March 8, 2025
Bojangles Coliseum (Capacity: 8,600)
Charlotte, NC
Charlotte Checkers vs Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Final Score: 4 – 1
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The goal of this trip was to see one of my favorite college basketball conference tournaments in Asheville. Before reaching that destination, I flew to Charlotte and spent some time in the Queen City. It earned that moniker because the city was named after Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III. More recently “CLT” has been used as a nickname because of the airport code and this elicits a few giggles from the immature (raises hand slightly). Anyway, Charlotte sits in the south-central portion of the state in the Piedmont and with a population over 900,000, it is North Carolina’s largest and the 15th biggest in the country. Lots of transplants come here and it is a city that is rapidly growing and expanding. Charlotte is a vibrant banking and business center, evident in the busy skyline that features plenty of tall buildings. The original Charlotte Coliseum (not the short-lived first Hornets home) is here on the east side of the city and the historic building opened in 1955. There’s been plenty of renovations and name changes through the years and regional fast-food joint Bojangles is currently the sponsor. So many acts and events took place here and when it became the second largest venue after 1988, mid-sized events have called it home. Minor-league hockey has also been a long time tenant, dating back to the 50s, 60s and 70s. In 1993, the Charlotte Checkers returned and played in the ECHL (now the “AA”-level or 3rd tier of professional hockey) until 2010. That’s when a local business man bought the Albany franchise in the AHL and moved them to Charlotte, thus ending the ECHL run. These Checkers have always been pretty good, having a winning record in all but one season. They have a Calder Cup (2019) as well to show off. The AHL Checkers spent their first few seasons in the bigger downtown arena before returning to their roots at the Bo in 2015. Charlotte may not be part of the traditional AHL footprint, but they have a really good thing going down here.
Prestige Ranking: 3.5 out of 5
Location
Bojangles Coliseum is near the Chantilly neighborhood, about 3 miles from the heart of Charlotte. The Coliseum is part of a larger entertainment complex as on either side is an Expo/Conference Center and the historic Ovens Auditorium (also opened in 1955). Otherwise, on this side of Independence Blvd, it’s a fairly typical neighborhood look between housing and business. Nearby places to eat are very limited, though it’s appropriate to see a Bojangles (It’s Bo Time!). Elsewhere in Charlotte, the city center is known as “Uptown” and that’s where you’ll find places you’ll want to visit when you come to the Queen City. There are a pair of acclaimed art museums, there’s a history center about the city (Levine Museum) and finally, the lauded NASCAR Hall of Fame. Even if you are not into that sport, the HOF is a great place to spend the day before you to the hockey game just a short drive away. It’s a fantastic layout with interactive things too. If you want to be one with the outdoors, there’s a few parks and also the National Whitewater Center, which includes more than rafting, about 20 minutes outside the city.
Location Ranking: 6 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
There is plenty of parking in front of the arena, given that the entire BoPlex contains multiple venues. Surface lots are expansive and close. Independence Blvd. (US-74) is the nearby highway and Exit 244 leads right to the complex. A stoplight just after the exit has a short turn-signal duration and that led to a bit of frustration as I made my way to the complex. Thankfully, after the game, police were controlling the lights. That meant an easy departure, getting back onto Independence Blvd. I could see how getting out of the large parking lot might take time, but it did not for me on the day I attended. Charlotte is generally an easy city to drive around in and interstates from all direction reach the Queen City. Traffic isn’t terrible compared to other cities, but Independence Blvd. can be quite busy at times.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7.5 out of 8
Exterior
This is an impressive structure to walk towards as the Coliseum looms over the surrounding area at 112 feet tall. The circular pie look is defined by the domed roof, which is made of tin! Normally, the material is steel or iron. It must be deafening in a hail storm. Even though there is a good amount of white and tan color, glass windows liven it up a bit as they wave up and down along the wall portion. There’s also the bright yellow for the Bojangles signage which I have mixed feelings about.
Exterior Ranking: 6 out of 10
Concourse
There are so many ulterior vestibules that it’s like a fun house where you stumble upon a new space and say “oooo”. After the sparkling box office entrance, the initial reaction is “ugh” as you enter into a cramped and crowded circular concourse that has lots of stuff. Food stands, line separators and more notably, stairs that lead to higher sections inside the building. The sun beaming in can also heat things up in here. Keep walking and it gets better as there’s a split-off spot that features a lower concourse area with the typical amenities (you can get into the seating bowl as well here). What’s really cool is that there are two of these and one of them includes the Red Line Club, a restaurant / bar open to everybody before, during and after the game. This is located between the locker room and benches…one of those where you can watch the players go back and forth to the ice between periods. It’s so rare that anyone with a ticket can check it out, huge props to the Checkers for that. The other place to note is the walkway bridge between the arena and Ovens Auditorium. This gives fans more breathing space and it also is where you’ll find the team store. Overall décor is a big mish-mash of advertisements, team colors, old (brick and concrete seating bowl stairs) and new. Bathrooms are on the small side.
Concourse Ranking: 3 out of 5
Food
Of course you can expect a dose of Bojangles and many locals will tell you that’s a good thing. Their Chicken Supremes and Kids’ Meals are a good deal. Outside of the sit-down restaurant in the Red Line Club, there’s a respectable assortment of concession offerings, including things like cheesesteaks, Chicago-style beef (random) and beef/chicken rice bowls. The most creative was the baked potato stand. Missing was some Carolina BBQ, how could you not have Pulled Pork here! For dessert, they had local company flair thanks to The Cream Ice Concepts as they brought a lot of good stuff. Beer also had a Charlotte touch with Sycamore and Pilot Brewing represented. The latter had their own team brew called “Puck Off Pilsner”.
