Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Uniondale, NY)

In the middle of Long Island is one of the Oldest NHL Arenas, it actually seems like it is very out of place for an Arena. The exterior of the building is anything but modern. There also isn't really a single main entrance to the building but both of the long sides had porches build onto it that were probably suppose to be. There is one concourse servicing the entire arena. At first I really liked this set up, you didn't have to go anywhere to get in to your seats. Then I figured out that this means that this one concourse also services all the people in the building. At intermission the it be comes insanely packed and becomes very hard to navigate.
So far it probably sounds like I'm not a fan of the place however I very much am. Something about the arena seems warm and cozy. Honestly I'm a little sad that hockey won't be played in this place after this season. There were plenty of fans quick to point out they are not happy about the team moving to Brooklyn, I think the best description is that they are bitter.

Seats
Tickets here are probably the best priced tickets I've ever purchased. I got 2 tickets for $15, and the face value of the tickets were $15 each. The seats have ageing padding however they are still very comfortable, partially due to how they are positioned. They also seem bigger than the seats usually are in modern arenas. The drop in the seats is less than ideal, a large person in front of you will severely hamper your ability to see the game. The seats in the last two row are made of metal.
Another thing that I noticed from above is that there doesn't seem to be glass seats. The seats are pulled back about 5ft from the glass so they don't really seem like glass seats.

Concessions
With a single ring for a concourse you have a situation where there are more carts than built in concessions. There are plenty of places to eat and plenty of places to get beer. This is actually the first place where they had an actual beer garden., which was a covered area outside the building. Oh and they had a live band with the beer too. However the best beer choices in the building is at a place called 22 beers. Here are some of the prices around the arena:
Beer - $9.75 (seemed to have just one price)
Wraps - $9.50 (Italian, Buffalo Chicken)
Hot Dog - $6.25
Personal Pizza - $9.50
Popcorn - $7.00
Pretzel - $7.00
Peanuts - $5.00
Cheese Steaks - $9.75
Pulled Pork Sandwiches - $9.75
Bathrooms are big and planned out very well for servicing large amounts of people, but still can't service all the stadium on the single concourse. The good news is that the seats behind the away goalie aren't totally filled, so you can search out the bathrooms behind those sections and reach a toilet faster.

Game Experience

I've already rambled about how old the arena is but there is an impressive feeling of nostalgia with the teams retired jerseys and Stanley Cup banners hanging from the ceiling. The team introduction comes with ice girls waving Islanders flags with some great light displays although they aren't unique to the Islanders.
As I mentioned there are ice girls that do promotions for the team and clear the ice during the TV time-outs. Also during the stoppages they have mini-contests for fans. In between the periods they had blimps flying around, and during the second intermission they had a puck toss for people. They also had a children's choir come and sing America the Beautiful.
The sound system is loud but it's like listening on bad head phones. Even with the poor sound the fans make up for it. They just happen to be insanely loud in fact they're the loudest I've heard and the stadium was a little over half full. I didn't actually know that there was an announcer until the visiting team scored because of how loud it was. There is so much Ref hate here the fans boo when the hit the ice, preform echoing @//hole chants. They also enjoy a healthy Rangers suck chant, to the "tune of if your happy and you know it". As you would expect when the Islanders score the building erupts and when they're done Whoooooaaaaing they "ooooo" back and forth. The fans don't stop celebrating after they leave the arena, it seems that every car in the parking lot had their horns blazing. The last rows in the upper sections along the sides have a blocked view of the Jumbotron but you can see the ice perfectly. The seats that are blocked have TVs but they play commercials and not the Jumbotron feed. The fans at Nassau made this game very fun.

Other (Transportation):
This section seems to have started to focus on transportation to the arena so I'm just going to change the name. There is ample parking for the Coliseum and its not overly expensive $8.25 for the cheapest, $15 and $30 for the closer parking. If you're coming from Manhattan then there is a Train Bus combination that will get you to the arena but its not terribly convenient.

New York Islanders 4 - San Jose Sharks 3 (SO)

Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)

Okay I'll admit I've been to a lot of games at the garden but never have I looked at it objectively. When you think of New York you probably think of the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and many other popular sites, one of them may even be MSG which for those who haven't seen it is not square. Honestly when they parody it in Futurama they should've made Madison Cube Garden a Sphere because the exterior is round (yes I know it's named after the city "square" concept such as an area boxed in by four streets). Really what you should think when you hear New York is $$$$$. Recently they preformed a one billion dollar renovation to the garden and it shows. It's interior is a light modern concept and the concourses are very open but the level 200 concourse is a little tight When you're walking around the ends. The exterior seems to not have benefited from the renovation and remains a bit dated but it's what's on the inside that counts right?

