October 18, 2013
XL Center (Capacity: 15,635)
Hartford, CT
Hartford Wolf Pack vs Manchester Monarchs
Final Score: 4 – 3 (SO)
* The arena was renamed to PeoplesBank Arena
.
On our way to Vermont for the weekend, we stopped in Connecticut’s state capital for a hockey game at an arena that used to house an NHL team. Hartford is home to 120,000 and is geographically in the middle of the state, sitting along the Connecticut River. Perhaps best known as the Insurance Capitol of the World, Hartford has an insurance industry that drives economic success, though there is a high poverty rate in the city. After the NHL’s Whalers left in 1997, an AHL team took up residence the following season. The team has been very successful as the Rangers affiliate has made the playoffs 14 out of 16 years and won the Calder Cup in 2000. After a three year stint as the Connecticut Whale and trying to bring back old Whaler fans, the team has distanced themselves from the disgraced, debt-inducing person responsible for the change (Howard Baldwin) and are now back to the Wolf Pack nickname. Through it all, the Hartford Civic Center has been home to Hartford hockey since 1975. The name changed to XL Center after the insurance company bought naming rights. Also home to UConn Huskies basketball, I really enjoyed the arena as a hockey facility because the sightlines were terrific in the atypical seating design. Despite its age and lack of atmosphere, the building works very well.
Prestige Ranking: 3 out of 5
Location
Located right in the heart of downtown, I was pleasantly surprised to see a vibrant surrounding area. With Allyn Street on one side of the arena and the cobblestone Pratt Street on the other, fans have many places to go before and after an event with a decent set of restaurants, pubs and bars (we went with Vaughn’s Public House). The centralized location also allows for the State Capitol and the more historic Old State House to be within walking distance. Not far away is the Connecticut Science Center and the Mark Twain House & Museum.
Location Ranking: 7.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Roads from all directions access Hartford, led by I-84 and I-91. Downtown does not exactly have a straight-forward street grid and finding your way around needs a little bit of prep work (especially when coming from the south via I-91). Good news is that there are a ton of parking garages and surface lots to choose from and it is advantageous to use the one with the best in and out access. Because of the high suburb population and the substantial downtown work force (government and insurance industry), the roads get very congested with rush-hour traffic on weeknight games. Additionally, getting out of the city after a game with a decent crowd can be a chore, especially when the main garage across the arena has attendants taking toll payments on the way out. Finding the right lot and spot, along with zipping out right at the final whistle can help.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 5.5 out of 8
Exterior
Other structures are attached to the XL Center, so it is hard to see a true shape or form to the arena. In fact, the Civic Center Mall used to be part of the complex with stores right by the Coliseum entrance. About ten years ago, the mall was removed and in its place is residential and office space (known as Hartford 21). A YMCA is also attached to the facility. As for the two main sides of the arena that can be seen, it doesn’t truly fit into the city architecture as the unattractive design includes a lot of drab gray and concrete walls. Each corner is cut out and the middle portion has a small “XL Center” sign. Walking down from Pratt Street, there is a more modern look to the front, but it has the appearance of a short set of new offices as opposed to an arena.
Exterior Ranking: 3 out of 10
Concourse
The main foyer retains that older mall feel with the tile floor and this area provides access to the other sections of the facility, including an Exhibition Center (for meetings, conventions and trade shows) and the Comcast Club. The arena portion is dubbed “Veterans Memorial Coliseum” and the entrance is next to the box office. Surrounding the inside is a concourse sized as expected for an arena from the 1970s and the coloring is mostly white and gray, with some blue on the walls. Bathrooms are small and too few, while lines for food can get long, even with a moderate-sized crowd. To accommodate the upper end seats, a smaller concourse is accessible there.
Concourse Ranking: 2 out of 5
Food
Food offerings include more than the standard fare with items like Chili, Chicken Caesar Wraps and various burger/chicken baskets. New England is represented with Lobster Rolls and Clam Chowder, along with separate Dunkin Donuts kiosks. Unfortunately, some of the more unique food carts (like Irish Pot Pies) were closed. Beer choices are national brands.
Food Ranking: 6 out of 8
Interior
Stepping through the doors from the concourse and into the freezing cold arena, I liked what I saw. The seating design is not standard, which makes it better and it starts with the steep pitch of the seats, helping to provide excellent sightlines. Next, the suites are perched way up at the top of the arena, thus bringing all the regular seats closer to the ice. Those 46 suites do hang over the side upper 200 seats, which obsecures the view and forces TVs up there for scoreboard info. Speaking of the sides, there isn’t much seperation (just a wall) between the 100s and 200s, which again allows for a closer view. At the ends, the section is more seperated from other seating levels, but does not look disjointed. While those looking for a return to the NHL argue the building is antiquated and lacks money-making seating, the design itself is very good for those just wanting to watch hockey.
