How to Pick Seats at an NHL Game

Nothing makes the game of hockey more exciting or exhilarating than seeing an NHL game in person. Every NHL arena is different and choosing the right seats is important in order to see every heart-stopping save and gravity-defying slapshot.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Consider any physical limitations that exist for the people that will be attending with you. Older arenas have lots of steep steps between levels; newer buildings will have more escalators. Picking upper-level seats still means a lot of walking that could be cumbersome for elderly fans or children.
2. Look for concrete poles in the walkways and avoid sitting in the rows of seats that are in the levels where the glass surrounding the ice at playing level meets the safety netting suspended above it. It's difficult to see all of the action on the ice when you sit in this area.
3. Choose what end of the arena you want to sit at based on whether you want to watch the home team shoot or watch the goalie defend the home goal. Teams switch ends at the beginning of each regular period of play in a hockey game, meaning that the home team starts out defending one end at the beginning of the game, switches to the opposite end for the second period and returns to the home ice end for the last regulation period.
4. Decide what exterior accommodations you want to have near you while you're attending the game, such as restrooms or food and concession stands. Use an arena guide to these provisions and pick your seats accordingly.
5. Ask a fan who attends games at the arena frequently for the inside scoop on the great places to watch fights or see all the goalie's lightning-fast moves, so you can take advantage of this when picking your seats.