Seats:
The price of the seats does not spare the expense of NYC, face value of my ticket was $155, even for the best view I felt this is pricey, maybe not glass seating but I was in section 200. Even still $85 face value for upper level touching the ceiling is a little hard to stomach.
I will say that the seats were the most comfortable stadium seat I've been in. When you sit in the Lower level from rows 10 to 15 right behind the net there is a blocked view behind the net which is frustrating. This is caused by an angle change in the seating due to the seats going more vertical for the front 5 rows or so. MSG also has the Chase Bridge which hangs over the upper level on the sides. The seating seems like a good option to have and gives you a more vertical view of the ice. In the 200 Level Seating the first row has TVs you can watch fox, the Jumbotron feed, ESPN, or the live broadcast feed.

Concessions:
There are plenty of options for food in MSG. You may have to walk to find what suits you but there is a chance that they'll have it. The Beer stops flowing at the beginning of the 3rd and the Blue moon is apparently imported from Colorado. If you're looking for any sort of selection beyond Bud and Bud-light find the Garden Pub, which has several NY beers. They do have Slush cocktails like you would find at a Mardi-Gras in Vegas or a bar in New Orleans. Also the staff at several of the concession counters let you know it was a hassle to modify menu items such as asking for something without onions or to add Jalapeños (even though they don't have any). Here is a list of things I was able to note prices as I walked around:

• Fancy dogs (Peppers, Onions, Cheese, Marinara) - $10.50
• Personal pizza - $10
• Beer - $10 or $11
• Hot dog - $5 Regular, $7 foot long
• Peanuts: $5
• Nachos - $6.50 Just Cheese - $11 Fancy (Add Sour Cream, Tomatoes, Guacamole), $14 (w/ Meat)
• Chicken Sandwich - $14.50
• Corned Beef or Pastrami - $15
• Liquor - $11 or $12 (A shot and a mixer)
• Pretzel - $5.50 (I think this includes cheese but if not cheese is $2)

They also really enjoy Dijon Mustard in NYC so if you're a fan of yellow mustard you are out of luck.
MSG has quite a few bathrooms. They do have designated entrances and exits but relatively no room within the bathroom. The good news is that there are Beer shelves above all of the urinals, the bad news is that there are long lines that stretch far into the concourses. If you encounter one of these long lines you're best bet might be going in the opposite direction, chances are that you may hit the bathroom with the short line, or miss out on some action. If you go right when the period ends the line will move fast enough for you to do your business and grab another beer.

Game Experience:

It's easy to see that they stress tradition in MSG and play the original 6 card constantly. Now I'm not being bitter I love the fact that they do their original 6 thing. The problem that I have is that they hype the building just as much as the team. You're watching the New York Rangers playing in Madison Square Garden. However, there is no shortage of heritage, it just might not be all hockey related, around the arena for every day of the year an event is displayed that happened at MSG on that day.
In between periods they have various fan events, commentated Mini-Mites shots to win cars or trips around the world. They are happy to throw t-shirts out at every TV timeout. They also honor lifetime season ticket holders so you can see the people that have been going to the Rangers games since the 40's or whose grandparents bought into the early NHL team. Also every single night they showcase the celebrities that came out that night some nights its a random NY Giant or Knicks Player other nights like tonight it is Tom Hanks, Laura Prepon, Steven Yeun, and Chad Coleman.  Really the celebrities have nothing to do with the game but it can be fun to see.
I can say that the announcements are very clear and the announcer has the stereotypical announcer voice. He waits until the cheers are done and whether its the sound system or his voice he stands out and commands your attention. Speaking of Cheers when the Rangers score they have a very distinctive "Hey hey hey" Cheer that is fantastic to hear. I'm sure there are some youtube videos of it but it comes from a Fan Base that's insanely happy for a goal.
The ushers are really good about keeping people from going to their seats during play. Really the only terrible thing I noticed is that they have all out TV commercials during the game, which is a little hard to stomach.

Other:
MSG is build immediately on top of Penn Station where the Amtrak, Subway, NJ-Transit all interconnect. If you can't find your way to where you're going try drinking a little less.

