Hockey

The Bell Centre is not the NHL’s most intimidating amphitheatre
Jonathan Di Gregorio
The Bell Centre is not the NHL’s most intimidating amphitheatre
Credit: Getty Images

The NHL surveyed some of its players as part of the North American Media Tour to find out which amphitheatre they found most difficult to play in. And it wasn't the Centre Bell that came out on top. Out of 29 players questioned, seven chose the home of the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Lenovo Center is particularly noisy and intimidating for opponents, with a configuration that makes the arena seem smaller.

What's more, the visitors' locker room is too small and lacks most of the facilities normally found throughout the League. Not to mention that the fans are not only intense in their own amphitheatre, but have imported the tradition of tailgating in the parking lot before Hurricanes games, with many of them waiting for the visitors' bus to arrive to insult the players. In short, the jerks are intimidating. It must also be said that in recent years, the Canes have become one of the NHL's very good teams. They're already a tough club to play against, and that's even truer when they have home-ice advantage. content-ads] In second place, with three votes, is the home of the Canadiens. However, in Montreal, it's more our passion for hockey that makes us intense supporters. What's more, we're renowned for our knowledge of the sport, as Dustin Wolf says: “Everyone knows everything about hockey over there. The history of the club is also something that players find intimidating when they come to play a game at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens, who haven't lost in regulation time in 14 games at home, are really starting to turn their home ice into a real fortress. You have to go back to February 9, before the 4 Nations break, for the Habs' last regular-season defeat.

The Habs, who should be one of the League's good teams in the coming years, are likely to become an increasingly difficult team to face at home, and it's not impossible that the Bell Centre will do even better in the future. Seven amphitheatres come third with two votes, including Boston's TD Garden, which was the choice of Nick Suzuki, who finds the fans very noisy, especially against the Canadiens.

'Overtime'

– The Jays tie the score.

– Pressure on the kid!

– What a pass!

– Great visit.

– What a stop!

😏

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!