NHL Arenas Ranked: Who Has The Oldest Arena?

The NHL is as steeped in history as just about any other league in North American pro sports, so it makes sense that many of its barns also hold great historic importance. 

While many of the original iconic hockey stadiums are gone — the Boston Garden, Maple Leafs Gardens, and the Arizona Coyotes’ Mullett Arena — a rare breed of ‘old’ stadiums live on. 

Here’s a ranking of the oldest NHL stadiums.

Oldest NHL Arenas

United Center, Chicago Blackhawks – 1994

Chicago’s now-iconic United Center opened in 1994, replacing the old Chicago Stadium, which opened in 1929. 

While the 90s in the United Center were famous because of the dynastic run of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, the Hawks were on a generational run of their own with a playoff streak that started in the 1969-70 season. 

The United Center is the second-largest capacity arena in the NHL and is tied for the largest max capacity indoor arena in the United States. 

It’s known for its loud crowd noise, nicknamed “The Roar,” which is amplified by steel panels in the roof that were specially engineered to match the level of noise in Chicago Stadium. During Chicago’s runs in the 2010s, this crowd noise reached its peak, with some playoff games reaching decibel levels of 120. 

While it is one of the oldest arenas in both the NBA and NHL, it’s not showing its age so far, thanks to years of refurbishment and investments from the Blackhawks and Bulls ownership. 

Enterprise Center, St. Louis Blues – 1994

Tied for fourth-oldest in the NHL is St. Louis’ Enterprise Center. 

It’s fitting that the Blues and Blackhawks are linked here, given the historic rivalry between both teams and both Midwest cities in other sports. 

When the arena opened in 1994, it was known as the Kiel Center and went through two other name changes before the car rental service Enterprise purchased the naming rights in 2018. 

The arena opened while the Blues were also on a streak of making the playoffs, which lasted from the 1979-80 season to the 2003-04 season. St Louis would not win the Stanley Cup until 2019. 

The Enterprise Center underwent a $150 million renovation between 2017 and 2019, which updated its video scoreboard, seating, locker rooms, sound system, and club seating, among other features.

SAP Center, San Jose Sharks – 1993

We go from a pair of Midwest teams tied for the fourth-oldest to a pair of California teams tied for the third-oldest. 

First up is the San Jose Sharks, who had only existed as an NHL expansion team for two years before relocating to the SAP Center, originally known as the San Jose Arena. 

From 1991 to 1993, the Sharks played their games at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, still the best-named arena in sports. 

The arena seats around 17,500 fans for hockey and 19,000 for concerts. 

The SAP Center is nicknamed “The Shark Tank” and features a giant Shark’s head through which players enter to get onto the ice. 

Honda Center, Anaheim Ducks – 1993

The Anaheim Ducks entered the NHL in 1993 and were initially owned by the Walt Disney Company, which created the team to promote its 1992 hockey movie, The Mighty Ducks. 

Disney helped build the arena, initially named the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, which is located 10 minutes from Disneyland. 

The opening game against the Detroit Red Wings featured a typical Disney display of fanfare before the game, which apparently distracted the team and led to a 7-2 loss. 

Ducks coach Ron Wilson said the team was “caught up in the hoopla.”

Disney used the stadium to film the Mighty Ducks’ sequel, D2: The Mighty Ducks. 

Since then, the arena has seen two Stanley Cup Finals in 2003 and 2007, which the Ducks won. 

Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary Flames – 1983

The Scotiabank Saddledome gives the Cow Palace a run for its money in the best stadium name category. It’s named the Saddledome due to the uniquely shaped roof of the stadium, which resembles a saddle. 

The Saddledome, initially named the Olympic Saddledome, was constructed to house the Calgary Flames and the iced events at the 1988 Winter Olympics. 

For the three years between when the Flames moved to Calgary and the opening of the Saddledome, they played at the Stampede Corral. 

When it opened in 1983, it was the first NHL stadium to feature an international-sized ice rink. 

The stadium last underwent major $37 million renovations in 1994, reopening with a sold-out Reba McEntire concert. 

Construction began in 2024 on a new arena called Scotia Place, which will replace the Saddledome. 

Madison Square Garden, New York Rangers – 1968 

The World’s Most Famous Arena is also the oldest NHL stadium. 

The current incarnation of Madison Square Garden is the fourth arena with that name. 

Madison Square Garden III hosted the Rangers starting in 1926 and was demolished in 1968 so that a new arena, the current MSG, could be built above Penn Station. The former site of MSG III was a parking lot until 1989, when an office building was constructed there. 

The Rangers played their first home game on February 18th 1968, against the Philadelphia Flyers and won 3-0. 

The arena was first renovated in 1991 at a cost of $200 million. The arena underwent a second renovation from 2011 to 2013, and it cost $1 billion.