December 26, 1996
Marine Midland Arena (Capacity: 18,595)
Buffalo, NY
Buffalo Sabres vs Hartford Whalers
Final Score: 5 – 1
* The arena was re-visited for a game on November 26, 2021
** The arena has been renamed to KeyBank Center
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My first visit to the arena that replaced the aging, but beloved Memorial Auditorium (The Aud), came a few months after its opening in 1996. During my time living in Upstate New York, I made several visits to watch my favorite hockey team, the Buffalo Sabres, play in Marine Midland Arena (now KeyBank Center after plenty of name changes). In their first 50+ years, the Sabres have yet to win a Stanley Cup and they have reached the Finals twice. Led by the French Connection, they made the Finals in 1975, losing to Philadelphia in a series that included the “Fog Game”. In the 90s, there were several memorable moments like “May Day”, the four OT game and Derek Plante’s Game 7 winner. The decade was topped off with another Finals appearance in 1999, only to lose thanks to “No Goal”. Since a couple runs in the late 2000s, the Sabres have been in the doldrums and haven’t made the playoffs in more than a decade. Buffalo is the second largest city in the state with a population of 275,000 and while it is not the most exciting or vibrant city, recent development has at least added a little character. Snow, wings and sports are the what people think of when they hear the city’s name. As for the arena, it’s unmemorable as are many of the other soulless buildings that opened in the 1990s after replacing beloved older barns.
Prestige Ranking: 3 out of 5
Location
The arena is downtown, right by the Buffalo River and Lake Erie. This is a bit south of the skyscrapers in the city and also near Canalside. This waterfront park includes city displays, a Naval Museum with vessels, a Children’s Museum and a pair of outdoor ice skating rinks open for the public. It’s nice and all, it just doesn’t have the wow factor. Nearby restaurant varieties are lacking and you’ll probably want to drive the short distance to places like the Pearl Street Grill or Chef’s. Attached to KeyBank Center is Harborcenter, a mixed-use building that includes multiple ice sheets and an 1,800-seat rink that Canisius College plays at. The Sabres practice here as well. Also in the building is a hotel, a Tim Horton’s and a large bar/restaurant. The restaurant has changed ownership several times and is now currently a Southern Tier Brewery. There is also a slots casino within walking distance to the building.
Location Ranking: 6 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Interstate 190, a highway branched off of the New York State Thruway (I-90), is the best way to reach this part of downtown. You can also take Route 33 if coming from 90. Both routes lead to an easily navigable downtown. From Exit 6, via I-190, you’ll be able to efficiently find an area to park within a few blocks. Surface lots adjacent to the arena provide a good amount of space and there are several other smaller, cheaper lots further away, not to mention a garage at Harborcenter. Traffic depends on the chosen lot and if using a Perry Street one, prepare to wait a little while before getting out. A convenient alternate option is the light rail that runs on Main Street and has a stop at the arena. Remarkably, this mode of transportation is free for the six above ground stops.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7 out of 8
Exterior
One can get a great overhead view of the exterior when driving on the Buffalo Skyway. However, the development of Harborcenter has blocked a lot of the nice visuals that were once had of the building when approaching at street-level. The peeks that can be seen from corner approaches feature a glass front atrium and a tan building with a white bubble roof on top.
Exterior Ranking: 5 out of 10
Concourse
A nice and wide pavilion greets fans as they walk in, allowing everybody to gather indoors and get out of the cold before passing the turnstiles. This open section has a good look and the picture mural that spells out “Let’s Go Buffalo” is a nice touch. To the left is a ticket office and to the right is the Sabres Store, while up the escalators is the Labatt Blue Zone bar, which overlooks the pavilion. The aforementioned escalators branch off to the main concourse and historic pictures can occasionally be found around the interior walkways. There is some team blue/gold around, but the green floor is an odd look. A second concourse for the 300 level is much smaller and feels very tight. Intermissions are not enjoyable up here as it can be very crammed. There are no spots to be able to watch the game from the concourse.
Concourse Ranking: 3.5 out of 5
Food
Some of the concession stands are spruced up and the standing bar section called the “Aud Club” is awesome with its sophisticated nostalgic decoration beautifully decked out with old Sabres memorabilia. Buffalo has a distinct food palate and those items show up inside the arena. Beef on Weck, Wings and Fried Bologna are my suggestions, but there are also some decent Pierogies, Gyros and craft Burgers. Wash it down with Perry’s Ice Cream at the end or one of the many beers offered. Labatt’s is the most visible beer, while other regional favorites include Genesee and Southern Tier.
