Toughest Places To Play in the NHL

April 15, 2009
NHL Playoffs- 5 Toughest Places to Play

By Michael Peterson

1. Wachovia Center- Philadelphia- For the number one toughest place to play in the NHL playoffs, I have no choice to go with what the players said themselves. In an ESPN player poll taken earlier this year, the Flyers were voted to have the most disruptive fans in the NHL. Clearly that makes the Wachovia Center a very difficult place to play, and that’s just during the regular season. In the playoffs when they have the Orange Crush going, the place is unbelievable. And since the Flyers have orange jerseys this year, there will be less fans showing up in black which will make the Crush even more impressive.

2. HP Pavilion- San Jose- The “Shark Tank” as it’s called is quickly gaining recognition as one of the loudest buildings in the NHL. It clearly a tough place to play in the regular season, with the Sharks sporting a league best 32-5-4 home record. There is no reason to doubt the playoffs will be any different. The Sharks won the Presidents Trophy and now the fans will try to cheer them on to a Stanley Cup to go with it.

3. Joe Louis Arena- Detroit- Hockeytown. A packed Joe Louis Arena is always one of the toughest places to play in the NHL. There’s been talk of the economic effect on Detroit possibly hurting the Wings’ attendance, but I’ll have to see it to believe it. Red Wings fans always come out in full force to support their team. They’ll be making a lot of noise trying to cheer their team on to Stanley Cup repeat.

4. Verizon Center- Washington- It wasn’t too long ago that game in DC was a walk in the park. Not anymore. The fans love Ovie and their Caps and will be looking to make up for the game 7 overtime heartbreak they suffered last year. The players have said how much they love the “Rock the Red” campaign and that it seems to give them an extra boost of energy while playing. It also looks really cool on TV. Their series with the Flyers last year was a lot of fun to watch because every game saw the fans either in an “Orange Crush” or “Rockin the Red.”

5. Bell Centre- Montreal- There is absolutely no way the Bell Centre can be left off this list. The fans there are as good as just about any other fan base in the league. Normally, the Canadiens may even be higher than 5th, but the product on the ice has something to do with how tough a place is to play for the visiting team, and the Habs struggled to an 8th seed this year. However, that doesn’t mean they’ll be easy to beat. Could they make a Cinderella run and cap their centennial season with a Stanley Cup?

Honorary mention- The Calgary Flames also have a very tough building to play in. Unfortnately, when I’m listing a top 5, I only have room for 5 buildings. They deserve a lot of credit and would likely place #6 if I were to continue my list. I’ll also give honorary mention to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The white out at Mellon Arena is very effective, but it’s not even the best white out in their own state. You want to see a real one? Go to a Penn State football game. That’s a white out.

Posted in NHL