March 1, 2019
MassMutual Center (Capacity: 6,793)
Springfield, MA
Springfield Thunderbirds vs Hartford Wolf Pack
Final Score: 5 – 1
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In between snowstorms, I made a trip to see my 12th AHL arena in a city that was a founding league member. Springfield lies on the Connecticut River in Western Massachusetts, as part of the Pioneer Valley. It is the 3rd biggest city in the state with a population of around 150,000. The area has fertile farmland, while the urban corridor has been the site of many industrial innovations, hence the nickname “The City of Firsts”. Like many other Northeast cities, bustling early times fell into disrepair in the 1970s and 80s with recent attempts at rejuvenation. Unlike others, Springfield has some more things to offer visitors and downtown has a few decent spots. It’s too bad the riverfront section is ruined by a poorly-placed interstate. Since the 1950s, the city has seen AHL hockey, though there have been a few flirtations with departure. Recently, after the team left to Tucson, a slew of local business owners were able to keep hockey in the city by purchasing and moving the Portland franchise. Despite seven Calder Cups, there’s been many down periods throughout the years. The last championship came in 1991 and in the amazingly bad department, Springfield has only seen 3 playoff appearances in the last 18 seasons. Their home arena is the MassMutual Center, a building that opened in 1972 and had heavy renovations done in the early 2000s.
Prestige Ranking: 3 out of 5
Location
The arena is right downtown (known as “Metro Center”) and this area has most of the city’s attractions. A few blocks away is the Quadrangle and their 5 museums, highlighted by the Dr. Seuss one. Nearby Court Square features some neat architecture and a couple historical statues. There is also the Springfield Armory and a new MGM casino, which offers restaurants, entertainment and spots to hang out after a game. MGM has your best eating options as the unpretentious places across the street from the arena didn’t seem particularly enticing (except for the small Korean place, Sun Kim Bop). For a greater option of restaurants, make a healthy walk west on Main Street to the Club Quarter section of the city. With all of this being said, none of the areas I visited in the Metro Center were exactly hopping with activity and there were few spots that were grimy. Last but not least, make sure to visit the Basketball Hall of Fame. It’s a bit out of downtown, but still relatively close.
Location Ranking: 7.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Springfield is in a great location since it is near the cross-section of the east/west running I-90 and north/south I-91. The latter goes through downtown and Exit 6 is a couple blocks from the arena (though these streets can be tight and you also need to make a quick merge). Adjacent to the building is the Civic Center Garage, which holds 1,000 cars. Another choice (and the one I used because it’s free) is the huge casino garage, you just need to contend with a 7-minute walk. There is public transit access with Union Station a half mile away and that station is a stop on a new commuter rail line that connects New Haven – Hartford – Springfield and towns in between.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7.5 out of 8
Exterior
The rink itself is a triangular building made with brick that very much looks like it is from the era that it was built in (the 1970s). A newer entry vestibule is attached and though it features glass and red tiles, it does fit in. Also combined with the complex is an indoor track facility. The rink is on the second floor as stairs are needed to reach the main entrance.
Exterior Ranking: 4.5 out of 10
Concourse
The entrance lobby is a nice start to the experience with the wall over the box office saying “Welcome to the MassMutual Center”. The lobby space isn’t the most expansive, but it’s enough to get by. Stairs up each side lead into the concourse that circles the arena. Only 2/3rds of that space is open as the rest is curtained off. With white walls and occasional brick, the concourse is not the most decorative and there are areas where it gets congested. However, they’ve done a nice job opening the corners with added space and they’ve filled these spots with small bar stations. Even better, is the “Center Grille”, which is a separate room that is open to come sit and eat. Other games are playing on various TVs as well.
Concourse Ranking: 3 out of 5
Food
In the food department, there’s nothing too special. They do have a decent number of wraps (chicken, burger, turkey) and it was one of the few times I’ve seen Onion Rings at a game. The Corned Beef Sandwich was the most expensive item. Chick-Fil-A fans will be able to see a stand available. For beer, they have a very impressive selection of craft beer available with at least 15 different breweries that I have not heard of (though I’m not an aficionado).
