May 7, 2006
Giant Center (Capacity: 10,500)
Hershey, PA
Hershey Bears vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Final Score: 4 – 1
* The arena was revisited for a game on November 10, 2018
.
Before this Sunday Evening playoff game, we spent the weekend in Hershey and had a blast checking out all that they had to offer. Located 12 miles outside of Harrisburg in the central part of Pennsylvania, Hershey has a population of just 14,000. However, add a couple zeros to that number for the amount of visitors this home of the famous chocolate company sees as the area is also a tourist destination with attractions aplenty. The Hershey Bears are a flagship franchise not just in the AHL, but all of sports. They joined the league in 1938 and their team name is synonymous with minor-league hockey. Winners of 11 Calder Cups, they are also the most successful team in the American League. Following 66 years in venerable and wonderful Hersheypark Arena, the Bears moved a little bit down the road in the same complex to the state-of-the-art Giant Center in 2002. It’s kind of mind-blowing that the Bears played that long in that relic of an arena. Equally charming and outdated, it was time to leave the fantastic barn. Thankfully, where they moved was a terrific venue. I came to first visit in 2006, a year after I moved to the state of New Jersey (meaning a 2-hour drive). That was for a playoff game and my return in 2018 was to see a typical regular season. Neither would disappoint.
Prestige Ranking: 4.5 out of 5
Location
At the center of attractions in the town is Hersheypark, a huge amusement park that draws big summer crowds. The arena is located within the same complex and even though hockey is mainly held in its offseason, the holidays are a great time to visit thanks to lighted rides, ice skating and Santa visits. Also, close-by is Chocolate World, a free and interactive look at how the Hershey factory operates. It’s hard to run out of things to do as Hershey Gardens and the Hershey Museum are excellent alternatives. The heart of town is Chocolate Ave and it is along this road where most of the restaurants can be found (though I do recommend nearby Hotel Hershey up on the hill for their awesome chocolate desserts). You do need a car to reach the main strip through town.
Location Ranking: 8.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
It takes about 10 minutes to reach Hershey from I-81 to the North or 15-25 minutes from the Pennsylvania Turnpike to the South. Depending on the route, some dark country roads may be needed to reach town, but once in Hershey, it’s pretty easy to find the park entrance to the arena off of Rt. 743. Though it’s a mass of roads and drives within the complex, signs to the facility are quite clear. Giant Center is on the west side of the park and acres of parking lots are available. Most times, getting out of the complex is fine, however, during concerts, this place can become a chaotic mess as people try to leave for home. Each time I’ve been here, I didn’t have a problem sitting in traffic upon departure.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7 out of 8
Exterior
The Giant Center has a good look upon approach and the name of the arena is in large red letters. Behind the lettering is a glass façade, which is where the main lobby and beginning of the concourse is. At the top, the roof is a rounded arc design while the rest of the building is rectangular. Tan colored walls make up most of the exterior. A chocolate brown look may be more appropriate, but this tan color looks better.
Exterior Ranking: 7 out of 10
Concourse
Fans enter right into the main concourse and the arena lacks a necessary opening atrium because this area gets quite congested. This is especially true given that the building holds 10,000. A one-level concourse circles the lower bowl, with various sets of stairs leading to the 200 section. It really is annoying that there isn’t an upper concourse for the higher seating, especially when after climbing all the stairs, you see that the suite-level does have its own set of walkways and what not. The team store is located near the front entrance and extra merchandise stands throughout the concourse does not help with the crowding problem. Things are a little wider at the other end of the building and there are many tables here for fans to eat and drink at. Aesthetics are decent enough as walls are mostly cream colored and they have several displays on them.
Concourse Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Food
Food is pretty good with all of the standards, plus some highlights worth trying. For me, these were the pasta dishes, BBQ platters and Yuengling-battered fish. Speaking of beer, Yuengling is made down the road and you’ll see plenty of signs and offerings for it. Hershey also has locally-produced Troegs and Ever Grain available, which is great. In terms of sweets, we’re in Hershey, so I’d expect a fair amount of sugary offerings. They deliver in that department as well.