Interior Ranking: 10.5 out of 14
Scoreboard
The four-sided center scoreboard is dominated by video on each side. They put a line for score and time at the top of the video, but for penalty time, you have to annoyingly look at the wall displays at the ends and corners. The video itself on the main board is a little grainy, but still good and it also shows replays frequently. Vertical “XL Center” signs bookend the video, while at the top and bottom of the board are ads.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4
Displays
The main foyer makes a decent effort in putting up the jerseys of Connecticut high school hockey teams on the top wall, but it seems to be an afterthought and hastily done. Otherwise, the best display is seen to the left when walking in as a wall titled “Hartford Hockey” has a simple set of pictures ranging from the Whalers to the Wolf Pack. Aside from a few plaques that I couldn’t get close to, the only other displays were from the rafters hanging by the ceiling inside. These were very well done with one side featuring Wolf Pack championships and the retired #12 of Ken Germander. Whaler and UConn Husky banners also hang from the ceiling.
Displays Ranking: 3 out of 6
Cost
Starting with the parking, it can vary across the city, but most lots are in the $7 – $10 range (meters are free after 6 PM and on weekends). This is high for the AHL, but average for a decently-sized city. There are four pricing levels that start at $15 and go up by denominations of five. Unfortunately, the minimum cost for a seat between the goals is $25. An “Ice Row” is a ridiculous $45. Honestly, just buy a $15 seat and move in to the center as there are plenty of open spots and the ushers don’t check. Concessions featured hot dogs for $4, a large soda for $5 and a draft beer for a surprisingly high $9.
Cost Ranking: 5 out of 8
Fan Support
On a Friday Night, the announced crowd of 2,843 looked tiny in the large arena and they were the second lowest draw on a night that had 12 other AHL teams hosting games. It’s not that the fan base isn’t there in Hartford, but the AHL brand hasn’t seemed to resonate as it does in other cities and the team hasn’t come close to matching the success that a city (Winnipeg) in a similar situation had. After ranking in the top half of the league their first few years, crowds dwindled before the Whale rebrand a few years ago (which brought 13,000 the night of the change). An initial attendance uptick has been followed by the team settling back into the lower third of the league (and yearly playoff attendance is bad too).
Fan Support Ranking: 3.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
Most of our game, the crowd was completely out of it, barely even acknowledging a penalty kill. At least they stood during a goal. It was a different story the last five minutes when the game got really good. Fans responded and their cheers actually made it loud. They also rose to their feet during a penalty shot stop in overtime. One desperate suggestion to the team…please bring back Brass Bonanza! This iconic goal song shockingly did not play after the Wolf Pack scored. Bring it back!
Atmosphere Ranking: 6.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
A little over three years after the building opened, the Hartford Civic Center’s roof collapsed in January of 1978 from the weight of heavy snow. Very thankfully, the building was empty as a game with 6,000 people inside ended several hours earlier. It took two years to rebuild the arena…..The other tenant in the building is the University of Connecticut as both the Men’s and Women’s basketball teams play about half of their games in Hartford, nearly 30 minutes away from campus in Storrs……For Hartford Wolf Pack games, the 200 level is closed off and two security personnel roam the area to keep fans out……A little more on the Whalers, a team that in my opinion has the best logo in sports; as a WHA team, they moved from Boston in 1974 and became absorbed into the NHL as the New England name changed to Hartford. Their history includes eight playoff years, but just one series win and while they didn’t always fill the stands, there was a passionate following. With no deal or work towards a new arena, Peter Karmanos moved the team to Carolina.
Game
Things got really good in the third period, with Manchester leading 3-1. At the beginning of the frame, the Monarchs had a full two minute, two-man advantage, but Hartford was able to kill it off. The Pack couldn’t get much going, but with 5:35 left, a beautiful slap-pass was converted into a goal by Marek Hrivik. 24 seconds later, Aaron Johnson scored with nifty stick-handling and the game was tied. In overtime, Conor Allen turned the puck over and pulled down the opportunistic Monarch on the ensuing breakaway for a penalty shot. Linden Vey made a beautiful move, but the right leg of Cam Talbot stopped the shot. Hartford went on to win in the shootout and remain undefeated to start the season.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