New York Rangers 3 - Toronto Maple Leafs 6

Pepsi Center (Denver, CO)

The Avalanche home opener was complemented with tons of pre-game entertainment outside the main entrance to the Arena, including live marching bands, radio station booths, and games for attendees to play. I have been to more games at the Pepsi Center than any other arena and can tell you that there is rarely a game without some sort of festivities out front. When you walk in you're in a giant glass atrium with an extensive team store. Plenty of staff members are placed around the arena to direct you to your seat and give you a little shit for being an away fan. One of the things you'll notice is that most of the concourse is naturally lighted and with large windows that give you views of Downtown, Elitch Gardens, and the mountains on a clear day. The concourses are also wide which means there is a good amount of room for you to walk around.

Seats
Literally the back has the least amount of padding you could hope for but it looks like they are upgrading the seats, so it shouldn't be that way for long. Seating is vertical with the person in front of you well below your field of vision. The ticket I purchased was $45 for upper level from the official website. Also if you're looking for a fancier time there is Butler Service in the club level seating (Level 200). From past experience there really isn't a bad seat in the house. No matter where you sit there should be a perfect line of sight to the ice.

Concessions
First there are some sort of concessions outside section so you can easily find food and beer in this building. There didn't appear to be any local edibles but there were plenty of local drinkables, as you would expect from Colorado's beer community. Probably the best part about this is that its the same price as the Bud and Coors.
Here are some prices I noted

• Beer: $7 - $8 (Local, Domestic, Premium)
• Cocktails: $8
• Nachos: $5.25 (Cheese and Jalapeños)
• Hot dog: $5
• Premium items: $11.25 (Italian Sausage, Brisket, Mushroom Melt, Loaded Nachos)
• Cheese Steak: $7.25

And now the Baños. The good news is that there are plenty of them with multiple entrances. They are large enough that the lines form for individual toilets inside the actual bathroom. The bad part of these bathrooms is that there is no beer shelf above the toilet and really no top to the urinal to set your drink. Women's bathrooms had a healthy line that would just peek out the entrance. Also because of the mass of people it's a little hard to get to a sink to wash your hands.

Game Experience

Its impossible to ignore the Pepsi Center's new Jumbotron, when you walk in its in your face ready to immerse you in the action. It's really just massive with a clear sharp picture and very well organized for displaying the score and stats of the game. Complementing the main display are four auxiliary displays showing more in depth stats (player ice times, individual shots on goal, etc.) and scores from other games. The ice is also lit up with multiple Avalanche logos, lights, American flags, and what looks like the tri-force logo from the Zelda games.
The sound seemed a little distant, don't get me wrong it was loud but it seemed like it was coming from far away. Even though it's all in front of you the announcements are clear even above the screaming fans around you. They do utilize several commentators around the arena to do fan appreciation activities and mini-contests, I'm pretty sure I counted 6 besides the main announcer. Also they have an Organ for playing some more traditional style music during stoppages.
In case it matters to you the Avalanche do use ice girls to clear the ice. They're also walking around the arena before and during the game and are more than happy to pose for pictures with anyone that's willing.
Ownership seems to know how to highlight their fans. It seemed that every movie wither started or ended with something about their fan base. Fans were invited to the pre-game to hold large on ice flags. Mini-mites are integrated into the pre-game and between period entertainment. In between periods they have fan contests on the ice as well as a few fan polls to choose a song. There are two floating blimps dropping coupons, gift certificates, and things of that sort, and they also do a lower level parachute drop.
The creative staff responsible for the introduction movies, team promotion videos, and the like are great at what they do. I really can't think of the best way to describe what they do but I can tell you what they do: The first team introduction consisted of a series of black and white clips of players showing up to the arena very tasteful, then they had a fantastic 8-bit video right before puck drop, there was a video where Bernie (the AVs mascot) chased a wild fan only to tackle him into a lake, among many others. I really don't do them justice but the team is good at what they do.
I attempt to get to a game as soon as the doors open, tonight so did half of the people with tickets and of those were in their seats for the pre-game warm-ups. The fans aren't afraid to be loud and cheer on their favorite players; they're also not afraid to boo their least favorite players and the Referees no matter the call against the home team. I do have to say that there seems to be quite a few fans that weren't very hockey savvy as there was a fair amount of booing when the team would go on their dump and chase efforts, go for changes, and wouldn't all out attack the other team on power play. Unfortunately I never got the opportunity to hear the building when the home team scored.
During play I didn't see a single person let up to their seats, now I'm not saying that it doesn't happen but the ushers seem to know that rule.

Other
Light Rail stop right outside the stadium, and $15 Parking for people that Drive with some priority parking for Hybrid Drivers.

Colorado Avalanche 0 - Minnesota Wild 3