Food Ranking: 7 out of 8
Interior
The inside of the Giant Center is a great place to watch hockey. There are two levels and about 75% of the seating comes from the lower bowl, which is designed traditionally in an oval shape. Brown/Maroon seating is nicely pitched and the seats are both wide and comfortable with cupholders on the arms. Towards center ice (section 106-108), the seats are all reserved for club members, which include access to the Champions Club lounge that allows fans to eat, mingle and watch the game. A nice touch, yes, but one that leaves many seats empty as fans hang out instead of sit closer to the ice. The second level features many suites and they wrap around a little more than half the building and then this is followed by another level up above. Now, I love me an upper-deck, however, the problem here is that it is too high. The combination of a two-row suite and an eight-foot wall behind the lower seating pushes this second level quite higher than normal. These rows are steeply inclined. The upper deck surrounds most of the building before abruptly stopping at the south end with a charcoal-colored wall. There are a few seats in this 200-level that have obstructions because of a multi-wired rail. The high roof has a slight arc to it and the inside coloring between the tan walls and chocolate brown seats is a nice match.
Interior Ranking: 11.5 out of 14
Scoreboard
The scoreboard is impressive as a large (but not too large) video screen has fantastic quality on all four sides. Corners feature ads and the bottom has a circular board to promote more products, this is consistent with the increase of ad displays around the building. There’s also a video board on the end wall and this is used to give some great stats and out-of-town sports scores.
Scoreboard Ranking: 4 out of 4
Displays
For a team with this much history, I’d like to see some sort of timeline or even section just devoted to it. Hershey didn’t have that, but they did have a fair amount of decoration around the concourse walls. This included team pictures for each Calder Cup winning team, team hall of fame plaques and some small cases for memorabilia. There was some art work too and items devoted to Hersheypark Arena. Inside the rink, retired numbers and trophies for each championship are displayed from banners way up in the rafters. There is no division title riff-raff here!
Displays Ranking: 4.5 out of 6
Cost
Ticket prices are slightly more expensive than an average AHL game as tickets cost $20 – $32 and they go up $2 on “Premium Games” (most Saturdays) and $2 more if bought on game-day. Parking is an absurd $10. Some concessions are high ($5.50 for a hot dog, $25 for a whole pizza), while others aren’t bad ($3 for a water and $6 for a 16oz beer).
Cost Ranking: 6 out of 8
Fan Support
Hershey has an established, hearty following in the region and the games are well-attended despite being more than 20 minutes away from the closest city. The last several years, the Bears have been top 5 for AHL attendance and while average paid attendance has dropped by 1,000 fans recently, the overall draw is still really good. The Saturday Night game I attended for my second visit came in November and it drew a solid crowd with most sections filled in except for the corners. Playoff attendance is typically high too and the team ranks in the Top 3, often exceeded by teams with bigger building. You’ll see plenty of Bears apparel walking around and you can tell that many are ardent followers of the team.
Fan Support Ranking: 7 out of 8
Atmosphere
I’ve attended both a playoff and regular season game…regardless of event, Hershey has a great atmosphere for hockey. Because of Giant Center’s size, it wasn’t a deafening arena, but the place can get loud. After a goal, fans follow along with a chant: “B-E-A-R-S, Bears, Bears, Bears….WOOOO” and it was fun after the Bears win to hear the parking lot roaring with high-pitched Wooo’s! There is an old-school vibe as one guy yelled out to a referee just before the anthem: “Deckard, you still suck!”. Fans then got into it with an opposing player, constantly heckling and booing him all night. The building isn’t consistently loud or vibrant, but you’ll hear pretty good pops for most key moments. Hershey does have a pretty awesome Bear roar (mainly after goals) and it is loud enough to feel your seat vibrate.
Atmosphere Ranking: 11 out of 14
Other Stuff
The Giant Center isn’t named that because of size. Rather, it is a naming rights deal after a local grocery store chain, Giant Food…..Hershey is the seventh oldest pro franchise in North American hockey (behind the Original Six)…..More from their famous old home, Hersheypark Arena: the facility is the epitome of an old arena built for hockey. Seats are wooden and suites are absent. Luckily, hockey is still being played as Lebanon Valley College (a Division III team) uses the arena. It really is a historic facility worth visiting…..The Hershey Bears were started by Milton Hershey and remain owned by Hershey Resorts and Entertainment Company. That should explain why chocolate brown is a big part of the team colors.
Game (Initial Visit)
In the game, Hershey was in control for the first 30 minutes and jumped out to 3-0 lead. However, dumb penalties by the Bears kept Wilkes-Barre in the game, but they could not capitalize. Graham Mink scored a goal, his 5th of the playoffs and Frederick Cassiwi won his seventh straight game in net as Hershey beat the Pens 4-1.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
