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Shark Tank named ‘Toughest Road Arena’ in Sports Illustrated NHL player poll

ORANGE AND TEAL DOTTED CROWD CELEBRATE GOAL AGAINST COLORADO IN WCQF

Sports Illustrated NHL Player Poll:

[Q] What is the toughest road arena to play in?

HP Pavilion – Sharks 19% (capacity 17,562)
Bell Centre – Canadiens 14% (capacity 21,273)
United Center – Blackhawks 13% (capacity 21,356)
Wachovia Center – Flyers 12% (capacity 19,535)
Joe Louis Arena – Red Wings 10% (capacity 20,066)

Sources: Sports Illustrated, ESPN.

HP Pavilion was named ‘The toughest road arena to play in’ by a recent Sports Illustrated poll of 272 NHL players. In 5 regular seasons since the lockout in 2004-05, opponents traveling to ‘The Tank’ have averaged only 17 wins a season (41.4%), and only 10 in regulation (25.8%).

It has been an inhospitable location for visitors on the ice. Off the ice, recent modifications have added a giant high definition scoreboard and 66 more seats to increase total seating capacity to 17,562. In the first round of the playoffs against Colorado, Versus and Dallas Stars analyst Daryl Reaugh cited the proximity of fans to the ice, and the low ceiling, as factors in the enormous crowd noise generated. He said the roar was even more pronounced the higher you sit in the building as it is redirected and amplified off of the low ceiling.

It may have peaked in the first round for game 2. After a puck off the skate of Rob Blake resulted in a disheartening loss to open the series against Colorado, the Sharks came back from five seperate 1-goal deficits to earn a critical 6-5 win. The Avalanche and Sharks traded 6 goals in the second period, and the resulting noise sampled at ice level and from the press box had the arena wobbling. The decibel peak for the second round against Detroit may have come in game 2. After Ryane Clowe redirected a Joe Pavelski pass between his legs to beat Jimmy Howard, the digital decibel reading reached 114.4. According to the London Telegraph, that is equivalent to a jet engine.

The Sharks and SVSE stoke that excitement before every game by dropping a Shark head from the ceiling. The new high definition audio system thumps Carmina Burana as the ice is bathed in wavering teal light. It is a mix between Conan the Barbarian and Jaws. It is one of the best player entrances in all of sports, and it maximizes the intimidation factor even furthur when they black out the arena and train the spotlights on the Sharks head.

It is a primal fear bobbing up and down in the Pacific Ocean as the sun sets and the water turns black. At one point in time, every surfer will come to the realization that man is no longer at the top of the food chain. Thirty-eight percent of great white shark attacks in the United States occur in the ‘Red Triangle’ cold water feeding grounds just off the coast of Northern California. For opponents traveling to HP Pavilion, the NHL player poll suggests a little guttural fear might exist when lining up to face the Sharks on home ice.

It is as it should be.

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