The NHL is as steeped in historical past as nearly every other league in North American professional sports activities, so it is smart that a lot of its barns additionally maintain nice historic significance.
Whereas most of the authentic iconic hockey stadiums are gone — the Boston Backyard, Maple Leafs Gardens, and the Arizona Coyotes’ Mullett Area — a uncommon breed of ‘previous’ stadiums reside on.
Right here’s a rating of the oldest NHL stadiums.
Oldest NHL Arenas
United Heart, Chicago Blackhawks – 1994
Chicago’s now-iconic United Heart opened in 1994, changing the previous Chicago Stadium, which opened in 1929.
Whereas the 90s within the United Heart had been well-known due to the dynastic run of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, the Hawks had been on a generational run of their very own with a playoff streak that began within the 1969-70 season.
The United Heart is the second-largest capability area within the NHL and is tied for the biggest max capability indoor area in america.
It’s identified for its loud crowd noise, nicknamed “The Roar,” which is amplified by metal panels within the roof that had been specifically engineered to match the extent of noise in Chicago Stadium. Throughout Chicago’s runs within the 2010s, this crowd noise reached its peak, with some playoff video games reaching decibel ranges of 120.
Whereas it is likely one of the oldest arenas in each the NBA and NHL, it’s not displaying its age up to now, because of years of refurbishment and investments from the Blackhawks and Bulls possession.
Enterprise Heart, St. Louis Blues – 1994
Tied for fourth-oldest within the NHL is St. Louis’ Enterprise Heart.
It’s becoming that the Blues and Blackhawks are linked right here, given the historic rivalry between each groups and each Midwest cities in different sports activities.
When the world opened in 1994, it was referred to as the Kiel Heart and went by way of two different title modifications earlier than the automotive rental service Enterprise bought the naming rights in 2018.
The world opened whereas the Blues had been additionally on a streak of constructing the playoffs, which lasted from the 1979-80 season to the 2003-04 season. St Louis wouldn’t win the Stanley Cup till 2019.
The Enterprise Heart underwent a $150 million renovation between 2017 and 2019, which up to date its video scoreboard, seating, locker rooms, sound system, and membership seating, amongst different options.
SAP Heart, San Jose Sharks – 1993
We go from a pair of Midwest groups tied for the fourth-oldest to a pair of California groups tied for the third-oldest.
First up is the San Jose Sharks, who had solely existed as an NHL enlargement workforce for 2 years earlier than relocating to the SAP Heart, initially referred to as the San Jose Area.
From 1991 to 1993, the Sharks performed their video games on the Cow Palace in San Francisco, nonetheless the best-named area in sports activities.
The world seats round 17,500 followers for hockey and 19,000 for live shows.
The SAP Heart is nicknamed “The Shark Tank” and incorporates a large Shark’s head by way of which gamers enter to get onto the ice.
Honda Heart, Anaheim Geese – 1993
The Anaheim Geese entered the NHL in 1993 and had been initially owned by the Walt Disney Firm, which created the workforce to advertise its 1992 hockey film, The Mighty Geese.
Disney helped construct the world, initially named the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, which is positioned 10 minutes from Disneyland.
The opening sport towards the Detroit Pink Wings featured a typical Disney show of fanfare earlier than the sport, which apparently distracted the workforce and led to a 7-2 loss.
Geese coach Ron Wilson mentioned the workforce was “caught up within the hoopla.”
Disney used the stadium to movie the Mighty Geese’ sequel, D2: The Mighty Geese.
Since then, the world has seen two Stanley Cup Finals in 2003 and 2007, which the Geese received.
Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary Flames – 1983
The Scotiabank Saddledome provides the Cow Palace a run for its cash in one of the best stadium title class. It’s named the Saddledome because of the uniquely formed roof of the stadium, which resembles a saddle.
The Saddledome, initially named the Olympic Saddledome, was constructed to deal with the Calgary Flames and the iced occasions on the 1988 Winter Olympics.
For the three years between when the Flames moved to Calgary and the opening of the Saddledome, they performed on the Stampede Corral.
When it opened in 1983, it was the primary NHL stadium to characteristic an international-sized ice rink.
The stadium final underwent main $37 million renovations in 1994, reopening with a sold-out Reba McEntire live performance.
Building started in 2024 on a brand new area referred to as Scotia Place, which can substitute the Saddledome.
Madison Sq. Backyard, New York Rangers – 1968
The World’s Most Well-known Area can be the oldest NHL stadium.
The present incarnation of Madison Sq. Backyard is the fourth area with that title.
Madison Sq. Backyard III hosted the Rangers beginning in 1926 and was demolished in 1968 so {that a} new area, the present MSG, might be constructed above Penn Station. The previous website of MSG III was a parking zone till 1989, when an workplace constructing was constructed there.
The Rangers performed their first house sport on February 18th 1968, towards the Philadelphia Flyers and received 3-0.
The world was first renovated in 1991 at a value of $200 million. The world underwent a second renovation from 2011 to 2013, and it value $1 billion.