Food Ranking: 6 out of 8
Interior
It looks good in here with the red and charcoal seats to go along with the impressive domed roof above. I appreciate a unique, older building and this is certainly one of those. The Checkers playing here and not in an NBA building is best for everyone. That doesn’t exactly mean it’s a great arena for hockey. The Coliseum/Dome approach would make you think a circular seating bowl. Not the case here as four sides of seating are set-up, leading to awkward and undesirable angles. Towards the ends of each section, seats face straight-ahead, while the corners have open gaps. On the sides, a pair of walkways divide one level of seating into three tiered sections. They fan upward to be more in the top middle, in a half-circle shape. The higher you go, the worst the sightline is as you get far from the ice and can get heads/railings in the way. Down in the lower 100s, obstructions are less. All seats have cupholders and are wide enough for most fans. There are no luxury suites as instead tables and chairs are set-up along the glass as a more open area (I don’t think it’s a club). It feels much bigger than a 8,600-seat building and is certainly less intimate than other AHL places that size.
Interior Ranking: 6 out of 14
Scoreboard
Above center ice is a four-sided scoreboard with video screens sufficient in size and clarity. Replay frequency was good too. The entire screen is utilized as a circular board underneath provides score, time and penalty info. Arena and team labels are at the top and corners.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3.5 out of 4
Displays
It’s rare to see so much of a building decorated for a minor-league team and I appreciate those touches. Start with the box office intro, where the checkboard floor and red walls let it be known what team you’re about to see. The concourse features a variety of player banners, historical honors and old Coliseum pictures. What I really love is the décor throughout the Red Line Club as several murals and pictures devoted to the Checkers behooved me to peer over diners to take a look. Inside the arena, crisp banners from the rafters have honors that you would expect to be displayed.
Displays Ranking: 4 out of 6
Cost
I struggled how to quantify and rank cost because parking is “free” as you come into the lot, but the Checkers’ website says a $10 fee is placed on each ticket. Add it all together and the prices are $32 for the further back seats and $37 – $52 for the lower 100s. To sit right at the red line, it’s a whooping $62. It feels on the expensive side for the AHL. Concessions features a $6 hot dog, $5 soft drink and $10 beer.
Cost Ranking: 5 out of 8
Fan Support
For this Saturday late afternoon game, the crowd filled more than half the arena as I’d guesstimate attendance at around 5,550 (which is a couple thousand lower than the announced figure). There’s a big population to draw from across Charlotte, but there’s also other entertainment options, so I’d say this is a good showing. A smattering of fans were tailgating in the nice weather before the game and inside, plenty had Checkers jerseys on. In terms of playoff attendance (a better gauge of support)…the AHL 1st Round, doesn’t do so hot with typical crowds in the 2,000 – 3,000 range. To be fair, it’s a wonky start, that 3-game series. The next rounds have been much better as the average number later in the season for their ’25 playoff run would be 5,791. That was good for 10th out of 20th. Conference and Calder Cup Finals games brought near sellouts.
Fan Support Ranking: 5 out of 8
Atmosphere
Checkers fans have great reactions to goals as the vast majority get to their feet to cheer. That makes the building pretty loud and some ringing of cowbells accentuate that. When the PA gets ready to do the goal announcement, he starts with: “He Shoots” and the crowd follows with: “He Scores”. Something a little different and a good touch I appreciate. This is also the one place that a Ric Flair “Woooo” at the end of the celebration makes sense given that Charlotte is his kayfabe “hometown”. Beyond the goal, the crowd was attentive and vocal, but not too spontaneous. There were no organic cheers and only a few got into a “Let’s Go Checkers” breakout. Extended play in a zone wasn’t appreciated and 2-on-1’s for the home side resulted in a smattering of raised excitement. When there wasn’t action on the ice, fan favorite Jason “Greazy Keyz” Atkins provided entertainment and he served as the organist, doing a fantastic job. He’s a great part of the Checkers game experience.
Atmosphere Ranking: 8.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
Why is almost every Saturday home game played at 4:00 PM? Seems to be a recent thing and I’d love to know if there’s a specific reason for it…..When leaving your row and heading to the aisle, watch for the raised stair as this division easily can be missed and tripped over…..The Coliseum has to have one of the longest renovations ever as they closed the building in 1988 for upgrades and it didn’t reopen again until 1993…..The longest game in AHL history was here as the Checkers and Phantoms went 5 OT in the 2018 playoffs. It ended at 1:09 AM when Alex Krushelnyski scored for the visitors 6:48 into the extra session……In 2020, the affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes fell apart, a head-scratcher given the geographical proximity. There was a lot of “he said, she said” blame game going on and ultimately, Florida is now paired with Charlotte…..Sara King sang the national anthem and oh my was she good! What a voice.
Game
Charlotte clamped down on Lehigh Valley much of this game and their stifling style of play kept the Phantoms to just six total shots through two periods. Can’t win many games like that and the Checkers converted their chances as they went to the 3rd with a 2-0 lead thanks to a pair of John Leonard goals. LV created some more chances in the final frame, it just wasn’t enough and the Checkers came away with a 4-1 win.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
