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It has been a tough few years for the Edmonton Oilers. In spite of having some of the most dynamic, talented players in the NHL, they’ve only made the playoffs once in the last decade. But although the team hasn’t enjoyed the kind of success the fans might want, they can take some solace in the fact that the Oilers are playing in one of the newest, most impressive arenas in the league, Rogers Place.
At almost a half billion dollars, the new downtown arena has spared no expense in making sure every trip to the building is an event, over and above whatever sport or concert you’ve come to watch.
A detailed consultation process was conducted with the fans during the design phase and, as a result, the facility has many design features that reflect the experience the fans want to have. Its modern design matches well with the new generation of exciting hockey players now coming through the Oilers system while also paying homage to the Oilers Stanley Cup dynasty of the 1980s.
Food & Beverage – 5
Regular concession stands have a relatively small selection to choose from, but each location has a slightly different menu, so have a look around before you settle on something. You’ll find all the expected options, from hot dogs to burgers, fountain pop to bottled water. If you’re into hot dogs with more toppings than the average person can fit in their mouth, try the King Dog, which is topped with loads of bacon, mac and cheese, salsa, and shredded cheddar ($12).
Most concessions also have some basic adult beverage choices, if you’re looking for a glass of Molson Canadian or Coors Light ($12). Typically a couple of premium options are available as well.
There are also a couple of specialty stands around the several levels of concourse that feature interesting fare such as butter chicken and chick peas, perogy nachos (excellent!) or smoked brisket sandwiches. You’ll also find four Pizza 73 locations around the building.
If you’re looking for something a little more special, there are a few more places to check out. In the lower concourse, available to fans in the lower bowl, there are two club-style areas known as the Coventry Homes Club and the North Mezzanine Club, complete with tables for fans to gather around between periods. The concessions in these areas have an upgraded menu with some more exotic selections. On the main floor concourse, you’ll find the Molson Canadian Fan Deck, just outside the side of the rink, with a full-service bar and more food choices.
Fans in the PCL Loge Level have access to two more choices in the River Valley Grill and the Carvery. Overlooking Ford Hall, the main entrance to Rogers Place, is Curve Restaurant, which is a reservation-only location on this floor as well.
Sky Lounge is a premium seating club on the west end of the upper concourse which has a special menu and in-seat beverage service. Directly below it is the Sportsnet Club which also features premium seating and a unique menu.
Out in Ford Hall, and accessible before and after games, is the Molson Canadian Hockey House, yet another option for dining at the rink, with a full list of food and beverage options.
The food and beverage options are expensive here, but overall very good.
Atmosphere – 5
The managers of Rogers Place do know how to put on a show for the fans. Just approaching the rink is an experience. The arena is decorated with images from Oilers history, reminding fans of Edmonton’s proud hockey tradition. Just to the west of the main entrance is a Wayne Gretzky statue that was relocated here from Rexall Place when the Oilers moved. Through the glass behind the statue you can see the Oilers Hall of Fame room, which features memorabilia from the Hockey Hall of Fame, located in Toronto, ON. This is also where all pre- and post-game interviews are conducted, giving fans an up-close look at the head coach and players.
Whether you enter Ford Hall from its main entrance, a block south of the main Rogers Place building, or through the main doors, this is a beautiful gathering area for fans prior to walking through the gates into the arena itself.Ford Hall is open year-round so folks visiting Edmonton’s downtown core can stop by and check it out.
The main concourse is quite wide and several stories high, giving it an open, roomy feel. Once inside the seating bowl, you’ll also get a sense of spaciousness, from the wide seats (19” – 22” depending on where you’re sitting) and ample leg room to the significant elevation from ice level to the top of the upper bowl. Seats still don’t feel that far away from the game action, however, due to the upper levels being cantilevered out over the lower levels, bringing them much closer to the middle of the arena, giving even upper deck audiences a sense that they’re right on top of the game.
The energy in the stands is also good. While the game is underway, ambient sound levels indicate a steady buzz of excitement, which can quickly spike when a goal is scored, a fight breaks out, or something else exciting happens.
Neighbourhood – 4
Rogers Place is situated on the north end of Edmonton’s downtown core. To the west of the rink is the main campus of MacEwan University. If you stick to those areas before and after games, you should have no troubles at all.
North of the arena is a much less desirable part of town. Central McDougall isn’t the worst part of town, but you perhaps don’t want to find yourself alone after dark in that area. It is, in fact, hoped that building Rogers Place in that location will help to gentrify the neighbourhood, so this could improve over the next few years.
Two blocks east and south of the arena is Sir Winston Churchill Square, a central gathering place for the city which is framed on three sides by Edmonton City Hall, the Art Gallery of Alberta, Winspear Centre for Music, and the main branch of the Edmonton Public Library. Very nice location to check out.
On the southeast corner of Rogers Place is the Grand Villa Casino, so patrons of Rogers Place can stop in and try their luck at the slots or table games before or after seeing the Oilers.
If you’re looking to grab a bite or a drink before or after games, you have a ton of good options within just a couple blocks of Rogers Centre.
You can always try the Molson Canadian Hockey House right in Ford Hall, if you want to eat right outside the main gates, or at Curve on the PCL Loge Level once the gates open.
Across the street to the southwest of Rogers Place is the Mercer Tavern which provides casual pub dining.
If you’re in the mood for steak, you can try the Chop Steakhouse. One of several Chop franchises around Canada, this is a good choice to satisfy your need for world-famous Alberta beef.
Another good pub option is the Underground Tap and Grill, located just a block away from the Central LRT station. Underground features 72 beer taps, including the largest selection of Alberta-brewed beers in the province.