Food Ranking: 6 out of 8
Interior
This is a simple arena in that it is all one level and in the shape of a standard oval. Yet, the seating bowl is great because the sightlines are terrific thanks to steep rows. There are no obstructions either as I tested a bunch of seats. The chairs themselves are blue plastic and they are generally comfortable with a good amount of leg space (making it nice when someone walks by). The only thing missing are cupholders. Openings from the concourse empty into the middle of the bowl, where a surrounding walkway gives access to 10-13 rows above or 6-8 rows below. Not a big middle walkway fan for a smaller capacity like this, but I get it. Seats near the ice aren’t snug against the glass as there is a little space in between. The roof is low so that doesn’t leave much room for suites, though they did manage to squeeze in the Executive Perch, a luxury group space on the same level as the press box. Between Section 27 and 28 is a large gap in the seats that is near the main entrance to the concourse.
Interior Ranking: 9 out of 14
Scoreboard
The scoreboard above center ice is quite large, in fact, big enough that it is definitely in play during attempts to clear the puck. Outside of it being possibly too overpowering, from a fan’s perspective, the four sides offer video with excellent clarity. Game video and replay frequency are solid too. Score and game information lies in a square ribbon below, as does a label for the arena name along the top.
Scoreboard Ranking: 4 out of 4
Displays
There is some history on display, rightfully so given the longevity that the city has with the AHL. In the concourse, bronzed plaques line a portion of a brick wall and there are plenty as the Springfield Hockey Hall of Fame honors valued members of the organization. The highest honor is to get a banner inside the building and those people include #23 Rob Murray, the multi-dimensional executive Bruce Landon and Springfield’s long-time abrasive and unpredictable owner, Eddie Shore. Also, in the rafters in this part of the building are banners for division championships and Calder Cups that appear to be cheaply-made. In the concourse, there is a display case for some of the pictures and newspaper clippings during those Cup years. Included in that case are past jerseys, which is pretty cool.
Displays Ranking: 4 out of 6
Cost
Thunderbirds management has put a lot of effort to retain and build fans. That extends to the overall cost and a great gesture that continues is free parking in the normally $10 per event Civic Center Garage. There are also several deals to be found and on the Friday Night I attended, sodas were $1 and beer was $3 through the first period. Normally, concessions are on the slightly expensive side ($7 – Burger, $5 Hot Dog, $4 Water). For tickets, besides a strip of $10 seats, they cost between $16 and $24. Avoid buying them online at all costs as those fees add up to $7.50. Removing that fee, these prices are below standard AHL tickets and certainly cheaper than other nearby local teams (Hartford, Bridgeport, Providence). Programs are just $1.
Cost Ranking: 7.5 out of 8
Fan Support
Springfield was one of the worst league draws towards the end of the Falcons franchise. The work the Thunderbirds have done to better connect has paid off as there has been a nice rejuvenation with paid attendance more than 30% higher in their first season. This went up a bit more the next year and is stable this season. Not sure if this means long-term success, but the restart from the franchise shift has been quite positive. From a league perspective, Springfield is just ok as they’re 20th in league attendance, which is at least better than nearby neighbors Hartford. Our game featured a building that was maybe 60% full. I’m curious what happens during the next playoff appearance to see if they can do much better than their last time out 6 years ago (3,500).
Fan Support Ranking: 5 out of 8
Atmosphere
Atmosphere featured average noise and attention, nothing special. About 15% of the fans stood for a goal and the overall reaction was decent. However, only a couple people clapped after a successful penalty kill and the fans failed to give much recognition to the team after a great period of play. “Let’s Go T-Birds” was a chant heard at least a few times.
Atmosphere Ranking: 7.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
For nearly 50 years, the Eastern States Coliseum (the Big E) was the home for hockey. This 6,000-seat building in West Springfield still stands on the expo grounds and is used when New England has their annual giant Fair……For decades, Springfield teams were known as the “Indians”. This changed in 1994 when a franchise move to Worcester led to an expansion team arriving and they went by “Falcons”. The “Thunderbirds” came about in 2016…..For a couple years in the 1980s, the arena (then known as the Springfield Civic Center) was home to the Hartford Whalers, after their building had a roof collapse…. Despite being 30 minutes away, there is not much of a rivalry with Hartford. The bigger opponent is Providence as many come out to see the Bruins prospects play…..What’s the deal with those unusually large time of day clocks at each end?
Game
This was a blowout as the T-Birds jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first and never looked back. 12 different players had a point for Springfield. The Wolf Pack had some quality chances later in the game, but Chris Driedger only let in one of them.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
