Arena #13 - Bell Centre

My mission is to see the Flames play in all 30 NHL arenas, a mission that began in October of 2005 while at a local pub watching the Flames take on the Oilers. With the previous season’s work stoppage, and the season before’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals, Flames tickets had become a very hard item to come by. I was then struck with the idea of combining two of my favourite activities; watching hockey and travelling. You can follow my quest to visit all 30 arenas right here…

December 9, 2008 – Montreal, PQ

After seeing the Flames beat the Rangers in New York City, we headed to La Belle Province to see them play one of the most storied franchises in all of sport, the Montreal Canadiens. Arriving in Montreal the day of the game, we checked into our hotel before heading to the Bell Centre in downtown Montreal. Replacing one of hockey’s greatest venues, the Montreal Forum, the Bell Centre opened in 1996 and is the largest arena in the National Hockey League.

We arrived at the game well before puck drop to see the sights the Bell Centre had to offer. Before the doors opened, we popped into La Cage aux Sports, a bar within the arena that is accessible from the outside and serves the same purpose as Dutton’s in the Saddledome. Unlike Dutton’s however, La Cage sells pitchers of beer for only $10! After a quick jug, we entered the Bell Centre. On the main concourse, the arena features a hall of fame type area, where bronze plaques and busts commemorate many of the great players who have worn the famed red, white and blue of the Canadiens. Notables like Maurice Richard, Jean Beliveau, Guy LaFleur, Larry Robinson and Patrick Roy have their achievements celebrated here.

Our seats were located in the upper levels of the Bell Centre, but we entered the seating bowl from the main concourse before the game to get a glimpse at how seating for 21,000 plus fit into an arena. The lower bowl of the Bell Centre is enormous with over 25 rows of seats. The seats in the lower section are also very steep, similar to the nose bleeds in the Dome, meaning that the upper level seats are not as far from the action as in many newer arenas, but are quite high up. In the rafters, the Bell Centre offers a very different view from most arenas. The Canadiens have 17 retired numbers, each with a banner, plus 24 banners celebrating their Stanley Cup victories. Unlike most teams, the Habs don’t waste their time with division or conference championship banners. As this was the Canadiens’ 100th season, there were additional banners in the rafters, on the walls of the concourse and even on the outside of the area, celebrating their long history.

The concourses of the Bell Centre are the same as any other arena, featuring wide, well lit walkways and standard concession offerings. Much to our surprise, none of the concession stands sold poutine, something we would have to buy after the game to enjoy. I had assumed that would be the local dish, available at almost every outlet, much like perogies in Edmonton.

The game began with a lengthy pre-game ceremony on the jumbotron to celebrate the team’s 100th season. For nearly ten minutes, the screen flashed photos and videos of great moments in Canadiens’ history, offering commentary in both French and English. This ended up being something we noticed that is unique to the Bell Centre in the NHL; as all announcements were made in French and English, including goal calls, penalty calls, and in-game promotions. Imagine Steve Strachan repeating everything he says in a second language.

The game turned out not to be one of the Flames’ best efforts as they lost to the home team 4-1. Dustin Boyd scored the lone Flames goal, in the 2nd period, while the Habs received goals from D’Agostini, Kovalev and two from Robert Lang. Former Flame, Alex Tanguay also had a pair of assists against his old team.

We left the arena, in search of poutine, having gone one and one on the short road trip out east.


Thirteen arenas in the books; almost half way there!


-TheRev

Bell Center Fast Facts

Seats: Section 325; $95 (face value $41), eBay
Score: Flames 1, Canadiens 4
Arena Rating: 7.4
Unique Concession: No poutine!
Souvenir Stick: Habs 100 Seasons, white, plastic
Public Transit: One block away, accessible without going outside
Unique Arena Trait: Canadiens’ Hall of Fame in concourse
Swag: none

