What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

Future Frozen Four Sites

I've been going to FF for years and I have a few comments ...

Tampa has, by far, been the best all-around supportive site for the FF. The FFs at MSP, Philly, Pittsburgh, and Denver were all good and you absolutely cannot beat going to MSP if you're a hockey fan.

I'm looking forward to Vegas, mainly because of the different set of things to do there.

I don't think a FF in New York is in the cards. MSG is one of the busiest arenas in the nation and every year the NHL and NBA have to schedule Rangers and Knicks home games around the other things going on at the arena. Just about every year during the FF, the Rangers and Knicks are both at home. This year is no different with the Rangers on a relatively long homestand. In past years, FF weekend also falls on UN General Assembly meetings, which has a significant impact on hotel prices and availability, not to mention getting around the city.

Barclay's Center is both too small and doesn't have the surrounding environment for a FF. UBS is a nice arena but it's hardly a "destination" and getting around Long Island isn't the easiest.

As far as the bad... Boston has a nice atmosphere inside the arena and obviously has a lot of history, but they did next to nothing to support the FF and there is absolutely no room outside (unlike Tampa and Philly). I'm sure with Mass being the "2nd state of hockey", Boston will get theirs in relatively regular rotation, but the only reason I'll go there is to visit relatives that live there. I skipped out on Buffalo due to work constraints, but according to everything I've heard, it was terrible.

Places I'd like to see beyond the current regulars...

Seattle (new arena, new area I've never been to, easy travel)
San Diego (same as seattle)
Charlotte (I've been to the city, lots to do, supportive of hockey and college sports, should be warm enough not to freeze, travel hub)
Nashville (tourist site alone makes this a great destination)
Dallas (again, good weather, travel hub)
Salt Lake City (the Delta Center is an older arena, but it can be configured for hockey and is plenty big. The weather is iffy in April but it's a beautiful area with things to do)
Sunrise (the Panthers' arena has plenty of room on the outside to set up a good fan experience)
 
terrier1976 said:
I liked Albany but the arena only holds 15,000. It's a nice arena but maybe too small to be a FF host again. NHL sized arenas are the norm now. I wouldn't mind seeing the regionals there again.
Click to expand...
Albany will be hosting a regional in 2026, but you're correct that its too small host a Frozen Four. From the 2027 and 2028 NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP SPORTS SPECIFIC INFORMATION bid packet:

1. Conditions and Availability.
b. The facility must be modern, clean and accessible and must have at least 17,000 seats. Playing conditions must meet NCAA regulations and must be of championship caliber.

Looking at current NHL Arena capacities it looks like 29 qualify, with only the Prudential Center (New Jersey), Canada Life Centre (Winnipeg) and Mullett Arena (Arizona) too small. Of other arenas able to make ice you have:
Tulsa - BOK Center
Glendale - Desert Diamond Arena
Columbus - Value City Arena
Portland (OR) - Moda Center
Cleveland - Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

also these, but I have no idea if they can still make ice:
Phoenix - US Airways Center
Uniondale - Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
North Little Rock -Simmons Bank Arena
Atlanta - State Farm Arena
Houston - Toyota Center
East Rutherford - Meadowlands Arena
Greensboro - Greensboro Coliseum

The Barclays Center (Brooklyn), along with it's sight line issues, doesn't meet the NCAA seating requirement. Neither does Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee).

Sean
 
Last edited:
Sean Pickett said:
Albany will be hosting a regional in 2026, but you're correct that its too small host a Frozen Four. From the 2027 and 2028 NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP SPORTS SPECIFIC INFORMATION bid packet:

1. Conditions and Availability.
b. The facility must be modern, clean and accessible and must have at least 17,000 seats. Playing conditions must meet NCAA regulations and must be of championship caliber.

Looking at current NHL Arena capacities it looks like 29 qualify, with only the Prudential Center (New Jersey), Canada Life Centre (Winnipeg) and Mullett Arena (Arizona) too small. Of other arenas able to make ice you have:
Tulsa - BOK Center
Glendale - Desert Diamond Arena
Columbus - Value City Arena
Portland (OR) - Moda Center
Cleveland - Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

also these, but I have no idea if they can still make ice:
Phoenix - US Airways Center
Uniondale - Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
North Little Rock -Simmons Bank Arena
Atlanta - State Farm Arena
Houston - Toyota Center
East Rutherford - Meadowlands Arena
Greensboro - Greensboro Coliseum

The Barclays Center (Brooklyn), along with it's sight line issues, doesn't meet the NCAA seating requirement. Neither does Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee).

Sean
Click to expand...

Some notable additions to the list:

Kia Center - Orlando (holds 20,000 and already hosts Solar Bears hockey)
T-Mobile Center - Kansas City (still pushing for an NHL franchise)
Delta Center - Salt Lake City (hosted the Olympic hockey tournament)
Allstate Arena - Rosemont, IL (Chicago Wolves)
 
BCeagle said:
Did anyone like Albany and Columbus ? My favorite is Tampa

How about Long Island where the Islanders play ?
Click to expand...

I enjoyed Albany for a regional (back before there was a rest day). I don't think I'd want it for FF.

I liked Columbus, but only b/c I knew someone working for a company with a suite so we were able to party and not too long of a drive for me.


I think Detroit, Chicago, Denver, DC are all due for another FF. I enjoyed all those venues (with the exception of Ford Field in Detroit...LCA should be better). I get that St. Paul is great, but I'm bored with it, maybe a little less frequency would be good.

I always have fun in Tampa and like that being in the rotation. We'll see how Vegas goes, but that could be a fun one to add into the fairly regular mix.
 
