest public transport and the walking distance to the most closest external restaurant were taken from the recommended Google journey. These factors were selected to represent a view of the game-day experience, including affordability, accessibility, and convenience.
Points were assigned to each arena based on a scale that weighted each metric according to its relative importance and then summed up for each arena to obtain a total score out of a possible maximum of 40 points. The arenas were then ranked in descending order based on their total scores.
All Canadian prices have been converted at a ratio of $1 CAD to $0.75 USD as of the exchange rate on 04/17/2023 to ensure accurate comparisons between the arenas in the United States and Canada.