Portland Winterhawks
Rink: Moda Center
Capacity: 18,280
Built: 1995
League: WHL
City: Portland, Oregon
Home Of: Portland Winterhawks
Games Attended: 1
Only Game: September 30, 2017 vs Seattle
Unique Arena: #41
WHL Arena: #4
The Portland Winterhawks used to split their home schedule nearly in half between two different arenas. This is the Moda Center, which is also home to the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. When the NBA team needed the arena, the Winterhawks were forced across the street to the old Memorial Coliseum which has always been their true home. Originally known as the Rose Garden, the arena was built in 1995 as a new luxurious home for the NBA’s Trail Blazers. It sits right next to the old Memorial Coliseum, just across the river from downtown Portland.
Seeing as this place was really built for the NBA and not so much junior hockey, it is one of the more advanced CHL rinks I’ve ever attended a game in despite it being now 30 years old. Thus far, of all the NHL-sized buildings I’ve watched a CHL game in, I found the Moda Center in Portland to be the best experience.
As you can expect the upper bowl was curtained off for Winterhawks games, however the lower bowl was mostly full not only for this game, but for I’m told most games. However, even if the lower bowl does sell out (which I’m told is roughly 9,000 seats) the upper bowl will remain closed. Despite the huge arena the atmosphere was great, as a crowd of about 8,000 were very loud for their Winterhawks during the game I attended in 2017. It’s the best atmosphere I’ve been in for a game in a technically half-empty building, anyway. The curtains actually do a good job to keep the sound from escaping.
The seats were among the comfiest I’ve ever sat in across the CHL, and the views were fantastic as the lower bowl has a pretty steep pitch to it. With the Moda Center more of a temporary home to the Winterhawks who happened to play roughly half their home dates per season here, it was sometimes a janky setup. There was no team store for the Hawks here, just some tables with a small selection of merch that employees would bring over from the Coliseum each game.
When the WHL returned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the powers that be in Portland decided it would save a ton of money on rent and just make more logistical sense for the team to stay put full time at the Coliseum next door. The Coliseum might not be as luxurious as the Rose Garden, but it has always been the true home of the Winterhawks. That said I am happy I did get to see a game here, and I wouldn’t be shocked if at some point in the future the Hawks played at least a one-off game here again, though that seems unlikely these days.
