When the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets met in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past spring, every game was fast, physical and loud. Really loud.
It’s no surprise then that Bridgestone Arena and Bell MTS Place were voted two of the toughest venues for opposing NHL teams to play in.
The Predators’ home arena received the most votes in an NHL.com-conducted poll of 61 NHL stars with Winnipeg’s Bell MTS Place and PPG Paints Arena, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins, finishing tied for second place.
The reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners once again find themselves atop the NHL standings heading into Friday’s slate of games, but ironically they’ve been better on the road so far this season.
“I feel like the crowd is so loud, and it’s a tough team to play,” Blackhawks star Patrick Kane told the website. “It seems like they have the bass jacked up in there. That building’s always bouncing.”
The Preds had this funny reaction to the poll, referencing an early-season banner raising ceremony that had hockey fans poking fun at the team – and the team poking fun at itself.
The Jets are an impressive 8-2-1 at home but PPG Paints Arena hasn’t lived up to its billing with the struggling Pens going just 3-5-1 in their first nine home games of 2018-19.
Seventeen arenas received at least one vote with Boston’s TD Garden, Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, Montreal’s Bell Centre, and the SAP Center at San Jose being the next closest vote-getters.
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