The Nelly

Nelson Center

Springfield, IL
Opened:1993
Seating Capacity: 2100

The next arena I will be covering in my blog is the Nelson Center, which is home to the Springfield Junior Blues of the North American Hockey League.

I played for two seasons with the Jr. Blues in the NAHL. We skated out of the Nelson Center, which is a public skating arena that is surrounded by a water park, soccer fields, and Frisbee course. It was not the most jaw-dropping arena by any means, but it was my home for two years. It is completely different from all of the arenas that I have covered in my blog so far. It felt like a junior arena. It was not too small so that it felt like a youth hockey arena; yet, it was not enormous so it felt like playing in a professional venue. It was...just right.

As I mentioned earlier, there was a public water park adjacent to the arena, so our locker room served as a changing area in the summer time and as an ice hockey locker room in the fall and winter. While this may seem bizarre, the locker room was very spacious. The biggest downfall of that locker room was the warm water, or lack thereof. The showers would not get warm unless they ran for roughly 20 minutes. We had to use broken hockey sticks and turn them into a "shower stick" that would hold the shower nozzle on and keep the water running. Luckily, this job was delegated to the rookies so I didn't have to worry about it my second year.

The arena had seating on both sides of the ice. On one side, the seating was old wooden bleachers, and the other had new aluminum seating. Personally, I liked the look of the wooden side better. I would sit in the stands, isolated, for about a half an hour before every game and just stare onto the ice envisioning every scenario in my head. The arena had a concession stand across from the benches, but on the side of the rink where I dressing room was. As we would come onto the ice before the game and between intermissions, the fans would line up and give us high fives. It is a pretty proud feeling knowing that fans, who have no idea who we are, come and pay to watch us play the game we love. In a sense, it made me feel like a professional player having little kids idolize us.

The ice surface was always pretty good during the colder months; however, at the beginning of the season it would still be warm outside which made the ice very slushy. There was also a large conference room on the opposite side of the benches that had glass windows. If the sun was sitting just right, these windows would make for very bad glares on the ice. The size of the arena was nothing out of the ordinary. It felt like the perfect size. Not too big, not too small. The boards and glass were also nothing special. They were not dead like some of the arenas I have written about, but at the same time they were not nearly as lively as others.

Most teams hated coming to play us in the Nelson Center. Granted, the opposing teams' locker room is nothing to write home about. But I loved playing in that arena. It felt like home to me and I would not have been opposed to playing all 120 of my NAHL games in that arena. I'm glad that I had the privilege of calling the Nelson Center my home for two seasons, and I want to thank all of the Springfield Jr. Blues coaches, players, billet families, and fans for making my time in Springy a memorable one. I'm proud to say I served as your captain for a season, and I wish for all the best in the future.

Go Blues!

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-       Joshua Lammon 

Roadrunners' Arena

Landon Arena

Location: Topeka, KS

Opened: 1987

Seating Capacity: 7,773

The next arena I will be covering in my blog is Landon Arena, which is home to the Topeka Roadrunners in the North American Hockey League.

The building sits in the heart of Topeka, Kansas and serves as a multi-purpose venue. The arena is home to hockey games, concerts, monster truck shows, and other entertainment. It is a large arena, especially for an arena hosting a NAHL team. It was similar to the Ohio State Arena that I wrote about earlier because the arena never filled up. There would be roughly 2000 people there but it appeared as if it was empty.

The arena, like many large arenas that I have covered in this blog, the ice surface felt extremely warm and sticky but the boards and glass were lively and forgiving. This arena had dim lightning because they would not use all of the lighting for hockey games. Don’t interpret this the wrong way; there would be sufficient lighting to play a hockey game, but there was no need to use all the lights in the building for a junior hockey game.

