The Athletic released its ranking of all 32 NHL rinks based on a poll run with fans and writers, and the Montreal Canadiens’ home, the Bell Centre, came out on top. Poll respondents were asked to rate rinks across four categories: location, amenities, atmosphere, and affordability. According to the article, thousands of fans responded to the survey, and 30% were season ticket holders who know their home building like the back of their hand.
The Bell Centre is joined in the top five by the Vegas Golden Knights’ T-Mobile Arena, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Benchmark Int. Arena, the Nashville Predators’ Bridgestone Arena, and the Detroit Red Wings’ Little Caesars Arena.
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At the other end of the spectrum, the bottom five are the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Scotiabank Arena, the Vancouver Canucks’ Rogers Arena, the Los Angeles Kings’ Crypto.com Arena, the Buffalo Sabres’ KeyBank Center, and the Ottawa Senators‘ Canadian Tire Centre, which is last.
The Bell Centre has nearly perfect scores when it comes to location (9.6 out of 10) and Atmosphere (9.8). Its score for amenities is the sixth highest (8.7), and its one drawback is affordability (5.0). The building’s fan score is 8.7, and the beat writer score is 9.9, giving it a 9.0 overall score.
It’s hard to argue with those scores. The location is near-perfect: the building is between two tube stations, and there are many parking spaces in the surrounding streets. Of course, they are not cheap, but that’s the cost of using your car these days.
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As for the atmosphere, I’ve learn to appreciate it on a whole new level since I got my seat in the press gallery. It’s set right above the ice, so you’re surrounded by fans, and when the noise level goes up, it feels almost surreal in there. Last year, at the tail end of the season, when the fans would start a wave, and it would go around the building for 10 minutes, it gave me goosebumps. It’s easy to understand what the players mean when they talk about the atmosphere being special at the Bell Centre.
Amenities cover everything from seating and sightlines to food and drink options and the Jumbotron. There’s no denying that the Bell Centre’s new Jumbotron is spectacular. There isn’t a bad seat in the house when it comes to that Arena, you can see perfectly well, wherever you’re sitting, aside from the Renaissance Suite, which has an obstructed view, but those who choose to attend there are not just after seeing the game, it’s about the food and the hotel as well.
The fact that the Bell Centre lost points because of affordability shouldn’t surprise anybody. The parking under the rink is 45$, the fast-food options on site are overpriced, just like the beer, but that’s on par with the ticket prices, which are rising year after year. With the on-ice product improving as it has in the last couple of years, don’t expect the ticket prices to stop increasing.
Even if an evening at the Bell Centre isn’t cheap, though, you’re sure to have a good night when you attend, especially if your favourite team claims the win. If you’re a local fan, enjoy it; if you support the Habs from afar, attending a game at the Bell Centre should be on your bucket list. It’s worth the trip.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
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