Visions Veterans Memorial Arena

^{February 7, 2004
Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena (Capacity: 4,727)
Binghamton, NY
Binghamton Senators vs Philadelphia Phantoms
Final Score: 6 – 5}

* The arena was re-visited for a game on February 24, 2012
* The arena has been renamed Visions Veterans Memorial Arena

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Binghamton is a city of 47,000 located in the Southern Tier region of New York, sitting at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers. Those two bodies of water combined to devastate the city in 2011 as the area saw massive flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee. With not much entertainment in the area, hockey plays an important role, despite the rotating wheel of teams and leagues. There’s been the Dusters, the Whalers, the Rangers and now the Senators. AHL hockey came back to Binghamton in 2002 as Ottawa placed their affiliate here. Some decent players have come through the system and the 2010-2011 season saw the first Calder Cup come to the Southern Tier. Hockey has always been played downtown in an old and outdated bandbox of an arena. Opened in 1973, the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena (a mouthful) can become an exciting and loud place for hockey. That was the case when I first came in 2002 and I was disappointed in the attendance and atmosphere dropoff upon returning a decade later.
Prestige Ranking: 3 out of 5

Location

The arena is downtown, just a few blocks from each river. The immediate surroundings are somewhat drab as general office buildings include the Binghamton’s highest skyscraper: the State Office building. At 18 stories, it very much looks like it was built in 1972: square, off-white and basic windows along each row. It was known as Toxic Tower for awhile after an accident contaminated the building with PCBs, closing it for 13 years. On a better note, just head a few blocks north on State Street for a livelier part of Binghamton. The architecture is much more pleasant and there are a surprising number of bars and restaurants to check out. That continues on nearby Washington Street and Court Street. Otherwise, the city offers a few small museums and not much else attraction-wise.
Location Ranking: 5 out of 10

Accessibility / Parking

Getting to downtown is easy as Route 363 (N. Shore Drive) from I-81/I-86 brings you in the vicinity. Reaching the arena can be a little awkward, but getting off at Washington Street is your best bet. At least a couple of parking garages and lots fill the immediate downtown and there are enough spots for fans coming to the game. If you choose a garage, quality and navigation certainly is not ideal. Finding a spot on the street is a better choice. Incoming traffic is generally non-existent, but leaving is somewhat congested, especially with a good amount of departing pedestrian traffic.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 6.5 out of 8

Exterior

The 1970s design definitely shows throughout the building, including the exterior. From the way the font of the ‘Veterans Memorial Arena’ sign is written, to the ugly design of the arena, you can tell it’s been untouched since that era. The appearance is a strange four-sided shape with what looks like a box placed on top of something smaller underneath it. The top siding is dark red, while the rest of the arena is done in concrete.
Exterior Ranking: 2 out of 10

Concourse

Concourses here are tight and uncomfortable as they get crowded at intermissions (especially if there is a big crowd). Bathrooms are not in the main concourse as fans have to go downstairs to ice level to reach cutouts for the restroom. What is nice though are the windows through the whole concourse, allowing for outside views. Plus there are heaters along the windows and this seems to be a popular place at intermission where fans will lean and congregate.
Concourse Ranking: 1.5 out of 5

Food

Food is varied nicely with a fair amount of options including a carving station. Binghamton’s signature item is a “Spiedie”, which is grilled chicken or pork on an Italian roll in a special sauce. They had these at the arena and I wish I could recommend a taste of the local culture, but it was bland and dry. In fact, I’ve never really had a good Spiedie any time I’ve been in the area. Other offerings I’d suggest would be the Pulled Pork or the Chicken Tornadoes. Beverage options were adequate as a craft beer stand and a wine cellar enhanced the choices.
Food Ranking: 5.5 out of 8

Interior

Inside, the 70’s look is retained with the red-orange bars hanging from the ceiling and a very old center scoreboard. The seating bowl consists of four sections for each side, all facing straight-ahead and of equal height. Corners are open here as the seats do not connect along the rink. One plus is that all of the seats are steep, so you feel really close and right on top of the ice, especially between the blue lines. Just be mindful of the edges on the side as it is hard to see the goal. Eight luxury suites are at the back of seating on one side. It is definitely an old, outdated building, but one that should be cherished in that it induces a good atmosphere and noise.
Interior Ranking: 6 out of 14

Scoreboard

The center-ice scoreboard is really small and basic. There’s no real design to it and the four sides serve to just provide score, time and penalties. In the corners of the rink are video boards and it was nice that it showed live action and replays. I will say these reminded me of the old mid 1990s WWF video screens that used to show wrestlers graphics as they entered.
Scoreboard Ranking: 1.5 out of 4

Displays

Staying true to the “Veterans Memorial” in the arena name, there are several displays dedicated to area veterans throughout the building. Binghamton’s Hockey Hall of Fame is found in the concourse and each year, inductees are honored. Traditional team banners are hanging from the rafters and these include honors from all past teams. Not too much describes the history in Binghamton, though they meet the standard quota of what you’d expect in the banner department.
Displays Ranking: 3 out of 6

Cost

When I first visited in 2004, tickets were around $20. I was pleasantly surprised to see them cost about the same a decade later. You can avoid the Ticketmaster fee if you get them at the box office as the charge is $18. Parking is $5 and concessions are fairly priced.
Cost Ranking: 7 out of 8

Fan Support and Atmosphere

I was quite disappointed with the attendance and atmosphere on my second trip. The building was 65% full and announced attendance for the game was 3,015 with the atmosphere nowhere near what I saw in 2004. Average numbers put the B-Sens at the bottom of the AHL and you can’t hold the small capacity of the building against the team when it’s not being sold out. It was a Friday Night game and according to people there, Saturday games are better draws (in fact the next night, announced attendance was 4,019). Maybe also being in last place contributed. A few fans around me commented on the low attendance and that usually it’s so loud in there you can’t hear other people talk. That was what I experienced in 2004 as the barn was noisy with an energetic crowd through the game. There was a playoff feel and occasional “Let’s Go Sens” chants as lots of fans waved Senators flags. Eight years later, the buzz diminished, but at least there still was decent noise after goals.
Fan Support Ranking: 4 out of 8
Atmosphere Ranking: 9 out of 14

Other Stuff

An oddity I found while walking the stairs up the aisles is that there were no railings. Instead, unstable little poles with a handle bar were placed every few steps. That’s not something I’d want if I struggled to get up stairs…..Finding section numbers are tricky as they are only painted on the walls when you come out from the concourse.

Game (Initial Visit)

The game was thrilling as a slow first period gave way to a crazy second period. Five goals were scored, including an incredible three in 55 seconds). A hat trick by David Hymovitz gave the B-Sens a 6-2 lead. After each whistle there was also a brouhaha, with a couple of good fights breaking out. Then in the third, the Phantoms stormed back and cut the lead to 6-5 with five minutes left on the clock. Binghamton survived their frantic attempt at coming back and held them off for an exciting 6-5 win, playing in front of a boisterous, sold-out house.

Stadium Experience Ranking: 54 out of 100