I really enjoyed writing last week’s blog on the hockey dressing room. It was great hearing the feedback from everyone, and it was especially great to hear from some of my Alumni buddies. Not only did it bring back many memories for them about their various dressing rooms, but also they remembered that stare that from their team leaders that I was referring to.
Continuing along that theme, here are some thoughts on my favourite old-school arenas -- both home and away -- from my playing days.
LONDON GARDENS
The old Gardens in London was one of the best Junior rinks in the league, but if you ask anyone from my era, they will no doubt remember one thing – the fresh-poped popcorn. The London Gardens popcorn was famous. The popcorn lady was an institution with almost every player, both home and away.
Taking an excursion to visit the popcorn lady prior to the game was as important as taping your stick. The popcorn stand was in the lobby of the rink and you could smell the wonderful aroma from the time you entered the rink right up until you left.
WORLD JUNIOR TOURNAMENT 1977
I don’t recall the name of the rink in Banska Bystrica, Czechslovakia (now Slovakia) but playing there was one of the most intimating situations I’ve ever experienced.
There were a few seats behind the benches but for the most part there were no seats in the arena. It was all standing room.
Throughout the tournament, the Czechoslovak fans were behind us 100%. They hated the rival Russians, so they pulled for Canada. Heading in to the gold medal game against Russia, I was looking forward to having the fan support behind our team.
During warm-up there wasn’t anybody in the stands in the rink, no Czechoslovak fans, nobody. When we came out for the start of the game, still no fans. Just as we were lining up for the Anthems, the stands finally filled up.
The Russian army marched in, single file, to fill the stands for the game. I’m not sure how many there were, but it must have been several thousand. I’m not sure if we were shaking off the eerie pre-game experience but by the end of the first period we were behind 6-0. We scored four straight goals but ultimately lost 6-4 and took home the silver medal. Despite not winning the gold, it was quite the unforgettable time for us young guys being behind the Iron Curtain.
THE OMNI
There was nothing really special about the Omni in Atlanta except for the fact that it was my first NHL home rink, so for that reason I included it here. I was still young, and everything was brand new to me.
The Omni was quite a complex. It was located in a shopping mall, the Omni hotel was attached to it and there were several bars and restaurants where we would go after the games.
The fans in Atlanta were great. Most of them didn’t know a thing about hockey but that was fine because they were loud and all they did was cheer. After each whistle the PA announcer told the crowd the reason for the whistle.
One of greatest Atlanta Flames fans was a guy called Johnny Reb. This guy came to each game dressed up in a full Confederate uniform and after every goal or fight he would be standing up waving his Confederate flag while the organist playing Dixie. That might stir up some controversy now but I guess that was hockey in the American South in the 1970’s. It was the same way with the WHA's Birmingham Bulls, where my Knights and Flames teammate and old friend Pat Riggin got his pro start before coming to Atlanta.
THE SPECTRUM
It really is hard for me to put into words how intimidating it was to go into Philadelphia as a visiting player and face the Broad Street Bullies. A lot has been written about this, but to actually experience it is something else.
The "Philly Flu" was joked about often but it was a real phenomenon. Players getting sick out of the blue on game day, mysterious injuries in practice the day before travelling to Philly, it all seemed a little peculiar and I’ll bet it had a lot more to do with nerves than it did legitimate sickness or injury.
When I first experienced the Spectrum I was a member of the Atlanta Flames. We were fortunate in Atlanta, as we had a big strong team and we could look after ourselves quite well from a physical standpoint. Ken Houston, Willi Plett, Curt Bennett, Harold Phillipoff, Phil Russell and I were players that could handle ourselves, so quite often our games against the Flyers were actually very good games.
For most teams, however, the goal in Philly was to keep the game close. If the Flyers went up by 2 goals or down by 2 goals, things could get ugly in a hurry.
The fans in Philly made the Spectrum. Most fans cheer and applaud for their team but the Flyer fan is different. They roar with anticipation for each goal, each hit and each fight. Like the opera singer whose voice comes from deep within as they build on their note, the Flyers fan roar hits the highest crescendo as the red light goes on, the opposing player is knocked on his butt or the blood from an opponents face is spattered on the ice.
The Flyers fed off this energy and played the games at the Spectrum like a rabid dog chasing down its prey. Believe me, it was a lot more fun playing in the Spectrum as a member of the Flyers than as an opposing player. During my Flyers stint, our home record most years spoke for itself.
CHICAGO STADIUM
The dressing rooms in Chicago seemed like they were an afterthought. There were two small rooms with a few stalls but mostly extra chairs that had to be brought in to accommodate 20 guys. The dressing rooms were downstairs and you had to go up a flight of stairs to get to the ice.
The Chicago Stadium experience started as soon as you ran up those stairs and onto the ice. The fans were loud and they were accompanied all game long by the world’s largest organ. The organ pretty much took up one whole section in Blackhawks home end. This would not happen in today’s game simply because it took up too many quality seats, but that organ and the atmosphere won the Blackhawks a lot of games (isn’t that the point?).
I would give anything to hear an organ play at a game again instead of that loud modern day music that blasts at arenas at deafening volumes. Seriously, you can't even hear or talk to the person right next to you during a stoppage in play. I guess I am sounding old now.