Photos



Who knows where we’ll see the Flames next…

Mike Cammalleri and his future wearing the Flaming C

Michael Cammalleri. Ten goals, eleven assists in 25 games and two game winning markers. The Flames are getting exactly what they asked for in this diminutive forward who has an eye for the net and a rougher side than most people think. He has a rifle of a shot and actually uses it, unlike the number 13 who plays for Les Habitants and used to dawn the Flaming C. He, along with Matthew Lombardi and Jarome Iginla have formed a top line in Calgary that is quicker, faster, more agile and can blow by opposing defence better than previous instalments of the top unit have ever done before. Cammelleri is the x-factor on that line. Not only are defensemen worrying that Iginla is going to fire it by them, but now they have another forward to cover with Cammy on the other side. Case in point the one of three goals Mike scored against the Canucks two weeks ago where Iginla made one of the nicest passes, in recent memory, cross ice and Cammy potted it into the empty net. Everyone was thinking Iginla would shoot but he knew No. 13 was wide open and rarely misses. Last year Iginla did not have that other shot, showing how valuable Michael Cammelleri really is. Looking into the future Cammy is an unrestricted free agent as of July 1 of next year. He currently makes $3.6 million a year and for a guy that averages just under a point per game, you can bet that he might want a raise of some sort. I am guessing he will garner offers in the $4.5 to $5.5 million a year earnings and will likely be looking for a multi year deal. So where on the Flames does he fit in? Who do they get rid of to free up the needed salary room for No. 13? You look to the back end where you have Adrian Aucoin making $4 million, due for UFA this summer and you have Jim Vandermeer who makes $2.3 million a year and should not garner such a salary. With Adam Pardy gaining confidence game by game, I think you can afford to let go of Pylon boy. So you let Aucoin walk, you do you best to trade Vandermeer, or release him if necessary. Then you have an extra $6.3 million to give Cammy what he needs plus a little more to spend on the defense reinforcements. Losing this guy can not happen. Sutter should be working on some sort of an offer right now to lock him up long term before he starts seeing Toronto (rumours are he wants to play for his hometown) in the forefront. He makes Calgary's offence better and changes it from the one dimensionality it has been for so many years. So Sutter, give Iginla, this city's superstar on and off the ice, some re-assurance that he will not be the only one producing here for the next five years.


This has been Newman on the Flames

Arena #12 - Madison Square Garden

My mission is to see the Flames play in all 30 NHL arenas, a mission that began in October of 2005 while at a local pub watching the Flames take on the Oilers. With the previous season’s work stoppage, and the season before’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals, Flames tickets had become a very hard item to come by. I was then struck with the idea of combining two of my favourite activities; watching hockey and travelling. You can follow my quest to visit all 30 arenas right here…

December 7, 2008 – New York, NY

The Big Apple. Not only one of my favourite places to visit, but also home to one of the NHL’s “Original Six” teams, the New York Rangers. We were in town to see the Flames play the Rangers at the self-proclaimed “World’s Most Famous Arena”, Madison Square Garden. To get to New York, we had flown to Toronto and then caught a short flight from there, arriving at LaGuardia Airport the afternoon of the game. If you’ve never been to New York City, nothing can match the electricity you feel walking around Manhattan. The streets are filled with people coming from work, going to work, shopping, or simply walking around. In New York, it is the people that are the real sights to see.

In an effort to save money, something that isn’t easy to do in Manhattan, we booked a room in Newark, New Jersey. Despite being in a different city, and a different state for that matter, it is easily accessible by the PATH train system which runs between Newark’s Penn Station and Manhattan 24 hours a day, and conveniently has a stop underneath Madison Square Garden.

We arrived at ‘MSG’ two hours before puck drop, giving us enough time to grab some food from New York’s many street vendors before heading inside. Entering off 7th Avenue, you pass through a giant atrium that features team stores for the Knicks and Rangers, an entrance to another theatre and the escalators of Madison Square Garden. Unlike most arenas, where the ice level is below ground or at least at street level, the ice at MSG is four storeys up. The theatre entrance we had seen was for a smaller venue that is below the main seating bowl. At the time of the Flames-Rangers game, there was a Cirque du Soleil performance taking place as well.

After taking four escalators to reach the lower concourse, we did our customary walk of the arena. Due to it being built in 1968, and being four floors above the street, the concourses are quite narrow, featuring cinder block walls with concessions and shops tucked into corners underneath the seating. For the most part the concessions were fairly standard, selling the usual assortment of hot dogs, pretzels, nachos etc. The seating bowl itself is also reminiscent of the past, with the luxury suites circling the roof; almost as if they were put in as an afterthought and much like Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The bowl is divided into three levels, but again like the Joe, there isn’t a balcony like in modern arenas. The different tiers are separated by large concourses that circle the arena within the seating bowl.

Our seats were located on the second level, in the first row above the concourse, behind the Flames attack zone. Being in the first row, our seats offered a great view of the ice. However, as the game started we realized there was a problem with the concourse being directly in front of our seats. Throughout the game our view was constantly being blocked by an endless parade of vendors hawking beer, pretzels, popcorn, souvenirs and the like. As we neared puck drop, we grabbed a couple of beers from the bar nearest our seats. Offering a selection of draft beers, this vendor also featured the most unique beer service I’ve yet seen. The plastic beer cups had handles like you’d find on a mug, and in each handle was a pretzel stick! Few combos are better than beer and pretzels, so kudos to the folks at MSG for putting the two together so conveniently.

