Canadian Tire Centre (Ottawa, ON)

The Canadian Tire Centre looks like its a retro-arena, despite opening in 1996. Now when I say retro I mean it has an old feel to it which is nice when you're going to watch the game. The main entrance has a large brick mosaic of the Senators Logo is out front. It has huge grand entrance to lead you to the concourses and to your seats. The concourses were large with high ceilings. Actually it looked like they built the arena than built a shell around it. The upper levels have stairways that bring you to your seat from the main concourse area. One of the walls on the main concourse highlights Ottawa's hockey history and is really worth spending some time reading.
I also got very lucky to be there on Bobble Head night, which was a surprisingly high quality ceramic toy. I very much loved the way that they did the anthem here, rolling out the Canadian Flag and the singing the mixed French/English version, it was fantastic to see.
Everyone in the building was super polite, even to the man in the visiting team jersey. There was an appropriate amount of heckling and joking around; you really start to realize why they call Canadians overly polite. My favorite comment of the evening was "That's a wild jersey," which I had definitely heard before but it came in a new light of this environment.

Seats
I paid $15 for my upper level seat which was about $20 after taxes. They have very deep seats that you sink into, and they're a little skinny too. You're guaranteed to rub elbows with the guys next to you. Generally they are vertical enough for you to see everything unless the bill of the guy's hat, in front of you, is straight up in the air then it'll block part of the ice. And one of my apparent metrics for the seats, no cup holders.

Concessions
Everything is in Canadian monies which is similar to the US Dollar but everything is actually cheaper than in the US. They will except US money at a direct 1 to 1 exchange. There is a big carving station with an adequate beer selection including quite a few local brews. Fatboys southern smokehouse will offer you some smells of super fragrant BBQ, which will make your mouth water. The Cheapest place in the arena is Tim Horton's, which is a fantastic place to serve doughnuts and hot beverages. I can't believe Starbucks hasn't adopted this in the US.

Donut - $1.35
Beer - $9.75
Hot Cocoa & Coffee - less than $2
Bacon Cheeseburger - $10.50
Hamburger - $9.00
Hotdog - $4.50
Pizza - $5.25
Meat Sandwich - $13.50
Reuben - $14.00
Bottomless Popcorn - $7.25

The bathrooms are large and conveniently placed around the arena. They did some decent planning with them with two entrances/exits. They're not cramped inside but you still have to wait to use the toilet.

Game Experience

The arena is super open, you don't feel like anything is hanging over you even when you are in the last row. Here there is a French version of everything, meaning every announcement is supplemented in French. I couldn't pick out a problem with the sound; it was perfectly decent and clear throughout the game. Jumbotron is clear but some of the print is really small, specifically the shots on goal. Throughout the arena there were cell charging stations. The quantity of silent auction items from other teams threw me off a bit and they believed heavily in the 50/50 raffle.
The worst part of this place is that there are red inserts between the panes of plexiglass around the rink which was kind of annoying more than anything.
The team intro draws you in and is very well put together; it gives you the "lets get ready for hockey" feeling. Kids bring in flags before the game. In between periods mini mites played with snoopy music playing and in the second intermission there was literally have a political race. Former large headed Prime Minister's raced around the rink.
As for the fans It seemed hard for someone to get a chant going during play. I kinda had a sense that they were more interested in watching than yelling. Which fits the arena as they didn't have flashing lights everywhere, it was really a gimmick free environment. I will say that the fans that I sat around were knowledgeable. They easily know when a penalty is called correctly even when it was called against their own team. When the Senator's scored it was just a lot of noise, there was no developed goal chant. The fans were however very happy to cheer against Toronto. They did subscribe to the idea that a hockey arena needs organ music and played it heavily.
Lots of fans left before the end of the game, which disappointed me quite a bit. Also home goalie upper level seats were only half full, a sight I did not expect to see at a Canadian Hockey Game.

Transportation
Well I didn't look around too much but it does seem to be on the outskirts of Ottawa. There didn't seem to be any public transportation options but there might have been buses that take you back to the city. There are many different parking areas with pricing starting at $13.

