HONDA CENTER
STADIUM DUDE’S NHL ARENA RANK: #25
ARENA INFORMATION
- Location: Anaheim, California
- Opened 1993
- Capacity 17,174
- Games attended: 2
- Last visited: 2024
ARENA REVIEW
With the dark green accents, pink brick and beige marble floors, The Honda Center screams 1990’s luxury.
The Ducks are the classic suburban team playing in a classic suburban arena. Currently, it is surrounded by freeways and parking lots, making it a fairly easy place to get in and out of assuming you’re driving. For those staying nearby who want to get their drink on, there are some decent options in the arena area for pre-gaming, but (for now) all but one involve a 15-to-20-minute walk to the rink. This may change with the completion of the ocV!BE project which will add eateries, housing and entertainment venues to the area, but for now, it’s largely a get-in/get-out place.
Been Nicely Kept
Despite being one of the older buildings in the league, it looks bright and shiny throughout. It offers wide concourses featuring local concessions, an attractive exterior, and surfboards & beach décor on the walls throughout. But no escalators to the upper bowl; you’re taking the stairs, Skippy.
Minor improvements over the years have brought a large HD scoreboard, 500 HD Monitors throughout the arena, a large team store, and a wine cellar with 240 different wines accessible for fans seating on the Club Level. The 15,000 square-foot indoor-outdoor Brewery X Biergarten is a great addition as well. And as team owners develop the surrounding area more, I’m sure the arena will keep getting modernized.
Chill Fans
Fans are jovial but lack the intensity seen in other hockey markets. Perhaps they’ve were spoiled by all those years of Ducks’ success and are not used to the “hard times”. Or perhaps they’re just chill Southern Californians used to wonderful weather who feel little need to act like a maniac in a cold arena. Regardless, you’ll feel a real laid back crowd here. It’s the most “Californian vibe” of the three rinks in the state.
You could probably bring your kids without fear they’ll hear something you wish they didn’t. With a combination of palm trees and hockey, “Pleasant” is the best word I can use to describe a game here.
In Conclusion…
Every rink from this point of the ratings on up is a high-quality venue. Despite its slightly dated appearance, the Honda Center is a good facility to see a hockey game. A little more passion from the stands is all that’s needed.