Food Ranking: 7 out of 8
Interior
The arena is fairly straightforward as the shape follows the dimensions of the rink with two levels of seating. The lower deck is comprised of the blue seats within the 100 section and then a gold wall separates the 200s further back. There is no public access to this 200 level as they are club seats and ticketholders have to enter via a protected concourse. Up another deck are the suites, which surround the rink, followed by the 300 level. All of these seats feature decent sightlines as the height between each row is pretty good, especially up top. There are cupholders and seat width is a bit on the smaller end. At least the chairs are cushioned well. KeyBank Center feels large, despite it being in the ballpark of average league capacity and that may be because of the high height of the roof. Many panels hang from the ceiling, though I’m not sure what they are.
Interior Ranking: 8 out of 14
Scoreboard
The center-ice scoreboard features circular displays used for the score and ads, while four video panels are the centerpiece. The arena name and a Sabres logo is at the bottom of the board. I’m not a big fan of all the circular stuff, but it is typical of what most have. Clear video passes the quality test even though it is on the smaller end of things. There is also a ribbon scoreboard around the seating bowl.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4
Displays
Starting on the outside, Alumni Plaza opened in 2012 and includes a statue of the French Connection (Gilbert Perreault, Rene Robert and Rick Martin) along with a brick plaque of every player to ever put on the Buffalo crest. Inside, the large wall on the second-level of the atrium around the bar used to have an in-depth timeline that broke down team history and that sadly is gone. I don’t understand why it was just replaced by paint. It takes away a lot as the building is missing a historical team section. Old pictures around the concourse are fine, but don’t replace that void. Inside the arena, numerous banners fill the rafters and it starts with the Sabres’ division and conference championships. These are designed with the colors and logos used at the time of the achievements (the Sabres have had three logos). Seven retired numbers fill the rafters, including recent honorees Danny Gare, Pat LaFontaine and Dominik Hasek. The founders of the team are also enshrined. In another corner, the Buffalo Bandits of the NLL have a series of championship banners. Last, but not least, the press box is named after Ted Darling, the longtime TV announcer. Soon Rick Jeanneret will have plenty of honors I’m sure as well.
Displays Ranking: 3.5 out of 6
Cost
Ticket prices have followed the trend across the league in terms of substantial increases over the years. The average pricing for a weekend game ranges quite a bit in the 300-level, between $54 and $114. It’s a bit below league average, but the biggest thing is that tickets are much cheaper on the secondary market given the state of the team. Also, season tickets come with hefty discounts and are indeed are a good bargain. As for other costs, the concessions are at typical NHL ridiculous levels with burger/fry combos pushing $12 and a beer going for the same price. There are a few cheaper items like $4 popcorn and several platters that increase value. Parking near the arena is $15 – $20, but lower prices can be found not too far away.
Cost Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Fan Support
Sabres fans are loyal and dedicated as they have a Canadian-like passion for the team. It’s just they have seen so much crap and versions of a rebuild over the years that their frustration has really become apparent. The arena is now one of the emptiest in the league and their often stellar local TV ratings have dropped dramatically. This will eventually come back when they finally turn it around on the ice.
Fan Support Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
When the team was doing ok, I often found the building to be way too quiet. There were long stretches where the fans just wait for something to happen to make noise. The last visit, this actually changed a bit and there was more energy and urging from the fans (despite the small crowd size). When there is cheering, the loudness of the building is just OK as the tall roof doesn’t allow for a real raucous or noisy arena. The most common and popular chant is “Let’s Go Buffalo”. In spite of big-time area fandom for Buffalo sports, I always thought the building just never could reach the craziness seen in several markets during playoff time. That always frustrated me and I hope it changes the next go round.
Atmosphere Ranking: 7 out of 14
Other Stuff
While Ted Darling is held in high regards, perhaps no other person is more synonymous with the Sabres than Rick Jeanneret. RJ called games on the radio since the team’s inception in 1971 with a distinctive, passionate voice and a sense of character to boot. 2021 was his last year behind the mic and he will be dearly missed……..The Buffalo Bandits also call KeyBank Center home and they have been a very successful franchise in the National Lacrosse League with many sold-out games…..After just one month into the arena’s first season, the scoreboard dramatically fell to center ice. Thankfully, it made news for the dynamic pictures only as no one was on the ice at the time…..Buffalo was one of the first teams to feature an outdoor viewing party during playoff games as the small plaza outside of the arena was filled with those watching the game on a big screen.
Game (Initial Visit)
Sorry, I don’t remember much from that first game I attended in 1996 and I didn’t start compiling stadium reviews until some years later. Checking old box scores, Dominik Hasek got the win and there were five different goal scorers for Buffalo.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
