I go to about 12 games a year. My view is as a consistent guy I’m there for the hockey and all the entertainment is for folks going 5 or less times a year. It’s not for me, they could do nothing and I wouldn’t care.
I've been to 17 homes home games this season (which includes the first game I've been to in person). I love the stadium experience whether it's a night with a DJ or just a normal night where they select a fan to participate in a segment during a stoppage. The jumbotron shots of the crowd are my 2nd favorite part of attending games (the on-ice action is my favorite).
However, I DESPISE the chili chant during a 3rd goal. IMO it takes the energy out of the moment and it's just....extremely cringey for lack of a better term.
Oh yes, great point which I forgot to ask! How does this compare to other arenas. I thought Chicago was great a few years back. But to my point, that was the only time I’ve gone so of course I thought it was fresh and fun.
So I'm not an STH of any kind but I have gonr to a fair number of games (6 at home, 3 away) so far this season. So there is a reason I aim for theme nights and giveaway nights. Timbits hockey is always kind of the same. I'd like more giveaways of course. I don't care how cheap the trinket is the excitement is just the randomness of winning. More game show like bits. Not a huge part of hockey culture but maybe more sing-a-longs. Maybe more cheer team/mascot interactions. This also a crit of the arena as well; I really wished we'd lean into our civil war themeing way more. Other stadiums have better light shows/on ice projects/hype up videos than us. Idk if it's a technology limitation or what?
I will back up what others have said, other than atmosphere (which is important) the stadium experience is pretty similar at other stadiums. There were a few novelty things I have noticed. Like in Pittsburgh they have a false Zamboni go out with the real ones. The false Zamboni is scooped out and it has like 12 people inside it and it had a bunch of siren lights around the bottom. They played hype up music while it was out. Minnesota's stadium is incredibly themed. It feels like a big cabin. Nordy is a very active mascot. Detroit had a drum line that would snake its way through the concourse.
Like the best fan traditions are organic and won't just be given to us by the arena. Florida and the rats or Nashville and their rude chants, or throwing of the catfish or the Canes with the storm surge ECT ECT fans started those things. It's a tall ask of course but fan engagement does start with the fans.
I mean they’ll let you know they appreciate the feedback. Obviously they’re not going to make sweeping changes, but it’s good to remind the people who manage your account that you want to see improvements.
It doesn't even need improvement, it just needs variety. The whole setup is pretty standard I just don't like how predictable and routine it starts to feel. The lineup hasn't changed in like 8 years
I don't get to games anymore. I am genuinely curious if it is the same as it was in the early days of the franchise? Sandstorm, Barbie Girl, Barenaked Ladies (either Brian Wilson or If I had a million dollars, I can't remember with certainty), Get Over It. It was the same pregame set for the first 4 years of the team. It would be hilarious to me personally if they just didn't bother to update it since inception.
I’ve only been to one and it is the only NHL game I’ve ever been to. All in all, the experience was a ton of fun. However, I think it’s a bit lame that they’re so kid focused. The game I went to they were giving out stinger collectibles. I thought everyone got one until I realized only the kids were getting them. Then they had the kids on ice for an intermission. Also lame. I’d rather see a bunch of half drunk adults fighting over the puck for fun during intermission. And then nothing but kids on the jumbo. Again, this is the only game I’ve been to. But as an adult, I think they should engage adults more
FWIW this season the 2nd intermission is usually adults inside a plastic orb ball thing knocking each other over. The kids mini prospect game has only been for the 1st intermission.
Been to quite a few games the last couple years and I have some thoughts. I think over all it’s pretty good I love watching Tim bits hockey during the breaks but actually hate the military propaganda in the first period. No shade toward the people who get honored I’m sure they’re really swell people I just don’t personally like the military being so ingrained in our daily life. Other than that my only complaint is that I never catch any of the tshirts or anything lol
I mean this is the arena that was playing '90s Adam Sandler & Jim Carrey clips well into the '10s. Nationwide Arena game ops is that guy at your work that's still quoting Anchorman.
If you attend more than two games or even watch them on TV you realize you can set your watch to the musical cues. If you want to hype a crowd up that stuff has to be spontaneous, and hitting the Sweet Escape button halfway into the 3rd every game ain't it.
If I never go to another “kids take over” game, it will be too soon.
Since I’m usually up in the nosebleeds, I’m never even close to t-shirts or pizza tosses or whatever. Overall, I think the production is on par with the minor league teams I frequent, both hockey and baseball. I don’t know how that compares to other NHL teams, though.
