What Is the Best Seat at a Hockey Game?

Thinking of going to a hockey game this season? Interested in getting the best possible seat for the experience? Below are the pros and cons of some of the most popular seats you can get in any arena. Naturally, prices vary significantly and personal preference also comes into play.

In the Corner, Right by the Glass

These seats are supremely popular because they give you a stellar view of the goal. There’s nothing in your way. You’re far enough to the side to really see the action throughout the offensive zone, but, since you’re in the corner, you’re also far enough back that the action is coming toward you. That’s a great angle for watching the puck blow past the goalie. You also get the added benefit of seeing a lot of scrums and hits right there in the corner. The one downside, though, is that it’s a long way to the other side of the ice, so play in the opposite zone can be harder to make out.

Upper Bowl, First Row

You’re not near the action here, sitting so far from the glass. There’s not going to be a fight in front of you, and you’re not getting a puck that goes up and out of play. But the sight lines are amazing. Being up so high gives you the perfect view of the entire rink. Being in the first row means no one is blocking that view. This is as close as you can get to that TV view in real life, and it’s awesome.

Center Ice, 10 Rows Up

This is similar to the upper bowl scenario. You’re high enough to see the entire rink, and you’re also in the middle, so the action is the same at either end of the ice. You’re not waiting for the team to come back and play on your end. You’re also a bit closer to the action here. The downside is that you’re in the middle of the crowd, so you can end up with people in your way, walking through, or distracting you from the game.

Box Seats

Box seats are far from the action. The box might even have a television in it, depending where you are. This is much different than sitting in the crowd. It’s also the most luxurious way to watch a game. A lot of boxes have catering options or refrigerators, so you don’t have to fight the crowd for food and drink. The seats are comfortable, you never have people in the way, and you can lounge and enjoy yourself. Hockey arenas tend to be small, so you still have great sight lines.

Every seat has something to offer. Just make sure you get the most affordable tickets from us at Headline Tickets!

Red Wings’ Playoff Streak Does Matter

The Detroit Red Wings have made the playoffs for the last 25 seasons in a row. It’s a streak that other sports can’t touch. Most hockey teams can’t even come close. The Wings are tied at third on the list, with the St. Louis Blues. They only have the Chicago Blackhawks (28) and the Boston Bruins (29) ahead of them.

There’s talk that the streak could end this year. Pavel Datsyuk, the Wings’ best player for over a decade, is now gone. The team has a second-year coach in Jeff Blashill. Captain Henrik Zetterberg is now 36 years old — almost as old as his coach, who is 42 — and the years have started to take a toll.

For some, if the streak ends, it won’t matter. They argue that scraping into the playoffs isn’t that much of an accomplishment. The goal is to win it all. The Wings have done that four times during the streak, so they’re certainly not devoid of wins — like the Blackhawks, who made the playoffs for those 28 straight years and never won — but some would say watching the streak die doesn’t really matter.

But it does. Because the Wings are the model franchise now when it comes to consistency. Other teams are constantly going up and down, missing the playoffs, winning the Cup and then missing the playoffs again. Plenty of teams can get hot for one or two years. Almost none can stay consistently good, in a capped league, for three decades.

It’s also worth noting that the Wings have not been serious Cup contenders recently. They have some younger stars, like 20-year-old Dylan Larkin, but they’re clearly going through a bit of a transition. In that sense, making the playoffs does become the goal. If the Wings, in a rebuilding year without one of their main stars in Datsyuk, can still make the playoffs, that says a lot about the franchise.

It also links to the team’s identity. They’ve been told many times that the decline is coming … when Steve Yzerman left … when Scotty Bowman left. It never did.

It’s not just roster turnover. They’ve lost integral stars during this steak and still remained relevant. To see that fade could finally signal the end of an era in Detroit. Keeping it alive helps them remain as one of the best franchises in NHL history, even if they’re not the best this season, and that helps to forge the team’s identity for the young guys going forward.

The streak still lives right now, and the Wings face perhaps their greatest uphill battle to keep it alive without Datsyuk. If you’d like to see them do it in person and watch the young new stars, like Larkin, get your Red Wings tickets from us here at Headline Tickets.

What We’ve Learned from the NHL Preseason

The NHL preseason is about halfway over, but trends are already emerging. Though it’s important not to put too much into preseason play, there are some early observations that can be made.

Florida Panthers May Face Sharp Decline

Florida was one of the most surprising teams last year, dominating in a way the team hasn’t seen in years. They finished with 103 points and were at the top of their division. No one else in the division even broke 100. This year, though, they are dead last in the preseason standings as of today, with just one win and two losses.

It may be a rough year for Florida teams overall, as the Tampa Bay Lightning are tied for last, also with four points. They were second last year, with 97 points. Yes, this is a small sample size, but it’s still interesting to see the top two teams from last year flip the script and become the bottom two.

Wings Stay Steady

How about the third team in the Atlantic Division, the Detroit Red Wings? They’re sitting where they left off, at third. They have three wins, but they are coming off of an ugly loss to the rival Chicago Blackhawks. The Wings could be a team that racks up wins against the bottom half of the league but that struggles when facing top-end competition. The Blackhawks, after all, won the Stanley Cup in 2015.

Colorado Soars Without Roy

Colorado Avalanche coach Patrick Roy, once a legendary goaltender for the team, stepped away last year. The team is playing excellent hockey without him on the bench. They’re ahead of some other teams, already four games into the preseason, and they still have not lost. They have a +9 goal differential. This is a team that went 39-39 last year, the definition of mediocrity, and missed the playoffs.

Edmonton Off to a Hot Start

Another team that is doing well in the preseason after a disappointing 2015 campaign is the Edmonton Oilers. They are 4-2 right now, second in the Pacific Division. They were 31-43 last year, dead last in that division.

The Oilers are a team that has been trying to turn the corner forever. They’re constantly drafting at the top of the draft. They keep bringing on young stars who are projected to be great. Yet they always fall short and under perform, putting themselves back in the same position. Fans will be ecstatic if they’ve finally gotten around that corner.

If you want to follow any of these preseason story lines into the regular season, check out Headline Tickets, where we can find you some great deals on NHL tickets.