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This Old House? A Look At The Aging Of NHL Arenas

Are the Washington Capitals in need of a new home? Not a new city, but a new building?

Not surprisingly, answering that question is extremely complex and multifaceted, as the pertinent factors in determining the appropriate service life of an arena are seemingly endless. However, we can begin to draw data from past experiences to get a better grasp of where things currently sit.

Looking back, the Capitals previous home at the Capital Center opened in 1973 and closed in 1999. That’s a service life of 26 years, and as you will see, very typical for buildings of this nature.

But before we focus on the Capitals, let’s get a sense of where the league sits with regards to the overall age of arenas.

AGE OF CURRENT NHL ARENAS

The following table lists the ages of the arenas for all 32 NHL teams, including the Arizona Coyotes, who will be moving into a new, but temporary facility, starting this season.

AGE FACILITY OPENED NHL TEAM
54 Madison Square Garden 1968 New York Rangers
39 Scotiabank Saddle Dome 1983 Calgary Flames
29 Honda Center 1993 Anaheim Ducks
29 SAP Center 1993 San Jose Sharks
28 Enterprise Center 1994 St. Louis Blues
28 United Center 1994 Chicago Blackhawks
27 Rogers Arena 1995 Vancouver Canucks
27 TD Garden 1995 Boston Bruins
26 Amalie Arena 1996 Tampa Bay Lightning
26 Bell Centre 1996 Montreal Canadiens
26 Bridgestone Arena 1996 Nashville Predators
26 Canadian Tire Centre 1996 Ottawa Senators
26 KeyBank Arena 1996 Buffalo Sabres
26 Wells Fargo Center 1996 Philadelphia Flyers
25 Capital One Arena 1997 Washington Capitals
24 FLA Live Arena 1998 Florida Panthers
23 Scotiabank Arena 1999 Toronto Maple Leafs
23 Pepsi Center 1999 Colorado Avalanche
23 PNC Arena 1999 Carolina Hurricanes
23 Crypto.com Arena 1999 Los Angeles Kings
22 Nationwide Arena 2000 Columbus Blue Jackets
22 Xcel Energy Center 2000 Minnesota Wild
21 American Airlines Center 2001 Dallas Stars
18 Bell MTS Place 2004 Winnipeg Jets
15 Prudential Center 2007 New Jersey Devils
12 PPG Paints Arena 2010 Pittsburgh Penguins
6 Rogers’ Place 2016 Edmonton Oilers
6 T-Mobile Arena 2016 Vegas Golden Knights
5 Little Caesars Arena 2017 Detroit Red Wings
1 Climate Pledge Arena 2021 Seattle Kraken
1 USB Arena 2021 New York Islanders
0 Mullet Arena 2022 Arizona Coyotes

The league’s current slate of arenas experienced two significant building booms in the 1990’s – 1996 (6) and 1999 (4), which is a key factor, as this will also likely signal another similar boom in the coming years.

That’s because as much as half of the NHL’s current arenas are approaching their intended design life. In fact, 20 of the current 32 arenas were built before the year 2000 (over 20 years ago) with an average age of the league’s arena’s sitting around 21.5 years (that includes a 0 for Arizona). Those arenas will need to be replaced and relatively soon.

Life Span Of NHL Arenas

So what is the typical lifespan of an NHL arena you ask?

Life-span estimates for arenas take into account past building life spans as well as the service life of general components of an arena. This includes the life span of building materials (plumbing, pipes, cabling, insulation, steel, etc.), building systems (ice-making system, HVAC, lighting, public address system, etc.) and all other components contained within a sports arena. Once the replacement costs for all materials exceed 50% of the value of the facility, it’s time to move on.

As a result, planning and design guidelines and facilities estimation resources state that 25-35 years is the best range for a “design life” of an arena, with 30-year bonds being the most typical funding source.

There’s A “Red’ House Over Yonder

Capital One Arena is the 15th oldest arena in the NHL at 25 years of age. That’s not bad, but it does signal that the end-of-life for the facility is rapidly approaching. Planning, permitting, design and construction for a facility such as an NHL arena typically runs anywhere from 3-5 years, so decisions regarding replacement need to be in the works if a new facility is to open in 2027.

That’s because it’s been reported that Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s lease for the current arena will expire in 2027. That would be ideal timing for a new arena to be planned, designed and constructed, IF planning has already begun. It’s likely that it has.

By Jon Sorensen

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Center in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and includes time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.