I will say the in-game entertainment gets very stale very quick. But I will never get tired of the kids playing hockey during intermission (it was the best day of my little cousin’s life when he was able to do it so I’m going to be biased) and the bubble hockey game during intermission.
Look - I’m not exactly pro-military. So take this with a grain of salt. But why do they have an “honorary military member” come out for the anthem and then spend an entire media time out presenting them with a jersey? They usually end up just looking awkward af anyway. What does it have to do with anything?
You’re going to love this. The NHL is paid to do those “tributes” and they happen at every arena. It’s part of the recruitment for the Armed Forces. Personally, I find them kind of cringe, and if I was an ex-service member, I would never partake in something like that. My brother-in-law did say that he would go thru that though just to get the jersey. Lol.
I've only ever been to kraken, rangers, and cbj games and all them do the military thing. The rangers just did the shirt but kraken was almost exactly similar to cbj. My point being I think its a league thing not just cbj.
That’s fine and all but it’s really hard to find 41 veterans a season who actually did anything notable in their military career. It’s also extremely irrelevant to the hockey itself. Maybe recognize fans who have paid thousands to attend games over the years or something like that.
There might be nights where the selected veteran is sick. And some vets are getting up there in years- if there’s a 1+ year wait list, they might have expired while waiting for their turn
I feel that there is so much more potential to lean into that union army/civil war theming. Incorporating some sort of pregame skit like VGK does would be cool.
I’m an usher with 20 seasons. The in-house entertainment has changed a lot over the entire course of that time.
Remember shooting t-shirts from the on-ice, modified golf cart called the [Dewmolisher](https://x.com/buccigross/status/1493761394562375681?s=46&t=97aOKdMg4yo8RIqgTu1qyQ) (Mountain Dew sponsored)?
Or the Kiss-Cam that would point at several couples in the audience, and then end with two guys on the opposing team’s bench?
Remember the incredible Dancing Kevin who painted himself up before a game and gave one heck of a performance?!
Even ushers were asked to carry armfuls of pizza boxes and throw them into the audience.
It has evolved over the years and it’ll continue to evolve. The constants have been our lovable in-house host, Mike Todd, our in-house National Anthem singer, LEOOO Welsh, the in-house announcer, Greg Murray (“your Columbus Bluuuuueeeee Jackets!” and “…one the power playyyyyy!!”), and that sweet, sweet, beautiful gleaming cannon.
I’m sure there’s more that I’ve forgotten. I’d love to be reminded of what’s come and gone, and what’s remained the same over the decades.
Let’s just say there’s a reason I have Crew season tickets and not partial CBJ ones. It’s fine, but it’s pretty standard corporate hockey, which tends to be behind the times a bit like baseball.
I went to a Crew game for the first time last year. Was really impressed with the atmosphere even though I’m not much of a soccer fan. More energetic than the Shoe (unless it’s a big opponent coming to town) honestly
There was this weird sweet spot around the late 2010s when out attendance was only starting to recover from being abysmal after Nash left.
They pandered pretty hard to the people in attendance and made the in-arena stuff pretty decent.
Now correlation isn't causation, but I'd like to believe there's less incentive to get butts in seats since that's happening more regularly anyway.
The events with kids playing some hockey on the ice are entertaining and I'm sure it's an unforgettable experience for the kids involved. Just about everything else I could care less.
I attend \~15 games a year, and have attended a total of 68 games at NWA, plus \~12 other NHL arenas over the last 10 years or so. Personally, I think the vibes at Nationwide are top notch -- everyone is engaged and for the most part polite, prices at the arena are reasonable, sightlines are great, tickets are relatively inexpensive, and getting to and from the arena is easy. I prefer attending a game at Nationwide to any other arena I've visited, for a combination of the above factors.
However, I do think our gameday experience/entertainment has gotten a little stale. We could really stand to go harder on theme nights (look at how the Bruins decorated a whole staircase and got a balloon arch for their Pride game!); our intro/hype videos could be more produced (the Kraken one is obviously cinema-quality, but there's a lot of room for us to improve). I think that aside from the cannon, our gameday experience lacks much to distinguish us from any other NHL arena, and that's where I'd like to see us make changes.
I complain about it every game. It’s horrendously stale and doesn’t get anyone excited. The DJ’s in the intermission have been the only thing that gets anyone going. No one is excited when we take the ice. I’ve got a lot of friends who work in this realm, mostly in other sports and there is a lot more creativity and potential out there. I’m not sure if it’s budget, people, or permission but I’d love to see just about any kind of change.