The arena had a concourse that divided the lower and upper bowls, similar to most professional arenas. They would sell Topeka Roadrunner jerseys, which is really cool for being a NAHL team. They were a large budget organization so they would have promotional games where they would give away t-shirts to the first 500 fans. Their fans were passionate and they were not afraid to let us know it. There was a group of men who sat behind the visiting team’s bench and they would call themselves the “Bucket Brigade.” These guys would bring a bucket and cowbells so that when our coach would try and talk to us during media timeouts, they would bang the drum and ring the bells so that we couldn’t hear him. Topeka was already a frustrating team to play against to begin with, and having this circus act behind our bench would make it even more difficult to play there. I’ll give it to them though. I don’t get distracted easily by things outside of the rink, but I’ll admit that these guys had real estate in my head.

Topeka’s arena is not one of my favorite arenas to play in, but it was a good venue for a NAHL team. Plus they had very emotional and obnoxious fans, which made it fun to play there.

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-       Joshua Lammon 

Source: https://scotthockey.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/arena.jpg

War Memorial

Cambria County War Memorial Arena
Location: Johnstown, PA
Opened: 1950
Seating Capacity: 4001

The next arena I will be covering in my blog is the Cambria County War Memorial Arena, which is home to the Johnstown Tomahawks of the North American Hockey League.

The Johnstown Tomahawks were one of my favorite teams to play against during my time in the NAHL. It would
always be a chippy and physical game when we would play them, which is my style of hockey. The Tomahawks had an exuberant fan base and they were always extremely fired up. They nearly filled the arena every time we played there. I feed off of the spirit of a highly-energized crowd. Although the arena seats over 4000 fans, it is not very
spacious so the fans are packed tightly to the ice rink.

The arena is styled after professional arenas and that it has a concourse that wraps around the rink. They have multiple concession stands that sell food, drinks, and Tomahawks' apparel. Our locker room was located on the opposite side of the concourse as the arena so the arena staff would have to rope off the fans as we would walk towards the ice.

The ice was the biggest downfall of this arena. For whatever reason, the ice was very sticky which slowed the game down immensely. Because the arena itself was so small, it made the ice surface feel narrow which countered the slow ice. The boards were lively which also helped against the slow ice surface. The boards sat really high which made it difficult to jump over them and onto the ice. Even through the door, there was still a foot drop onto the ice.

I was not a fan of the travel that our team had to endure to get to Johnstown, PA. We had an 11-hour bus ride through the middle of nothing but corn fields, forests, and mountains. That was the nightmare of junior hockey; the long road trips. I dreaded going on these grueling trips but Johnstown's arena made the trek worth while.

One interesting fact about the arena is that it is the same arena that they filmed the movie Slap Shot in. Whether you are a hockey fan or not, I would recommend watching it. The Hanson Brothers will have you on laughing throughout the whole film. I actually met one of the Hanson brothers on my first visit to
Johnstown which was awesome.

In 2015, the arena also won the Kraft Hockeyville USA contest, which was a $150,000 award to undergo renovations for the rink. It also hosted an NHL preseason game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning, which as a cool event for a junior hockey arena.

Overall, Johntown's arena is actually much better than some of the NCAA arenas that I covered in earlier posts. It's old age and long history provide it with so tons of character. I would love to play in that arena again because I enjoyed the many times that previously played there.

Thank you for your continued support of my blog. Please feel free to share with your friends and family!

-  Joshua Lammon

Farewell Joe

Joe Louis Arena

Location: Detroit, MI

Opened: December 12, 1979

Seating Capacity: 20,027

I have covered all the NCAA ice arenas that I have played in. Therefore, the next arena I will be writing about is the Joe Louis Arena which is the former home of the Detroit Red Wings.

Joe Louis Arena was the home for the Detroit Red Wings since its opening in 1979. It has been named one of the toughest arenas to play in in the NHL. Most hockey fans referred to Detroit, and Joe Louis specifically, as Hockeytown. The Red Wings won four Stanley Cups while playing at the arena and they had an impressive 25 consecutive year playoff run that was snapped this season. Maybe it was fitting that the playoff streak ended the same year as LittleCaesars Arena takes the title from the Joe as “Home of the Detroit Red Wings.”

