Being the biggest money-making hockey league in the world, you can safely bet that the NHL boasts some of the largest hockey venues in the world.
Several of the biggest hockey venues in the NHL seat over 19,000 people, with thousands more managing to watch the games live in designated standing areas.
Here, we’re looking at the top ten biggest hockey venues in the NHL, using official seating capacity as the measure of each arena’s rank.
Centre Bell (Montréal Canadiens)
Centre Bell’s not only the largest hockey venue in the NHL, but it’s also the biggest in the world for the sport, seating 21,105 fans since reducing its capacity in 2021.
The home of the Montréal Canadiens once held as many as 21,302, making for an even more daunting atmosphere for opposing teams to visit.
Construction on Centre Bell began in 1993 – just a couple of weeks after the Habs won their last Stanley Cup. Since the move from the Montréal Forum to Centre Bell, the team has failed to win the Cup.
United Center (Chicago Blackhawks)
Nestled in the Near West Side of the city of Chicago, the United Center stands as the second biggest NHL venue, seating 19,717 fans each night.
If you include the standing areas, the capacity of the Chicago Blackhawks’ home rink can expand to over 22,400, but until the team gets its rebuild on the upswing, average attendance will remain at a still-strong 18,500 per game.
Little Caesars Arena (Detroit Red Wings)
The Little Caesars Arena in Detroit is one of the youngest venues in the NHL, but with its modern design and inspiration from Centre Bell, it ranks as the third-largest in the league.
Detroit Red Wings fans didn’t want to leave the legendary Joe Louis Arena, which could seat over 20,000 fans for the hockey, but the new 19,515-seat venue offers a superb modern environment, even winning the Sports Facility of the Year award in 2018.
Canadian Tire Centre (Ottawa Senators)
Moving back up to Canada, the home of the Ottawa Senators comes in as the fourth biggest hockey venue in the NHL, boasting a capacity of 19,347 seats.
Including all of the standing space, the stadium that opened in 1996 as the Palladium can now house 20,500 fans on game night down in Kanata.
Scotiabank Saddledome (Calgary Flames)
Host of the hockey and figure skating during the 1988 Winter Olympics, the 1983-opened Scotiabank Saddledome is owned by the city and leased to the non-profit Saddledome Foundation.
However, the “Saddledome” moniker also comes from the horse saddle-like curved fixture atop the venue, which helps to make the 19,289-seater instantly recognizable in the NHL.
The Saddledome has witnessed three Stanley Cup Finals battles, but it’d be a stretch to expect another in 2023. The Calgary Flames are certainly in the hunt for a wild card place, but inconsistency can make them a tough pick when betting online.
FLA Live Arena (Florida Panthers)
Down in Sunrise, the Florida Panthers compete in one of the biggest hockey venues of the NHL, with the FLA Live Arena being capable of seating 19,250 fans.
When construction was completed on the arena, the Panthers had only been competing in the NHL for five years, spending those seasons without a dedicated home stadium and playing in the Miami Arena instead.
Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia Flyers)
Opening as Spectrum II in 1996 in place of the Spectrum, the Wells Fargo Center is said to have a maximum capacity of over 20,300 for hockey, but officially, it's down as having a capacity of 19,173.
The home of the Philadelphia Flyers is situated on South Broad Street, just as Spectrum was, which is where the name for the “Broad Street Bullies” era of Philly hockey comes from.
Amalie Arena (Tampa Bay Lightning)
The 19.092 capacity of the Amalie Arena may rank it below the team’s state rivals, but none of the fans who have visited the arena in recent years will care.
As the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions of 2020 and 2021, Tampa Bay Lightning fans have witnessed some of the greatest hockey ever played by the franchise at the 1996-built arena that opened as the Ice Palace.
While there are far greater favourites to take the crown from the Atlantic Division this season, the Bolts remain among the top teams in the NHL odds for the Stanley Cup at +1450, and few would count them out just yet.
KeyBank Center (Buffalo Sabres)
Opening as the Marine Midland Arena in 1996, the now KeyBank Center can seat up to 19,070 hockey fans following expansions on its original capacity of 18,595.
However, since coming to the KeyBank Center, the Buffalo Sabres have only made it to the postseason on nine occasions and are currently on a barren run of 11 seasons without late-spring hockey.
Rogers Arena (Vancouver Canucks)
Replacing the Coliseum as the city’s main indoor arena, Rogers Arena opened in 1995 to house both the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL and the newly-formed Vancouver Grizzlies of the NBA.
Now just the home of the Canucks and the Warriors of the NLL, the arena seats up to 18,910 for its primary sports, but could expand to 19,700 if basketball were to return to Rogers Arena.
Those are the top ten biggest hockey venues in the NHL, with Centre Bell continuing to stand as the largest in the league and the world for the sport.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 21st March 2023