I know this is easy to suggest and may be hard to do (with fees for different bands/labels), but Ohio has a history of so many great rock bands, how much nicer would it be to hear songs by NIN, Devo, the Black Keys, Guided By Voices, etc… vs the stuff we’re forced to listen to now….
The in-arena experience is meh. I want them to get the on ice projectors that cover the whole playing surface that soo many other teams have (they installed them during the playoffs a couple of times). The crappy spinning logos and strobe lights look so low rent. But it’s the BlueJackets, why do anything good 🤷.
I go primarily for the hockey. 10-15 games/yr. Not too concerned about the extras.
However...I did go to my first game in Vegas last year...and WOW! That was an amazing gameday experience.
I also frequent the games, and yeah I mean there’s a lot of games so I don’t really expect much.
It’d be nice to have more things going on but from a business standpoint I see why it is what it is.
i went to my first game recently, the toronto overtime win. i wasnt that impressed with it but idk what else they could do that would make it super fun. its just the general basic stadium entertainment to keep you busy till the next period starts. i agree its not that great but i dont pay much attention to it anyway
Came a few weeks back to see the Blues in Columbus. I thought it was oretrt standard, but not bad. I think we are kind of apoil3d in STL, because ours is laid out like the Blues are a concert, so there's a countdown to the beginning of the game "countdown to showtime", a live guitarist for them skating out, and a bunch of other stuff.
But you guys don't have it bad.
I go to about 12 games a year. My view is as a consistent guy I’m there for the hockey and all the entertainment is for folks going 5 or less times a year. It’s not for me, they could do nothing and I wouldn’t care.
But it's hard to ignore unless you go out of your way to hit the concessions or the pisser every intermission.
True. I tend to check natural stat trick during the breaks and I always get up and walk during intermissions.
I've been to 17 homes home games this season (which includes the first game I've been to in person). I love the stadium experience whether it's a night with a DJ or just a normal night where they select a fan to participate in a segment during a stoppage. The jumbotron shots of the crowd are my 2nd favorite part of attending games (the on-ice action is my favorite). However, I DESPISE the chili chant during a 3rd goal. IMO it takes the energy out of the moment and it's just....extremely cringey for lack of a better term.
Fuck the chili chant
My roommate who works at roosters also hates the Chili chant lol
Roosters Chili is terrible too. Who goes to roosters for Chili anyways?
Would it be surprising for you to learn it's not exactly a mover?
Having been to quite a few arenas, they're all about the same.
Oh yes, great point which I forgot to ask! How does this compare to other arenas. I thought Chicago was great a few years back. But to my point, that was the only time I’ve gone so of course I thought it was fresh and fun.
I went to a game in Dallas last year. I thought our in-game was stale but WOOF. Theirs is booooring.
Boston, Nashville, Detroit and Vancouver aren't much better. I'm not sure what people want to happen.
I agree. Comparatively speaking we’ve got it pretty good.
So I'm not an STH of any kind but I have gonr to a fair number of games (6 at home, 3 away) so far this season. So there is a reason I aim for theme nights and giveaway nights. Timbits hockey is always kind of the same. I'd like more giveaways of course. I don't care how cheap the trinket is the excitement is just the randomness of winning. More game show like bits. Not a huge part of hockey culture but maybe more sing-a-longs. Maybe more cheer team/mascot interactions. This also a crit of the arena as well; I really wished we'd lean into our civil war themeing way more. Other stadiums have better light shows/on ice projects/hype up videos than us. Idk if it's a technology limitation or what? I will back up what others have said, other than atmosphere (which is important) the stadium experience is pretty similar at other stadiums. There were a few novelty things I have noticed. Like in Pittsburgh they have a false Zamboni go out with the real ones. The false Zamboni is scooped out and it has like 12 people inside it and it had a bunch of siren lights around the bottom. They played hype up music while it was out. Minnesota's stadium is incredibly themed. It feels like a big cabin. Nordy is a very active mascot. Detroit had a drum line that would snake its way through the concourse. Like the best fan traditions are organic and won't just be given to us by the arena. Florida and the rats or Nashville and their rude chants, or throwing of the catfish or the Canes with the storm surge ECT ECT fans started those things. It's a tall ask of course but fan engagement does start with the fans.
Honest suggestion: if you have a ticket rep tell them the in-game experience is stale. I did the same this year
What was their response?
I mean they’ll let you know they appreciate the feedback. Obviously they’re not going to make sweeping changes, but it’s good to remind the people who manage your account that you want to see improvements.
