In a recent study conducted by the OLGB, the food offerings at Rogers Place in Edmonton ranked as the sixth-best in the National Hockey League.
The study rated the concessions at all the venues in the NHL, National Basketball Association, National Football League, and English Premier League using a variety of different factors, including the price of a hot dog and the total number of food vendors.
The Oilers’ arena ranked sixth in the NHL with a “Total Foodie Rating” of 73.5 due to the cheap-ish beer and hot dogs (relative to the rest of the league, that is) sold at the 33 different concession stands inside Rogers Place.
Only PNC Arena (Carolina), American Airlines Center (Dallas), Enterprise Center (St. Louis), Centre Bell (Montreal), and Bell MTS Place (Winnipeg) finished with a better rating than Rogers Place among the 32 NHL arenas covered in the OLBG study.
Here’s a look at the top 10 teams from the study:
Teams | Average attendance per game | Concession stands | Cost of a hotdog | Cost of a beer | Positive Sentiment | Negative Sentiment | Total Foodie Ranking |
Carolina Hurricanes | 18798 | 90 | 4.5 | 10 | 12 | 32 | 84.5 |
Dallas Stars | 18532 | 21 | 5.5 | 11 | 26 | 21 | 82.2 |
St. Louis Blues | 18084 | 48 | 6 | 11.5 | 27 | 13 | 78.1 |
Montreal Canadiens | 21099 | 83 | 5.5 | 11.5 | 14 | 14 | 77.2 |
Winnipeg Jets | 13490 | 47 | 5.5 | 11 | 15 | 45 | 74.1 |
Edmonton Oilers | 19173 | 33 | 5.5 | 10 | 11 | 23 | 73.5 |
Minnesota Wild | 18526 | 47 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 30 | 72.8 |
Washington Capitals | 17841 | 66 | 6 | 11.5 | 15 | 15 | 70.7 |
Buffalo Sabres | 15981 | 42 | 6 | 9.5 | 15 | 35 | 68.3 |
Colorado Avalanche | 18103 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 24 | 67.1 |
Delta Center in Salt Lake City received a rating of 67.7 for its NBA concessions, which would rank 10th in the NHL — representing a significant upgrade over the amenities at Mullett Arena in Tempe, AZ, which narrowly beat out the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa for last place in the study.
The food choices at the iconic but outdated Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary ranked 22nd; construction on the Flames’ new downtown arena, presumably with better concessions included, is slated to officially begin Monday. The other Canadian NHL arenas also fared poorly, with Rogers Arena in Vancouver finishing 20th and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto placing a distant 29th.
The best venues for food and drink in the other three leagues all placed behind PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC, which ranked as the top arena in the entire study. Cowboy Stadium in Dallas was deemed the best in the NFL; Frost Bank Arena, the home of the San Antonio Spurs, took home the top spot for the NBA; and St. Mary’s Stadium in Southampton was named the best in the EPL.
Rogers Place officially opened in downtown Edmonton in 2016 as part of the brand-new “Ice District.” The 18,437-seat stadium took over as the home of the Oilers from the antiquated Northlands Coliseum, which remains on the same northwest plot of land it has occupied under various names since 1974.