I have watched the Red Wings play at Joe Louis arena throughout my entire life. I have also skated there multiple times. Watching the Wings play inspired me to be the player I am today. I fell in love with the game of hockey partly by watching the winged-wheels on the Red Wings. I skated in the Red Wings’ youth hockey camp when I was younger. I had the chance to skate with some of the Wings’ coaching staff and gain some valuable lessons. The first game I played at Joe Louis was with the Jackson Generals. This was a youth team out of my hometown. I remember being super excited that I was going to play on the same ice as Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Sergei Federov, and Nicklas Lidstrom played on. I honestly can’t remember if we won or lost the game, or even who we played for that matter. But I remember skating on the ice and being in awe while looking at the legends who had their jerseys hanging in the rafters.

The next game I played at the Joe was during my last year of youth hockey for Victory Honda. I was much older this time around but that still doesn’t change the way I felt about playing there. Sure, I had matured a lot since the last time I skated there, but I still felt like a little kid stepping onto that ice. I remember that I played with a vicious cough that should have kept me out of the lineup, but there was no way in hell that I was going to miss that game. Luckily, I played through it because it would be the last time I ever play in the arena.

It should be obvious that the arena played like a professional arena. The glass and boards are extremely forgiving. They’re so forgiving that it almost makes you want to get hit into them…okay, maybe not that much. But still, you get the point. The boards are very lively, and fans would always hear Mickey Redmond and Ken Daniels mention that in their commentary. They would always explain why players intentionally miss the net to make an indirect pass to their teammates. The ice surface, however, was probably the best ice that I have ever skated on. The Joe was famous for having the best sheet of ice in the NHL. The staff took tremendous pride in the condition of the ice.

The Joe is considered one of the most historic arenas in the entire NHL and I’m just thankful that I was fortunate enough to not only grow up watching games there, but to also play in a few myself. The concourse is similar to that of a junior hockey arena. It was simplistic and small compared to modern arenas in the NHL; however, it had as much character as the best of them. There were murals painted of legends who wore the Red Wings jersey, pictures of Stanley Cup winning teams, and a sea of red walls and writing. Joe Louis Arena will always be home to the eight-legged octopus that represented the number of playoff wins it used to take to win the Stanley Cup. I was a huge supporter of the arena, and I am sad to see it go, but hopefully Little Caesars Arena lives up to its hype. Also, let’s hope that the Wings can get back to their winning ways in their first season at the new arena because its Hockeytown after all, right?

Let’s Go Red Wings!

Thank you for your continued support of my blog. Please feel free to share with your friends and family!

-  Joshua Lammon

 

The Gopher Burrow

Mariucci Arena

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Opened: 1993

Seating Capacity: 10,000

The next ice arena I will be reflecting on in my blog is the Mariucci Arena, which is home to the Minnesota Gophers men’s and women’s ice hockey teams.

This season, our team was invited to play in the Mariucci Classic tournament, which is hosted during holiday season every year. It is a four-team tournament where the two winners from Friday night play for the championship on Saturday, and the losers from Friday play for third place in a consolation game. This year’s invitees were Mercyhurst University, the University of Massachusetts, and Alabama-Huntsville University, and of course the hosting team, the University of Minnesota,

We were scheduled to play the University of Minnesota on Friday night, which was super exciting for me. As I stated in an earlier blog post, it is always exhilarating to play Big Ten teams because I grew up watching them. Furthermore, the University of Minnesota is one of the most storied college hockey programs of all-time.

The Mariucci Arena was filled with Gopher fans on that Friday night. I was surprised it was packed because we are a less known and respected team, and are one of the farthest things from a rival. The arena is massive, I believe one of the largest in college hockey. It has stadium seating all the around the rink and is very similar to an NHL arena. The concourse is at the top of the stands so it is an enormous bowl that with very steep seating. I’m not a player who gets nervous or anxious before games, but if I had to choose a game that I felt the most anxious for, it would have been this one. It was much more invigorating, however, than nerve-wracking.