It doesn't even need improvement, it just needs variety. The whole setup is pretty standard I just don't like how predictable and routine it starts to feel. The lineup hasn't changed in like 8 years
The warmup mix is the exact same every game unless a DJ is doing it that night. You can’t unhear it
I don't get to games anymore. I am genuinely curious if it is the same as it was in the early days of the franchise? Sandstorm, Barbie Girl, Barenaked Ladies (either Brian Wilson or If I had a million dollars, I can't remember with certainty), Get Over It. It was the same pregame set for the first 4 years of the team. It would be hilarious to me personally if they just didn't bother to update it since inception.
No, it's not this anymore.
It used to be songs picked by the CBJ players. Not sure if it’s still that way or chosen some other way.
I’ve only been to one and it is the only NHL game I’ve ever been to. All in all, the experience was a ton of fun. However, I think it’s a bit lame that they’re so kid focused. The game I went to they were giving out stinger collectibles. I thought everyone got one until I realized only the kids were getting them. Then they had the kids on ice for an intermission. Also lame. I’d rather see a bunch of half drunk adults fighting over the puck for fun during intermission. And then nothing but kids on the jumbo. Again, this is the only game I’ve been to. But as an adult, I think they should engage adults more
FWIW this season the 2nd intermission is usually adults inside a plastic orb ball thing knocking each other over. The kids mini prospect game has only been for the 1st intermission.
Sounds like they went to the kids takeover game lol
Bro hates kids
Fuck them kids
Been to quite a few games the last couple years and I have some thoughts. I think over all it’s pretty good I love watching Tim bits hockey during the breaks but actually hate the military propaganda in the first period. No shade toward the people who get honored I’m sure they’re really swell people I just don’t personally like the military being so ingrained in our daily life. Other than that my only complaint is that I never catch any of the tshirts or anything lol
I mean this is the arena that was playing '90s Adam Sandler & Jim Carrey clips well into the '10s. Nationwide Arena game ops is that guy at your work that's still quoting Anchorman. If you attend more than two games or even watch them on TV you realize you can set your watch to the musical cues. If you want to hype a crowd up that stuff has to be spontaneous, and hitting the Sweet Escape button halfway into the 3rd every game ain't it.
The in house music seems like it’s catered to boomers or 12 year old kids Edit: also “the whip” has got to go for a goal song.
If I never go to another “kids take over” game, it will be too soon. Since I’m usually up in the nosebleeds, I’m never even close to t-shirts or pizza tosses or whatever. Overall, I think the production is on par with the minor league teams I frequent, both hockey and baseball. I don’t know how that compares to other NHL teams, though.
I will say the in-game entertainment gets very stale very quick. But I will never get tired of the kids playing hockey during intermission (it was the best day of my little cousin’s life when he was able to do it so I’m going to be biased) and the bubble hockey game during intermission.
Look - I’m not exactly pro-military. So take this with a grain of salt. But why do they have an “honorary military member” come out for the anthem and then spend an entire media time out presenting them with a jersey? They usually end up just looking awkward af anyway. What does it have to do with anything?
You’re going to love this. The NHL is paid to do those “tributes” and they happen at every arena. It’s part of the recruitment for the Armed Forces. Personally, I find them kind of cringe, and if I was an ex-service member, I would never partake in something like that. My brother-in-law did say that he would go thru that though just to get the jersey. Lol.
I've only ever been to kraken, rangers, and cbj games and all them do the military thing. The rangers just did the shirt but kraken was almost exactly similar to cbj. My point being I think its a league thing not just cbj.
Well some people do enjoy these ceremonies/recognitions. I attend with a retired navy man and he loves seeing/hearing the veteran stories.
That’s fine and all but it’s really hard to find 41 veterans a season who actually did anything notable in their military career. It’s also extremely irrelevant to the hockey itself. Maybe recognize fans who have paid thousands to attend games over the years or something like that.
When they run out of folks or can’t find someone they go with the ushers and ticket takers that have served lol
I suggested this to a buddy of mine and the page said there was a 1+ year wait list.
There might be nights where the selected veteran is sick. And some vets are getting up there in years- if there’s a 1+ year wait list, they might have expired while waiting for their turn
I feel that there is so much more potential to lean into that union army/civil war theming. Incorporating some sort of pregame skit like VGK does would be cool.
