AMERANT BANK ARENA
STADIUM DUDE’S NHL ARENA RANKING: #30
ARENA INFORMATION
- Location: Sunrise, Florida
- Opened 1998
- Capacity 19,250
- Games attended: 5
- Last visited: 2024
ARENA REVIEW
Non-traditional hockey markets need to make the game an event. It helps when the arena is situated in a thriving downtown around several local establishments.
Unfortunately, the Florida Panthers’ arena is in swampland some 40+ miles north northwest of South Beach. If you cross the Sawgrass Expressway to the west, you’re literally in the Everglades. Fans coming from downtown Miami can be looking very easily at a 2+ hour round-trip commute. That’s a commitment!
Miami is a fair-weather sports town, so the team’s recent success has led to full, hopping houses; the team, I’m sure, is hoping these recent playoff runs translate to similar long-term attendance success as enjoyed in Tampa. But hockey is very much a niche in South Florida, and for years the product on the ice was mediocre. Add the threat of a lengthy commute, and this meant thousands of empty seats every game. The passionate fans that showed up couldn’t offset the so-so crowds, and the meh overall vibe of the place dropped it down the ranking.
The arena itself, like all rinks built since the Clinton Administration, is a fine building. Built in 1998, Amerant Bank Arena is in immaculate shape, with everything still looking fresh. It’s surrounded on the outside by well-manicured landscaping, giving it a distinctive “Florida vibe”. Onsite parking is easy and plentiful with 7,000 spots. And while there are wetlands to the west, the arena borders a huge mall, giving hockey fans the option of some chain eateries for pre or post-gaming (though the long drive home would really cut down on the drinks).
Game day atmosphere is family-friendly. The team makes good use of the plaza surrounding the arena and the fantastic South Florida winter weather to host some outdoor kid-friendly activities before the game. You can almost always walk from your car without a jacket which means everyone fits into the seats a little better. Snowbirds crowds can split the rooting interest a little which makes things more interesting; consider a match-up versus one of the Canadian teams, the Bruins, Rangers or Flyers. And of course, a playoff game leads to a buzzy building and the re-emergence of the (plastic) rat throwing tradition.
The arena signage on this place should be digital so it can be changed easily given Amerant Bank is the 83rd name since it opened in 1998 (actually, it’s “only” 7, but it’s hard to keep up). Whatever it’s officially called, I just call it far.
