Tex from
hockeyconceptcentral.blogspot.com contacted me and offered to do some report cards. He said he could do Pittsburgh's stadiums, and the Horseshoe at Ohio State.
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Team: Consol Energy Center
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
League: National Hockey League(Atlantic Division)
Built: 2010
Capacity: 18,087
My event: Regular Season game, New York Rangers
1. Outdoor Design
The CEC has a beautiful, modern glass front and is in a very nice, well kept area of Pittsburgh.
9/102. Indoor Design
Inside, the concourse is larger than two at the Mellon arena. The open design is a welcome change. Great view almost anywhere, even in the upper bowl, you have a great view of the game. The Mario Mosaic was really cool, and the rest of the arena was very high-tech.
10/103. PricesAbout normal for a hockey game, candy was a rip-off, but other than that pretty average.
6/104. FoodGreat selection of food, from normal stadium food to The Smokehouse, and Primanti Bros. There is a wide variety of choices.
8/105. StaffThe staff was friendly and helpful, as should be expected.
8/106. CleanlinessExtremely clean, inside and out, even the sidewalk outside was very clean. Not one speck of dirt, the cleanest stadium I’ve been to.
10/107. ParkingIt took a long time to find a place to park, and when we got there it wasn‘t cheap. Wish they would put in a parking deck close to the arena.
6/108. AtmosphereAn incredible atmosphere, very loud and passionate fans. The building shook when the Pens scored, and the chanting for Fleury was great.
9/109. Playing SurfaceBy the time I got there, they had fixed all the ice problems, so the ice looked great, and there were no issues.
8/1010. Scoreboard
One of the best scoreboard in the league, HUGE display and phenominal graphics. Provided an excellent look at replays n'at. Awesome screen!
8/10So that gives the Penguin's new arena an 84, up their with the class of the list. Look forward to more report cards soon.