It was a surreal feeling standing on the blue-line at Mariucci Arena at the start of the game, while watching the thousands of Minnesota fans singing the National Anthem. Talk about a way to get the blood pumping. It was 2-1 Gophers after the first period during our game. We played them tough but they scored a late second period goal to make it 3-1, and then scored twice late in the third period to make it 5-1. Although the score reflects a lopsided game, I thought we played Minnesota tough for the majority of the night.

Because we lost on Friday night, we played Alabama-Huntsville, who lost to UMass, on Saturday afternoon. We were down 2-0 for the majority of the game until we scored two late third period goals to tie it 2-2. We then went into a five-minute overtime where we scored to win the game 3-2. Although the game didn’t mean much, I believe the comeback win was a pivotal moment in our season.

The rink itself played very much like a professional arena. If you have been following along with this blog, then you probably already know what that means. The boards were very lively and the glass was extremely forgiving. The ice surface was a little sticky because the arena is so massive, which makes it difficult to maintain the cold temperature. The ice surface is also an Olympic size sheet, which makes the dimensions 200" x 100". The walls at the top of the concourse are plastered with murals and pictures of the notable alumni who have worn the Minnesota sweater. The jumbo-tron located above center ice is one of the most unique and coolest ones that I’ve seen. 

It was an awesome experience playing the Gophers at Mariucci Ice Arena, and it is definitely the best atmosphere that I’ve ever played in. I would love for a chance at revenge and to play the Gophers again on their home ice.

Thank you for your continued support of my blog. Please feel free to share with your friends and family!

  

-       Joshua Lammon 

Source: http://www.gophersports.com/view.gal?id=200754

The Jar

John A. Ryan Arena

Source: http://tinyurl.com/ksk5wu8

Location: Watertown, MA
Opened:1972
Seating Capacity: 1250

The next arena that I will be examining in my blog is the John A. Ryan Arena, which is home to the Bentley Falcons.

I'm going to be extremely blunt when describing the JAR, it's terrible. It is definitely one of the worst arena's that I have played in many years. I have not played at all the arenas in the NCAA, but I feel safe saying that the JAR is the worst arena in the league. It is a local rink that is located roughly 3 miles away from Bentley's campus.

The rink is small, especially compared to others in the NCAA, and it is in poor condition; the arena shows its old age. It has a very damp environment that makes the arena smell funky. The lighting is poor and it makes it difficult to see on the ice. The boards are lifeless and the puck does not react well when bounced off of it. They are relatively stiff too, which makes it painful when getting checked into the boards.

The ice was similar to the Mercyhurst Ice Center ice, which means it was below average. It quickly gets chewed up quickly and makes it difficult to settle the puck down. The arena feels very small and the neutral zones seem non-existent. Because the arena is so small, the pace of play seems super fast compared to other arenas. The ice surface also has a red line going along the entire boards around the arena. This is designed to help young hockey players avoid checking each other from behind and reduce injuries. This feature, however, should not be present on an NCAA ice arena. Not only is it visually unpleasant, but collegiate hockey players do not need to be reminded not to check one another from behind into the boards.

The Falcons do not receive a lot of support from their fans either. This is likely because the arena is located off campus, and because they do not want to sit in this arena for that long. This issue will soon be fixed, however, as Bentley is building a new ice arena on campus for their team. The school is building a multi-purpose venue that will have 2000 fixed seats and have the option to accommodate up to 3400 people for concerts or other purposes. The arena is supposed to open in early 2018, so hopefully I will have the chance to play in the newly designed arena.

I just want to clarify that my opinion in this blog is not reflective of what I think of Bentley University or Bentley's Division 1 Ice Hockey Team. I am simply providing you with the experience that I had during my time at the John A. Ryan Arena. The Bentley Falcons are a tremendously respected hockey program and I am not criticizing the program.

Thank you for your continued support of my blog. Please feel free to share with your friends and family!

- Joshua Lammon