听
On Saturday night, the new-look 麻豆传媒映画Canucks will hit the ice for their first game of the 2017-18 NHL season. Travis Green will make his debut as head coach and his lineup will feature new faces and fresh line combinations as the team strives to improve on last season鈥檚 disappointing finish.
Off the ice, fans should keep an eye out for these new offerings at Rogers Arena:
EAT AND DRINK:
路听听听听听 Bacon 鈥� A one-of-a-kind new food stand on the 300 level will feature succulent treats like bacon nachos and a bacon avocado sandwich.
路听听听听听 Poke Bowls 鈥� One of the city鈥檚 hottest food trends will make its Rogers Arena debut. Sushi will also be available in the main concourse for the first time.
路听听听听听 Family Zone 鈥� A new area outside section 102 will include food options at sizes and price points designed to fit family tastes and budgets, including a 25-cent lemonade stand.
路听听听听听 Food Cart Alley 鈥� Adjacent to the Family Zone, food carts will swap in and out from game to game. Food carts will feature options from top local vendors as well as in-house creations.
COO Jeff Stipec got his start with the Canucks as a 20-year-old student usher at the Pacific Coliseum in the early '80s. He remembers how the liquor laws of the day prohibited fans from drinking in their seats 鈥� or even in the main concourse 鈥� during games. Before puck drop and during intermissions, fans would head down to the bowels of the arena to drink and smoke.
Today, Rogers Arena is smoke-free and the beverage options have changed significantly. 鈥淥n any given night, we'll have three sommeliers here on staff,鈥� says Stipec. 鈥淭hey provide their expertise on different wines for our fans to enjoy while they're watching a game in some of our different premium areas, whether it's our loges or Encore or even the SportsBar.鈥�
Other beverage options around the arena now include cocktails, wine on tap and craft beer. Special initiatives are designed to get fans to the rink well before game time.
鈥淲hen the puck drops, we want our building full of fans cheering for the Canucks,鈥� says Stipec. 鈥淲e're doing everything we can to get this building filled, get people in place, give them a reason to come down here early.
鈥淥n opening night, we're going to open up at 5:30. For a full hour, we'll feature our happy hour pricing for both beverages and food items. Then for every game going forward, from 6:00-6:30, we're calling it the Thirsty 30. For 30 minutes immediately following the opening of doors, you'll be able to get specially priced beers, food 鈥� everything throughout the facility.鈥�
As in past years, opening night festivities will also include a free beer or other beverage courtesy of team sponsor Labatt.
听
CHEER:
The Canucks game presentation team is looking to bring 鈥渓ess talk, more rock鈥� this year. 鈥淵ou're going to hear more music, you're going to see more action,鈥� promises Stipec. 鈥淚t's really what our fans are saying 鈥� they want to come here to be entertained.鈥�
Stipec is a fan himself at heart. He fondly remembers being on hand for the birth of the Towel Power phenomenon during the Canucks鈥� first major playoff run in 1982. 鈥淔or us in Vancouver, that was the first time that the whole city really got excited behind the team.鈥�
Stan Smyl, Thomas Gradin, Harold Snepsts and Darcy Rota are among the members of that 1982 roster that are still actively involved with the Canucks organization. 鈥淭o see those guys that were part of the team back then, that now I get to work with, it's pretty neat,鈥� Stipec smiles.
WEAR:
As the NHL鈥檚 new apparel supplier, an Adidas store is now open inside Rogers Arena. A display highlights the innovations in the league鈥檚 new gear, while jerseys from the Canucks鈥� returning players and new additions are available for sale.
听
It's lighter, cooler and stronger. Here's everything you need to know about the new jersey:
鈥� 麻豆传媒映画Canucks (@Canucks)
听
In Detroit, the new Little Caesars Arena replaces Joe Louis Arena, which dated back to 1979 and was the second-oldest arena in the league after Madison Square Garden in New York City. Rogers Arena opened in 1995 and is now tied with TD Garden in Boston as the seventh-oldest building in the NHL, but don鈥檛 expect to see the Canucks following in the footsteps of the Calgary Flames and clamouring for a new facility anytime soon.
鈥淭he Aquilinis have continually invested into this building during their ownership over the last 10 years,鈥� explains Stipec. 鈥淚t's not just the new spaces that you see but it's also a lot of the infrastructure things that you don't see, which keeps this building safe and secure for our fans. It's aged very, very well here.
鈥淎s I travel around the NHL and I look at buildings that are even half as old as Rogers Arena, we're in pretty good shape and we're not moving anywhere.鈥�
Over the past few years, new residential towers have sprung up around the arena. Looking ahead, the Canucks are hoping to incorporate an expanded sports district into their outdoor space as the City of 麻豆传媒映画moves ahead with its plans to remove the two viaducts that wrap around the building.
One thing that won鈥檛 change? According to Stipec, 鈥渢he constant is the passion for the team and the love of the game of hockey.鈥�
听
Opening night:听
Saturday, Oct. 7 - 麻豆传媒映画Canucks vs. Edmonton Oilers
7 p.m. - Rogers Arena. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
听
Follow Carol Schram on Twitter听.
听
