November 1, 2024
Norfolk Scope Arena (Capacity: 8,701)
Norfolk, VA
Norfolk Admirals vs Worcester Railers
Final Score: 5 – 6 (OT)
.
Hampton Roads is a populated section of Southeast Virginia that is defined by the surrounding waters. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Norfolk, a city of 235,000 people that features the Elizabeth River opening up to the west and south and the large Chesapeake Bay to the North. This maritime influence has long defined the city and so has a military presence as Norfolk is home to the world’s largest Naval Base. Most attractions are water-themed and there are some decent spots to walk downtown. Since the Norfolk Scope opened in 1971, hockey has always been a part of the sports scene. It’s usually been an AHL or ECHL team and since 2015, it has been the latter for the Norfolk Admirals. The team name pays homage to the city’s naval influence. Perhaps the most famous season came in 2011-2012, when Norfolk not only won the AHL’s Calder Cup, but in the process rattled off a professional record 28-game win streak. Since rejoining the ECHL, it’s been struggle city on the ice. In fact, last season (’23-’24) was the first time in 8 years that the team had a winning record and made the playoffs.
Prestige Ranking: 3 out of 5
Location
The Scope is located on the northern side of downtown Norfolk. The immediate surroundings aren’t too exciting as the arena is fronted by a hotel, a courthouse, a parking lot and a theatre. However all of Norfolk’s main attractions are within walking distance (the Cannonball Trail is a great way to explore). The primary showpieces are 10-15 minutes away by foot as to the south is Nauticus, an aquatic themed conglomerate of exhibits and museums. You can also hop on the Victory River Naval Base Cruise from here, which is an all-encompassing waterway tour. Strolling along the Riverfront in this area is a peaceful venture and make sure to peek at some of the Mermaid statues along the way. Further down is the Waterside District and even though it’s part of the contrived and commercialized “Live!” concept, it’s still a decent building to get food and drinks. Further north and also within walking distance from the Scope is the Freemason Historic District. This is the city’s oldest neighborhood and the tree-lined cobblestoned streets set the stage for a bucolic walk. You can also find a few restaurants along it before heading to the arena (I chose the Freemason Abbey Restaurant).
Location Ranking: 7.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Hampton Roads often contends with traffic and that occasionally includes congestion from a bridge or tunnel. I-64 or US-13 from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge are the main ways to reach Norfolk, however any arrival from the South is more tedious with smaller roads used. I-264 goes east-west from Virginia Beach through Norfolk and getting to the arena will involve this highway before taking a downtown exit. Navigating the city isn’t too complex. Conveniently, there is an underground parking garage in the square that contains the Scope. It only holds 640 cars, but no worries when it gets full as there are a couple of garages across the street. Traffic getting out after the game was non-existent for me since I snagged an early spot in the Bank Street Garage. Also, note that Norfolk has a small light rail service with 11 stations and even though you probably will just drive, the Monticello Station provides access to the arena.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7 out of 8
Exterior
While the Scope screams 70s concrete architecture, there are elements of interest. Specifically, the 24 v-shaped support beams that round the circular arena give the building a distinctive look. There’s also a concrete monolithic dome that tops the arena. Thankfully it’s not all gray concrete as the circular wall into the concourse is made up of all glass windows. The Scope is at the center of an elevated plaza, which is almost nothing but wasted empty space. There is a reflecting pool that would be nicer if fountains were on (not sure if they work?). Sitting on an elevated plaza makes for a neat entryway that is sort of underground. This quarter circle that meets up with the parking garage is where the box office is.
Exterior Ranking: 6 out of 10
Concourse
That underground level extends inside and it is a nice little hidden getaway from the main concourse. Along with the added room down here, you’ll also find The Pub, a place that feels like it should be a premium lounge. It feels like one because it is…I just wondered in without anybody checking if I was a suite holder. Upstairs to the main concourse, the décor isn’t bad with recessed ceiling lights, windows on one side and brick on the other. An issue is that it is narrow and things really jam up around the main entrance. Bathrooms are small and concession lines can intrude on space. Because there are wider sections of the circular concourse and Admirals games often don’t have big crowds, it’s not too much of an issue. To get into the arena, heavy black doors need to be opened to reach the interior.
Concourse Ranking: 3 out of 5
Food
There was a decent variety of food as each concession stand generally featured a different genre. I counted 8 different themes and stands were each decorated to match like The Golden Roost (chicken) or Street Tacos. I was most interested with “The Potato Peeps” and “Luva Bowls”. Drinks were plentiful too with a fancy coffee stand and a flavorful spot for gourmet milkshakes. I didn’t see any local offerings in the beer department, however the coolers were stacked with beers from all over.
