The NHL's 10 Toughest "Barns" to Play In

The home ice advantages might not be quite what they were back in the day, when cunning coaches like Scotty Bowman would have the visitors' locker room re-painted pink just before the playoffs (true story) or when outsiders might find rats in their skate boot in the old Boston Garden (likely true).

But that doesn't mean that there aren't still some tough buildings to contend with in today's NHL.

Here are one writer's choices for the 10 toughest.

No. 10 (tied): St. Pete Times Forum/BankAtlantic Center

It was the Hall of Famer Phil Esposito who once opined about playing games in sunny Los Angeles every winter:

"You can't get into playing hockey when you're walking to the rink in a t-shirt and shorts," he said, citing the mental aspects of playing in the old Fabulous Forum in Inglewood.

Funny thing is, Espo ended up being co-founder and the first GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

But his concern hasn't changed.

The arenas of the Lightning and the Florida Panthers get the 10th spot because of the same reasoning Esposito used about the Forum: It's hard to get "into" playing hockey—as a visiting player—when the outside temperature is 75 degrees in January or February.

A dark horse, yes, but it bears mentioning—and it makes the Top 10.

No. 9: Madison Square Garden, New York

OK, so the Rangers aren't all that right now, and their home record this season is .500.

Tough.

That's still what the Rangers fans are, and that's what Madison Square Garden still is.

It's not that the Rangers have an extraordinary home record (they don't, this season)—it's that historically, MSG has been a notoriously morally bankrupt crowd.

Who can forget the Boston Bruins climbing into the stands in the 1970s, beating the obnoxious fans there with everything from their fists to some guy's own shoe?

It's New York. It's got a reputation to uphold.

Despite the Rangers' pedestrian record there this season, it's no picnic for the visitors. Never has been.

No. 8: Scotiabank Place, Ottawa

It's one of the few Canadian towns in the NHL, and it's also one of the oldest NHL cities.

They've been playing pro hockey in Ottawa since before the telephone was invented—and don't think the fans there don't know it or won't remind you.

They're right on top of you, it seems, thanks to the Scotiabank Place's configuration, and they scream from the drop of the puck to the final buzzer (and not only at the visitors).

It's not very comfy—and that's why it's No. 8.

No. 7: Pepsi Center, Denver

If you think it's overstated and a cliché that playing any sport in thin-aired Denver is a great physical challenge, then you've never been oxygen-deprived (which is a good thing, of course).

The Avs, like the Nuggets and the Broncos, and to an extent the Rockies, have used the "thin air factor" to their advantage since moving from Quebec City in 1995.

The Pepsi Center can get as loud as any arena in pro sports, and the Avs fed off that for well over a decade, when they were yearly Cup contenders.

The Avs aren't as good as they used to be, but their arena—and their city—hasn't changed all that much.

No. 6: Honda Center, Anaheim

I won't use the Esposito/warm weather reasoning here, though I could.

Instead, the Honda Center is tough because the Ducks are tough to beat there. Period. Shouldn't that matter in a list of this nature?

During their Cup run in 2007, the Ducks went 10-2 at home, and not only did they win, their opponents often came away battered and shell-shocked.

It's just not a walk in the park to beat the Ducks on their pond.

Tough enough to be No. 6, anyway.

No. 5: HP Pavilion, San Jose

As of this writing, the Sharks are 25-6-8 at home this season. Figures.

It's never been terribly comfortable playing in San Jose, even when the home team was so-so.

This is because the fans are rabid and the sound reverberates as well as anywhere.

There's also the matter of the time change for the Eastern Time Zone opponents, which might sound like a cop-out because there are other teams out west whose buildings didn't make this list.

But when combined with everything else going on at this place, HP Pavilion earns a spot on this list.

Now, if the Sharks could only use this advantage to their advantage in the playoffs...

No. 4: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh

The Penguins have gone 18-4 at home over the past two playoffs, including starting the 2008 postseason 9-0 at home.

This isn't a fluke.

Mellon Arena's architecture makes even the folks in the balconies feel like they're right on top of the action—a throwback to some of the barns back in the day, like Olympia Stadium in Detroit and Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

Few teams feed off the energy of their home crowd like the Penguins do.

After changing coaches a year ago February, the Pens went on an amazing run under Dan Bylsma, and a large part of that was due to their domination at home: 10-1-1 in their last 12 regular season games at Mellon.

They carried that into the postseason, where they went 9-2 at home on their way to the Stanley Cup.

But it's bidding farewell at the end of the playoffs, being replaced next season by Consol Energy Center next fall.

No. 3: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit

There was some slippage this season, but no NHL player in his right mind will tell you that he looks forward to playing the Red Wings in Detroit.

The Penguins beat the home team at JLA in Game Seven of the 2009 Cup Finals, and that was amazing, no matter how tired the Red Wings might have been.

The Red Wings don't often have to pull a Game Seven at home out of their back pocket, but when they do, they usually triumph.

But beyond that, JLA simply isn't a fun place to play for visiting teams. The locker room is cramped, the arena itself is rather dingy and antiquated by modern standards, and the home team is usually pretty good.

There's even a goofy guy named Moe (pictured) who wears a foil Stanley Cup on his head and dances during TV timeouts to the "Curly Shuffle."

The crowd eats it up and gets even louder, and the Red Wings love it when their fans get loud.

No. 2: United Center, Chicago

It's great for the NHL that the Chicago Blackhawks are back on the map.

The current team seems to be channeling the ghostly energy of the old Chicago Stadium inside the United Center.

It's nuts when the Blackhawk fans get going. There's still that bombastic organ sound after every home team goal, though the current Allen Organ isn't quite the same model as the REALLY bombastic Barton pipe organ of Chicago Stadium.

The team is young, exciting, and relishes the idea that no one looks forward to playing them at home.

No. 1: Verizon Center, Washington

Don't let the photo above fool you. Facing the Washington Capitals in their building isn't child's play.

The fans there adore Alexander Ovechkin (as they should), but more importantly, he adores them back.

Nothing gets the crowd fired up more than when Ovechkin leaps against the glass after scoring a goal. And Ovechkin, in case you haven't heard, tends to score a lot.

The Caps are 29-5-5 at home this season, and to beat them in the playoffs, you're going to have to win at least one game at Verizon in any given series.

Good luck with that.