The game started off slowly, as both teams failed to score in the first period. Finally, late in the second, Iginla was able to score on a pass from Mike Cammalleri. Early in the third period, David Moss added a goal to give the Flames a 2-0 lead, and Rene Bourque would followed that up with a short-handed tally in the final two minutes, as the Flames defeated the Rangers 3-0. The victory marked the first road game shutout we’d ever witnessed, so I’m unable to comment on what the Rangers goal celebration was like. During the game, the crowd was for the most part quite docile, most likely because they didn’t have much to cheer for. We did hear an MSG staple though, as the crowd broke into a “Potvin Sucks!” cheer midway through the second period; a Ranger-fan tradition since 1979.

During the second intermission, while sending a text to a buddy, I was approached by a man who said, in a heavy accent, “I see you are fan of my countryman!”, as he pointed at my red Flames jersey. It turns out that he and a buddy were in town from their native Finland, and were at the game to cheer on Kipper. Both Finns were from Turku, Kiprusoff’s home town, and had played pee-wee hockey with him. “Only until we were about six or seven years old, then he was much too good,” we were told. We ended up going for a beer with the two after the game, discussing the Flames, the NHL and the Winter Olympics until the wee hours of the morning. Thanks for the beers Ville and Jarkko! Along with the Flames victory, it was another great night in the city that never sleeps.


Twelve arenas in the books, eighteen more to see…


-TheRev

Madison Square Garden Fast Facts

Seats: Section 349; $75, Ticketmaster
Score: Flames 3, Rangers 0
Arena Rating: 7.4
Unique Concession: Pretzels in beer
Souvenir Stick: Rangers, wooden, no color
Public Transit: Everywhere. World’s busiest train station (Penn Station) underneath arena; PATH train below that; NYC subway below that.
Unique Arena Trait: Ice level four storeys above street level, theatre underneath ice
Swag: none

Photos



Next stop is in Montreal to see the Flames play the Habs tomorrow…

A Day to Forget for Number 3

Tonight marked the first night the Dallas Stars looked like the Dallas Stars everyone is used to seeing; minus giving up 37 shots on net. And to solve that problem they had Marty Turco at his finest. He stole the game away for the Stars and did not give the home town Flames much all night.The Flames stuck to their game plan all night, getting pressure on the forecheck and cycling the puck, and cycling the puck, and cycling the puck...The problem was, real scoring chances were few and far between and when they did get an opportunity, they would miss the net wide or Turco would come up with a great save. Turco didn't look like a goalie with a .868 SP and a 3.68 GAA, he looked like the Turco who had 5 straight 30 win seasons. He snapped up rebounds and made numerous key saves to keep the Stars in the lead. Not to mention he hancles the puck better than any goalie not named Martin Brodeur, and even then he might handle better than Brody. The Flames did their darndest to keep it away from him most of the night but whenever given the slightest second he would fire a clearing pass out harder and more accurate than most Defensemen ever thought possible. Looking at the Flames tonight, they did not necessarily play a bad game of hockey, they just could not thwart the Turco fortress. This might be due in part to the lack of PP time the team had all night. One man advantage to speak of all night spaced out over the 1st and 2nd stanzas produced the momentum the Flames needed and the following shift David Moss tied the game up at one. The crowd was into it, the Flames were flying, shift after shift Calgary was pressuring in the Stars end but could not find the net. Then a defensive lapse and Fabian Brunnstrom( supposedly the best player not in the NHL last year, or so you may have heard) went through the Flames resident Pylons of the night, in this case Dion Phaneuf and Mark Giordano, and took the lead at 7:38 of the 2nd. This killed the Flames momentum, and the crowd was totally taken out of the game. On a night when the most talked about player was not even on the ice, Sean Avery, his target earlier in the day Dion Phaneuf had his head in the clouds most of the night. A horrible minus 3 on the night and a key reason for the first goal, did not clear the puck when given the chance, and the 2nd goal, see above twin pylon comment. A game the young talented D man would most like to soon forget, but one that will help him learn down the road. If he thought dating a Hollywood actress would be all glitz and glamour, I guess he did not fully look into what kind of baggage it could possibly bring, and one can only guess how it affected him mentally? Phaneuf, who is still only 23 years old remember, looked like a 23 year old kid tonight. And I guess some nights, until he really matures Flames fans have to expect that. He is going to make mistakes(insert throwing it up the middle in your own zone) he is going to be selfish(trying to go through 2 Dallas Stars in the neutral zone when two of his teammates are open for the pass) and he is simply not always going to be the All-Star that he is made out to be. He has got a long way to go, and hopefully he keeps maturing and getting better, especially in the defensive zone. Right now in my mind Robyn Regehr is 5 times more valuable to the success of the Calgary Flames than Dion Phaneuf is. Phaneuf has the potential to be a great defenseman but he has a longer road ahead than some might think.


Newman on the Flames