John J. MacInnes said:
Some notable additions to the list:

Kia Center - Orlando (holds 20,000 and already hosts Solar Bears hockey)
T-Mobile Center - Kansas City (still pushing for an NHL franchise)
Delta Center - Salt Lake City (hosted the Olympic hockey tournament)
Allstate Arena - Rosemont, IL (Chicago Wolves)
Click to expand...
It appears that both the Delta Center and Allstate Arena don't meet the seating requirement.

Sean
 
Sean Pickett said:
It appears that both the Delta Center and Allstate Arena don't meet the seating requirement.

Sean
Click to expand...

I doubt that the Delta Center is too small. It seats 18,206 for basketball. The LA Kings and Vegas Golden Knights are playing an exhibition game there in September supposedly in expectation of a future NHL team there.
 
John J. MacInnes said:
Some notable additions to the list:

Kia Center - Orlando (holds 20,000 and already hosts Solar Bears hockey)
T-Mobile Center - Kansas City (still pushing for an NHL franchise)
Delta Center - Salt Lake City (hosted the Olympic hockey tournament)
Allstate Arena - Rosemont, IL (Chicago Wolves)
Click to expand...

These would be 4 shithead sites. Like Albany 2.0
ugh
 
BC/HE said:
I doubt that the Delta Center is too small. It seats 18,206 for basketball. The LA Kings and Vegas Golden Knights are playing an exhibition game there in September supposedly in expectation of a future NHL team there.
Click to expand...

Almost every dual purpose arena will seat more for basketball than hockey just due to the size difference of the playing surfaces. How many seats are lost with the transition from a basketball set up to a hockey set up?
 
beaverhockeyfan said:
Almost every dual purpose arena will seat more for basketball than hockey just due to the size difference of the playing surfaces. How many seats are lost with the transition from a basketball set up to a hockey set up?
Click to expand...

According to Wikipedia, it only seats 14,000 for hockey, and a Salt Lake Tribune article said the seating and broadcasting situations aren't ideal for hockey, either. That's a shame, because SLC has good airlift, it's an easy city to navigate, Park City isn't that far away and it's likely there would be good opportunities for skiing and/or hiking.
 
If it was up to me, I'd love to see the following as the next wave of FF hosts (in order of preference):

1. Nashville
2. Denver
3. Seattle
4. Detroit (to make up for the cancelled 2020 FF)
5. NYC area (either Prudential Center or UBS Arena)
6. Dallas

I also wouldn't mind seeing Chicago or DC get in the mix again given they're very attractive destinations for non-hockey activities.
 
Sean Pickett said:
With the Coyotes moving to SLC I have read several articles (see "Could Vivint Arena be home to an NHL team?" and "'Utah's ready for a team,' new owner says") about the inadequacies of the Delta Center for hockey.

Sean
Click to expand...

They will be building a new arena for the NHL team within 5 years. In the meantime, they will use the Delta Center sharing it with the NBA team. They also have the Maverick Center a 10,000-seat rink that was used for the last Olympics. The new rink will be in place long before SLC's expected 2034 Olympics which will be awarded this July. Perhaps a regional in the Maverick Center may be a good option soon and when the new rink opens, a Frozen 4. Maybe Utah will think about fielding an NCAA team with these developments.

Edit: Apparently there are 3 options for the arena now. The option most likely is a rebuild of the Delta Center. This year they will make adjustments and seat 16,000 for hockey with 12,000 prime seating but the other 4,000 would be obstructed view seats. Over the next few years the renovations will continue in the off season to bring hockey capacity to 17,500 without obstructed view. If a new arena is built it would be for at least 17,000.
 
Last edited:
We're seriously justifying a FF in Albany? That arena is a dump. It was not significantly upgraded recently, the seats are decades old and uncomfortable, the concourse is overcrowded and has no bathrooms - they're all in the basement. The videoboard is tiny and it only holds 15K. This should not even be a consideration for anything beyond a regional.

Tampa was fine, but not as good as it's made out to be by some. I'd much prefer Nashville over that.
 
Friend_of_BU_Hockey said:
If it was up to me, I'd love to see the following as the next wave of FF hosts (in order of preference):

1. Nashville
2. Denver
3. Seattle
4. Detroit (to make up for the cancelled 2020 FF)
5. NYC area (either Prudential Center or UBS Arena)
6. Dallas

I also wouldn't mind seeing Chicago or DC get in the mix again given they're very attractive destinations for non-hockey activities.
Click to expand...

NYC is either MSG or go home.

and nobody wants to go to Detroit!!!

your others are ok, though Dallas seems like a driving location… guess we can keep Uber employee that weekend :-p
 
No one wants Detroit but they are getting one in this next cycle due to 2020. After that they probably won’t get one again for awhile.
 
As someone who lives here, I'd love to see the FF return to DC. (The 2009 FF was one of the great ones.) In recent years, however, the area around CapOne arena has become, shall we say, "sketchy." Big police presence in the immediate area on game days/nights but not an area I go to anymore on off-nights.
 
Split-N said:
As someone who lives here, I'd love to see the FF return to DC. (The 2009 FF was one of the great ones.) In recent years, however, the area around CapOne arena has become, shall we say, "sketchy." Big police presence in the immediate area on game days/nights but not an area I go to anymore on off-nights.
Click to expand...


The sketchiness is one big reason why the Caps are moving to Alexandria, VA for their new home.
 
Skate79 said:
The sketchiness is one big reason why the Caps are moving to Alexandria, VA for their new home.
Click to expand...

Not anymore. The enabling legislation was killed by a single vote in the VA Senate.

That being said, I personally don't think the proposed move to Alexandria, VA made much business sense. For all of the downtown DC problems, CapOne is immediately proximate to five subway lines that bring droves of fans in from MD and VA. The proposed new arena would have been served by only one. Basically, ownership would have effectively cutoff a goodly chunk of the Caps and Wizards Maryland fan bases.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top