Minnesota Wild 0 - Ottawa Senators 3

TD Garden (Boston, MA)

TD Garden is a Concrete box, but a nice concrete box. Jetting out towards the water its the first sight you see when you come over the bridges and it's impossible miss the giant Bruins Logo on the side. Of course there is a fantastic statue of Bobby Orr doing his famous dive at the southern corner that is a must see.
Entering the arena is a little confusing because the entrance is also the train station. Towards the start of the game they put up barriers to direct you into the arena above. Upon entering they give attendees a free poster with game notes and team rosters which is nice but hard to keep from getting wrinkled during the game. The first level concourse was black & white, bright and very wide. The Upper level was green & yellow with more of a warehouse feel. In the arena itself there were so many banners on the ceiling you can't see them all. If you get there before the game starts you'll be flooded with lots of yellow from the seats and Bruin signs.

Seats
The cost for my upper level seat was $45. It probably was a little more than I would have liked to pay. The upper level seats are all molded plastic where as the lower level had some padding in them. The seats were void of cup holders so you had to worry about your beer getting kicked if you set it down. You also had to worry about it on your trek to your seat which is caused by narrow rows that are very steep. But the people in front of you are below you're field of view. There was also an upper upper level which probably was originally reserved for press but parts have been converted for fans to enjoy as well.

Concessions
In TD Garden they seem to shy away from carts for selling food and drinks. Everything had a stand that was built into the Arena. Near the escalators that take you to the upper levels there is a Craft Beer Garden. Next to the Craft Beer Garden are large exterior windows which make for a good place to get and drink your beer.

Craft Beer Garden Beers - $9.75
Big Bad Burger - $13 (Single) $15 (Double) $17 (Triple)
Giant Hot Dog - $10
Hot Dog - $5.50
Pretzel - $4.50
Nachos - $7
Italian Sausage - $7
Chicken Tenders - $12 (5pcs) $9(3pcs)
Roasted Turkey or Roast Beef - $16
Cocktails & Liquor - $11 to $13
Peanuts - $5

The Lower level bathrooms or at least the one I visited, seemed to be thrown where convenient with no flow control and few toilets. The upper level bathrooms are big with entrances and exits. Even though they are big you still waddle into them and wait in line to get in wait in line for individual toilets. People are very adamant about the amount of time you spend at your urinal.

Game Experience

If you have a blocked view you're facing the wrong direction I don't see where it would come from in this place. The led Bands around the upper sections have the capability to change the color of the entire arena it's pretty powerful, especially if it adds to the already flooded yellow of the arena.
This is the best place I've been for support of other NHL teams. They featured interviews with players from other teams. Also since it was his return to Boston after leaving the Bruins just before the season started there was an outstanding respect for Boychuk. The chants and yells for him were incredible, exactly what a player wants to hear when he returns to his old arena.
There were clear announcements throughout the game with little extra facts even if it was the away team, like first goal of the season and things like that. The speakers themselves didn't give off the cleanest of sounds but it wasn't terrible. I'm not sure if it was this night but you definitely can't hear the end of period horn. The visual team created a great strength in numbers video, with a oldish feel and modern flairs ending with the classic growling Bruin. Another thing was that they made an effort to showcase fans from all sections on the Jumbotron, so if that's your objective you've got a chance even if you're touching the ceiling.
When you're walking around you have to beware because there are 50/50 raffle people everywhere. Ready and willing harass you into buying a ticket (yes, harass is the correct word here is harass). In between the periods they had fully commentated mini-mites hockey games.
For the upper levels there were no gate guards but the fans police themselves. People don't interrupt the action except at the start of the periods. There was a low chatter the whole game or at least most of it. Sometimes you wonder if Bruins fans are paying attention. But really they just expect a lot from their team; the Bruins need to earn fan appraise. It was weird to see what people would cheer for too, sometimes there would be an amazing play and nothing but then it would happen a big hit and building would erupt. When the Bruins score they cue up Zombienation, then there is this "whooo" call and response after the goal announcement which you really have to hear to understand. Then towards the end the entire stadium went insane.
At the end of the game police gathered by each of the exits and one of the ushers forced you to get out of your seat almost immediately, which for me was a first.

Transportation
Did I mention its right on top of the Amtrak with the Metro literally right outside the doors, The building is well connected.

Boston Bruins 2 - New York Islanders 3