Food Ranking: 6 out of 8
Interior
The Scope looks a lot bigger from the outside as my first reaction upon entering the interior was “Oh”. I’ll get to the poor sightlines in a bit, but first some positives as that concrete dome gives the building character and an impressive overhead presence. I thought the darker tones went well as black felt covers the upper walls and seats are either a black or wine color. Those chairs have a cushy material to them, however they are skinny and the cramped-ness is most notable at the ends. The seating design goes around the rink in a rounded rectangular fashion. Sections in the 100s are split off from the 200s via a walkway. Sightlines are not great at Scope as each row rises at a gentle slope with seats really getting further away in the 200s. It feels so distanced for hockey and there really is a secluded feel across many areas. Rows fan upward towards the middle, a feature I could live with if it didn’t extend miles from the ice surface. Seats at the end of the rink may feel like a closer option, but I had heads in front of my view as I tried the 2nd row in the 100s. All along the glass, Norfolk removed individual seats and replaced them with open-air suites.
Interior Ranking: 6 out of 14
Scoreboard
The center scoreboard works as it is sized appropriately and has decent look. Four rectangular video screens are at the center and the clear picture is used decently with frequent replays. They use the top portion for game information. Arena and venue names are at the top and bottom, plus there’s another graphic display as well. There are two video screens at the end walls, but these mainly show ads and messages. I think I saw 50 times that it was little Jimmy’s 7th birthday.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3.5 out of 4
Displays
The best area for team dedications is a little hidden in that downstairs space underneath the main concourse. It looks good down here as support beams are decorated with Admirals championship achievements, while an entire wall is devoted to a good-looking Hall of Fame. They even have architectural renderings of all Norfolk’s sports facilities. Banners inside the rink are split off between accomplishments when in the ECHL (blue) and white ones for the time in the AHL. These are great banners and I love how they have one for the consecutive win streak, along with a picture of the Calder Cup for that win. Last little bonus point is there is a Mermaid statue (similar to what is seen around the city) decked out in team colors in the concourse.
Displays Ranking: 3.5 out of 6
Cost
Parking is an expensive $10, but if you come to explore the downtown area and stay in the same garage, you can avoid the event rate and cruise out of the open exit for free (speaking from experience). Ticket prices are pretty similar across the ECHL as Norfolk fits in with rates of $21, $28, $36. That doesn’t include a $6 fee. Buy the cheapest options and move around to where you desire as that isn’t an issue. Concessions feature a $6 hot dog, $5 soda and…$18 beer? wait that can’t be right?
Cost Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Fan Support
I’ve never seen so many various, random jerseys at a hockey game with a clear home team. NHL, AHL, ECHL it was like people said “Oooo, hockey this looks cool”. That’s not to say there wasn’t Admirals apparel as that made up about half of the hockey stuff. It’s such a beautiful logo and jersey, I would wear that thing proud. In terms of support, it’s not bad. The city and media know about the team and there is certainly attention during the season and especially playoff time. Regular-season crowds aren’t the best as the team is in the middle of ECHL attendance rankings. This Friday Night crowd bore that as it was not a great draw with just a couple thousand on hand. On the positive side, attendance was decent for Norfolk’s return to the playoffs last year. In 6 games, the average crowd was 5,018 and that was better than the regular season.
Fan Support Ranking: 4.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
I wasn’t surprised to see playoff attendance at a respectable level because this crowd was engaged for the November game I attended. Despite the building just a quarter full, it became loud at times. There’s a handful of cowbells and fans certainly made their voices heard after goals. When the apparent winning goal was scored, I loved the passion and energy from the arena. Now, it wasn’t a savvy group, for example when the ref had their hand raised for awhile denoting a penalty and then the visiting skater went to the box, the crowd wouldn’t cheer until there was an announcement that Norfolk was going on the power play. Otherwise, there is a superfan that leads a cheer cool introductory chant to the guy in the box, as they tell him he sucks.
Atmosphere Ranking: 8.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
Pier Luigi Nervi designed the Scope and the famed architect was known for his innovative work with concrete. He designed a few Italian Olympic venues, while in the States, I have seen his other sports venue: Thompson Arena……Look for ticket discounts as the Admirals offer reduced rates for Military, Teachers, First Responders and Students…..Former Coach John Brophy led the Admirals for 11 seasons, mainly during the 1990s. His career 1,027 total career wins is second only to Scotty Bowman……Here is a video of highlights from the 1991 Hampton Road Admirals team. It gives all the feels…..Dance teams don’t work with hockey, please stop trying them in this sport. They were situated in the lower end the entire game…..The Scope has been home to the MEAC Basketball Tournament since 2013.
Game
This game had a little bit of everything. Things began with Worcester taking 3 penalties in the 1st period and that led to a widely disproportionate shot count (18-5). I quickly came away with a strong dislike for the visitors as in that period I watched them: fake getting hit with a high stick, sucker punch an Admiral and taunt kids by pounding on the glass after a goal. Despite having the run of play, Norfolk went to the 1st intermission tied and they were even down 2-1 after the 2nd (shots at that point: 35-15). The final period was a fantastic back and forth affair with goals up and down the ice. Regulation finished 5-5 and then in Overtime, Anthony Repaci scored on an odd-man rush as the Railers won. 21 different players got on the scoresheet in this game.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
