Cleveland Monsters
Rink: Rocket Arena
Capacity: 18,926
Built: 1994
League: AHL
City: Cleveland, Ohio
Home Of: Cleveland Monsters
Games Attended: 1
Only Game: March 22, 2024 vs Hershey
Unique Arena: #85
AHL Arena: #6
Rocket Arena (originally known as Gund Arena) was built in 1994 to replace the Richfield Coliseum, which despite being Cleveland’s main arena was located some 20 miles south of downtown in the middle of a field. Luckily, they erased that major mistake with Gund Arena by building it in the heart of downtown Cleveland, right next to the now-named Progressive Field, home of the MLB’s Cleveland Guardians which was built at the same time as the arena. The area has a ton of bars and restaurants to choose from, and the architecture of downtown Cleveland is certainly worth a wander around the neighborhood if time permits. I felt this was the best photo I had of the exterior, but on the opposite side is a large glass facade which is from a more recent renovation on the building. The main Cleveland skyline is reflected in an all-glass facade which is a really cool touch.
Rocket Arena has a two-tiered lower bowl along the sides that reminds me a lot of the lower bowl setup at the Saddledome in Calgary. However, in the ends behind the net the bowl is continuous. The lower bowl is much steeper than most lower bowls in similar-sized buildings, other than the lowest seats on the sides. While I never got up to the upper bowl, it felt like the lower bowl was much larger and the top of it goes higher up the building than many similar sized rinks. One can’t gloss over the absolutely gigantic video scoreboard, which is an odd shape. Despite how huge it is, it honestly didn’t feel out of place for me. Game presentation is done very professionally in Cleveland, which isn’t surprising as the main tenant is obviously the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, and I would imagine the teams share some technical staff.
Gund Arena recently turned 30 years old and it 100% does not feel 30 by any stretch. Over the years renovations and upkeep of the building have been great to keep things fresh and make it so it’s not run down. The fanciest of club seats actually reside in one end of the building in the top third of the lower bowl (the black seats just under the Budweiser sign in this photo). While the rest of the lower bowl seats are padded and comfy enough, I am kind of surprised for an NBA building that most of the lower bowl isn’t dare I say, more luxurious. Also, above the club seats there is a big gap in the upper bowl for a party deck social space, which is the type of thing we are seeing in much newer buildings built in the 2020s. The concourse as well feels much newer than its 30-year age. Not surprisingly though the concourse is mostly decked out in Cavs gear, and even during a Monsters game there is a lot more Cavs merch on sale to the masses than Monsters gear. That said there are a bunch of things through the concourse to make it clear this is also the home of the Monsters, including a whole display dedicated to their 2016 Calder Cup triumph. Another nice touch throughout the concourse are tons of facts, moments and photos from not just sports history in Cleveland but of any other type of event not just at the current arena but the old Coliseum as well.
Most of the time a hockey team playing in an NHL sized building when it’s not an NHL team can be a very bad idea, but the Cleveland Monsters draw relatively well. They don’t fill the place every night but the night I was there had 11,000 and change in attendance, which is right around their average. They famously filled the building when the Monsters won the Calder Cup in 2016. It’s awesome to see the people of Cleveland support the team so well considering there isn’t a long history with the team only landing in Cleveland in 2007, and for the first several years had the much worse name of Lake Erie Monsters. The city has the NFL, NBA and MLB but the AHL Monsters still do very well, and its one of the rare occasions where a non-NHL team has a great atmosphere in an NHL sized building. While it was only my 5th different AHL arena I’ve seen a game in, it set the bar pretty high for the rest of the league not just for luxury but even for atmosphere as well.