If Italian food is your thing, there are a couple good choices. Pazzo Pazzo is a traditional Italian restaurant with all the dishes you’d expect to find. Just a couple blocks away you’ll also find Edmonton’s downtown Old Spaghetti Factory which also features a full Italian menu, including nine different spaghetti variations.
Next door to the Old Spaghetti Factory is Haweli, which serves Indian food. If you’re looking for something a little spicier and more exotic, this is the place to try.
The Joey Restaurant in the Bell Tower is another excellent option which fills up quickly before games but serves great food.
Really, this is just scratching the surface. There are many, many more places nearby, from Harvey’s to Subway to Boston Pizza to Mikado Japanese to Sofra Authentic Turkish Cuisine and on and on.
Fans – 5
Oilers fans are pretty hard core. For the decade leading up to Rogers Place opening its doors, Oilers fans sold out every home game. In the new barn, the Oilers are now drawing over 1,500 more fans per game, and once again are selling out every night.
The crowds get excited at all the appropriate moments, showing they are engaged in the action, and they’re pleasant to be around, whether in the stands or the concourse, with no anti-social behavior observed. Many, if not most, of the fans are decked out in Oilers orange and blue, proudly showing off their dedication to their team.
Access – 4
Getting to and from Rogers Place is fairly easy. There are almost 18,000 parking spots within a 10-minute walk of the arena. The Rogers Place website recommends that you use Reef Events to pre-purchase a spot to guarantee your place. This is probably a good practice to follow if you decide to make the drive downtown as there have been rumblings about price gouging for patrons who roll up to downtown parking without a reservation, with prices as high as $38 in some cases.
Once inside Rogers Place, having five floors of concourse helps to spread people around a bit, although the Mezzanine (lower bowl), luxury box, and PCL Loge level concourses are underused, as you have to have a seat in that area to be granted access. The main concourse remains very busy between periods and the upper bowl’s concourse is also quite full.
Traffic flow on the main concourse is good overall, with far fewer pinch points now than there were the year the stadium opened its doors. The upper bowl’s concourse remains quite full between periods, moving slowly, but steadily.
A concern that has been heard more than once is that lineups to both the men’s and women’s washrooms are long. Some complaining was heard from patrons about this issue. If there simply aren’t enough washrooms to adequately service the crowd, this may remain a sore spot for people attending Rogers Place for years to come.
Return on Investment – 3
The Oilers have the seventh-highest ticket prices in the NHL, with an average of $149 per seat, according to Vivid Seats. This is down significantly from previous seasons.
While this is a beautiful new arena and a young, dynamic team, a family of four could easily run up a cost of close to a thousand dollars for just a couple hours of entertainment. This is well out of the price range of many hockey fans, and a tough sell for getting out to more than one or two games a year for many more.
Extras – 5
Over and above the hockey game, there are a ton of other things that add to the experience at Rogers Place.
There is a Designated Driver program available onsite for fans that might have had a few drinks too many. This is an excellent idea that should be seen in more venues.
Free Wi-Fi access is available to fans throughout the building, allowing fans to live Tweet games, check their emails and otherwise interact with the World Wide Web while onsite.
Oilers mascot Hunter helps keep the fans entertained around the arena. He is named after original Oilers owner “Wild Bill” Hunter and looks like a Canadian lynx, a wild cat that is fairly common in the Edmonton area.
The Oilers Hall of Fame room is located right at the front of the building and can be seen through the glass by fans walking along the sidewalk in front of Rogers Place. Tours of the room allow fans to get an even closer look at all the cool stuff in that space, including Wayne Gretzky’s rookie uniform and many other pieces of Oilers history.
On the northeast corner of Rogers Place is the Edmonton Downtown Community Arena.
Accessible from corridors inside the building, this arena is now home to the MacEwan University men’s and women’s hockey teams. It also serves as the Oilers’ and Oil Kings’ practice ice and it is also available as a public skating rink.
There are TVs all over the building, so even if you step away from your seat for a few moments during a game, you can probably still keep an eye on the action from wherever you happen to be.
Speaking of video, Rogers Place features the one of the largest scoreboards in the NHL (and NBA, if they played in Edmonton). At 14 metres wide by 11 metres tall, it dominates the space above the rink and provides a spectacular image from every angle.
Several interactive touches are located around the concourses, such as a couple life-size Oilers bobbleheads that attendees can get their pictures taken with.
The Oilers Store can be found in a number of locations around the building giving fans an opportunity to stock up on all the Oilers clothes and souvenirs they can carry.
If you’re an art fan, Rogers Place has several special pieces for you. The floor of Ford Hall is adorned with a giant circular mosaic called Tsa Tsa Ke K’e (Iron Foot Place) by local artist Alex Janvier. The northwest plaza, adjacent to the MacEwan LRT station has a large sculpture called Essential Tree by realities:united, an art collective in Berlin.The northeast plaza features a red circular sculpture called Skater’s Arch by Saskatchewan artist Douglas Bentham. And directly above the main entrance to the Downtown Community Arena is a piece that combines sculpture and painting called 9 Figures In Motion With A Puck by local artist Al Henderson.
As an added bonus, you’ll also find cell phone charging stations in the concourse for Rogers Mobility customers with low batteries.
Rogers Place is the first NHL rink in Canada to be LEED-Silver certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). This makes it one of the most environmentally friendly arenas in North America.
Final Thoughts
Rogers Place is a worthwhile place to visit even if you’re not there for a hockey game. There is so much to see and do in and around the building without ever walking through the gates that you could spend a couple hours just checking the place out. This is likely to only get better as more features get added over time. Once you’re through the gates, this is a beautiful building with truly state-of-the-art features that should impress most everyone.
If you’re a hockey fan and you’re looking for the chance to see one of the newest, hottest arenas in the NHL, Rogers Place is definitively a place to check out.