THE LOS ANGELES FORUM
L.A. was the only warm climate on the schedule back in the days before the major expansion took NHL hockey to various locales in the South as well as to the deserts of Arizona. It wasn’t so much about the rink itself, but the experience of spending a few days in a warmer climate that made the road trip to L.A. unique.
Warm-up was the best at the Forum, there was always a little more bounce in your step. The music selections were trendy at the time and you never knew what movie stars were going to be at the game. They always seemed to buy the seats by the glass to be close to the action, so they were easy to spot.
The owner of the team, Dr. Jerry Buss, had his seats in between the benches. It was a private area that had eight seats and he always had some type of star or big shot with him.
The games were always played with a lot of intensity and at a high tempo. The catalyst behind that extra jump was another thing unique to Los Angeles. Most teams used the L.A. trip for a rest block, or a reward, by staying a few extra days before and after each game. You always wanted to put in a good effort and play well so it would happen next time. If the team was too focused on the break instead of the game and we played like crap, chances were that the coach wouldn’t want us sticking around to enjoy sunny Los Angeles.
After the game there was never any loitering in the dressing room. The first stop was The Forum Club, a bar located in the arena. Everyone wanted to get up there as quick as we could to see the movie stars that also went there after the game.
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
It isn’t too often that you have to take an elevator the get to the rink, but that’s just the case at Madison Square Garden.
MSG billed itself as the busiest arena in the world and it was. The coolest thing about playing there was that you never knew who you would sharing the rink with. Each season at some point, we were sharing the hallways and dressing rooms with the annual Ringling Brothers circus that came to MSG. Lions and tigers and bears, Oh My! Throw in a few dozen elephants chained up outside your dressing room and you had quite a sight!
The Ranger fans were great, even though they were hostile to the teams that I was playing for at the time. What I remember most is that they all acted the same regardless of their background. Once they were in the building, the suits behaved the same as the truck drivers!
THE BOSTON GARDEN
Boston had the smallest ice surface in the league and the fans seemed to be right on top of you, even more so than the other old time buildings. The Bruins were the biggest and toughest team in the league and the small ice enhanced this.
Their skilled players carried the puck and passed the puck but their workhorses made you earn your money on that night. Soft dump-ins into the corners with Terry O’Reilly, John Wensink, Wayne Cashman, Al Secord, Stan Jonathon breathing down your neck were the norm. They were tough to play against and every shift there was someone on the ice to punish you.
NORTHLANDS COLISEUM, WINNIPEG ARENA, AND MINNESOTA
Perhaps it isn’t a huge surprise but these arenas had the best ice by far. These teams had very fast and talented teams to take advantage of the ice. That ice was so good, even I felt like a speed demon gliding across it.
COLISEE DE QUEBEC
The home of the Nordiques might’ve been the cleanest arena in the league. It was spotless and always shiny.
The best thing about the Colisee was the “chien chauds” (um, that’s French for hot dogs). Hands down the best anywhere. As a team, we always ordered up one to three hotdogs each to be eaten after our pre-game skate, a perfect pre-game meal. The team in Quebec was always real strong, especially once they added the Stasny brothers.
MAPLE LEAF GARDENS AND THE MONTREAL FORUM
So much has been written about these two arenas over the years, I don’t really have anything new to say, but I will say this. As a kid growing up watching Hockey Night in Canada with these two teams and arenas featured every week, the feeling of “I made it” happened as you stepped on the ice surface at these two rinks.
To hear the long time PA announcers in both buildings say your name, whether it was for a goal, assist, penalty or starting line-up, is something that I will never forget. On a few occasions, I heard my named announced as one of the Three Stars. What a thrill that was, just like I had imagined it when I was playing hockey on the corner pond as a kid!
OLD-SCHOOL ARENAS VS. MODERN DAY ARENAS: MY TAKE
The thing that I remember most about the arenas I played in throughout my early years was that each them had a personality. Each of them had character, and because of this, the team that played there took on an identity that identified them throughout the league.
The GMs of the time would draft and sign players that fit into their arena and the team’s identity. The fans were a part of the game. They cheered because of the action created by the game, not because some Jumbotron has a Fan-O-Meter telling them to cheer.
In the past 10-20 years I think there has been 20+ new arenas built and I really think the NHL has missed an opportunity with these new builds. The new arenas are built with the dollar bill in mind instead of the fans or the players. While I understand this and agree with it to a point, I just think that there has not been enough thought put into the design of the new arena.
Major League Baseball has done it right over the past number of years. Gone are the sterile stadiums that were built in the 80’s and 90’s. They now have built a number of stadiums that have the classic feel of the older stadiums. They have a done an excellent job marrying the corporate world together with the average fan and they put the personality and character back into the mix that was once a trademark of any structure.
You might’ve noticed something missing as you’ve been reading. There are no corporate names for any of the old arenas. I miss that, as I said. I understand it, but I miss it.
Ask any fan who has been lucky enough to walk around these incredible buildings, there is a character in every flaw, there is charm in every imperfection, and there is always that something that you can’t quite put your finger on that makes a special arena “home” to its team and fans.
Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»