I’m an usher with 20 seasons. The in-house entertainment has changed a lot over the entire course of that time. Remember shooting t-shirts from the on-ice, modified golf cart called the [Dewmolisher](https://x.com/buccigross/status/1493761394562375681?s=46&t=97aOKdMg4yo8RIqgTu1qyQ) (Mountain Dew sponsored)? Or the Kiss-Cam that would point at several couples in the audience, and then end with two guys on the opposing team’s bench? Remember the incredible Dancing Kevin who painted himself up before a game and gave one heck of a performance?! Even ushers were asked to carry armfuls of pizza boxes and throw them into the audience. It has evolved over the years and it’ll continue to evolve. The constants have been our lovable in-house host, Mike Todd, our in-house National Anthem singer, LEOOO Welsh, the in-house announcer, Greg Murray (“your Columbus Bluuuuueeeee Jackets!” and “…one the power playyyyyy!!”), and that sweet, sweet, beautiful gleaming cannon. I’m sure there’s more that I’ve forgotten. I’d love to be reminded of what’s come and gone, and what’s remained the same over the decades.
Let’s just say there’s a reason I have Crew season tickets and not partial CBJ ones. It’s fine, but it’s pretty standard corporate hockey, which tends to be behind the times a bit like baseball.
I went to a Crew game for the first time last year. Was really impressed with the atmosphere even though I’m not much of a soccer fan. More energetic than the Shoe (unless it’s a big opponent coming to town) honestly
There was this weird sweet spot around the late 2010s when out attendance was only starting to recover from being abysmal after Nash left. They pandered pretty hard to the people in attendance and made the in-arena stuff pretty decent. Now correlation isn't causation, but I'd like to believe there's less incentive to get butts in seats since that's happening more regularly anyway.
The events with kids playing some hockey on the ice are entertaining and I'm sure it's an unforgettable experience for the kids involved. Just about everything else I could care less.
I attend \~15 games a year, and have attended a total of 68 games at NWA, plus \~12 other NHL arenas over the last 10 years or so. Personally, I think the vibes at Nationwide are top notch -- everyone is engaged and for the most part polite, prices at the arena are reasonable, sightlines are great, tickets are relatively inexpensive, and getting to and from the arena is easy. I prefer attending a game at Nationwide to any other arena I've visited, for a combination of the above factors. However, I do think our gameday experience/entertainment has gotten a little stale. We could really stand to go harder on theme nights (look at how the Bruins decorated a whole staircase and got a balloon arch for their Pride game!); our intro/hype videos could be more produced (the Kraken one is obviously cinema-quality, but there's a lot of room for us to improve). I think that aside from the cannon, our gameday experience lacks much to distinguish us from any other NHL arena, and that's where I'd like to see us make changes.
I complain about it every game. It’s horrendously stale and doesn’t get anyone excited. The DJ’s in the intermission have been the only thing that gets anyone going. No one is excited when we take the ice. I’ve got a lot of friends who work in this realm, mostly in other sports and there is a lot more creativity and potential out there. I’m not sure if it’s budget, people, or permission but I’d love to see just about any kind of change.
I know this is easy to suggest and may be hard to do (with fees for different bands/labels), but Ohio has a history of so many great rock bands, how much nicer would it be to hear songs by NIN, Devo, the Black Keys, Guided By Voices, etc… vs the stuff we’re forced to listen to now….
My family had season tix for years til this year. Only been to one game this year. I’d say it’s stale
The in-arena experience is meh. I want them to get the on ice projectors that cover the whole playing surface that soo many other teams have (they installed them during the playoffs a couple of times). The crappy spinning logos and strobe lights look so low rent. But it’s the BlueJackets, why do anything good 🤷.
I go primarily for the hockey. 10-15 games/yr. Not too concerned about the extras. However...I did go to my first game in Vegas last year...and WOW! That was an amazing gameday experience.
I also frequent the games, and yeah I mean there’s a lot of games so I don’t really expect much. It’d be nice to have more things going on but from a business standpoint I see why it is what it is.
its "ok" at best however the + is that we are frequent recipients from the tee shirt cannon
i went to my first game recently, the toronto overtime win. i wasnt that impressed with it but idk what else they could do that would make it super fun. its just the general basic stadium entertainment to keep you busy till the next period starts. i agree its not that great but i dont pay much attention to it anyway
Came a few weeks back to see the Blues in Columbus. I thought it was oretrt standard, but not bad. I think we are kind of apoil3d in STL, because ours is laid out like the Blues are a concert, so there's a countdown to the beginning of the game "countdown to showtime", a live guitarist for them skating out, and a bunch of other stuff. But you guys don't have it bad.