“The game is meant to be fun.” – Jack Nicklaus

Arena: Nationwide Arena (2000)

Location: Arena District, Columbus

Game Attended: October 20th, 2018 vs Chicago

Game Result: 4-1 Chicago victory

Seat Location: Upstairs, Columbus 2x End

Overall Impression: Impressive Arena, Still Feels Like a Small Market

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from my trip to Columbus. After all, I didn’t know much about the city other than the obvious Ohio State presence. But it seems like Columbus is a very good city. Not great, but very good. And that’s exactly how I felt about Nationwide Arena.

I flew from Charlotte to Columbus to visit college friend Jeff, who is in the second year of his MBA program at Ohio State. Definitely helpful to get his insights on the city and its growth and gentrification. Many well-deserved thanks for his hospitality and his delicious scrambled eggs!

Anywho, I read that Nationwide Insurance put up nearly $150 million to build an arena in downtown Columbus after city voters nixed a financing proposal. Good thing Nationwide stepped up; the arena is gorgeous! You can tell it’s less than 20 years old, and the city has done a nice job building the “Arena District” around Nationwide and Huntington Park, the ballpark of the AAA Columbus Clippers. There were plenty of people at bars and restaurants around the corner before the game, and while the arena wasn’t in the heart of downtown Columbus, the District seemed like a fun place to enjoy pregame festivities.

The building itself was well-organized with plenty of space for fans to avoid any sense of claustrophobia. Concourses were clean, tastefully decorated, and full of smaller concession and merchandise stands, including plenty of craft and local beverages! And I noticed some similarities to other places I’ve been.

Like Philadelphia, the Jackets have a display case of hats thrown during hat tricks. Like New Jersey, there’s a wall of jerseys from Ohio high school teams. But unlike any place I’ve been, the Jackets’ practice rink is attached to the arena and visible from the concourse. And unlike anywhere else, Columbus has a cannon!

And yes, it’s real, and it’s LOUD! Pretty cool feature for the Blue Jackets, who are named for the state of Ohio’s volunteers in the Civil War and for the blue coats manufactured for the Union Army during the War. There are even “soldiers” who will kindly take a picture of you with the cannon.

Overall, a lot to like. A top-notch facility located in a cool, growing neighborhood, good amenities, and great video board in the arena. So why do I say it’s good but not great?

Well, one would expect a decent contingent of Chicago fans, especially being within driving distance. But there was also a noticeable amount of empty blue seats. I’d say the mix was probably 60% Columbus / 30% Chicago / 10% Empty. Did it have something to do with the fact that Ohio State played at the same time the Jackets did? Probably didn’t help. But it’s still disappointing to see, since the Jackets are a talented team who made the playoffs last season and should contend again this year.

Another little gripe of mine: it felt really dark upstairs. The walls and ceiling were painted black for whatever reason, which made the upper level of seats seem pretty cavernous. I know that’s nitpicking, but it’s just a pet peeve of mine and doesn’t help create a warm atmosphere.

But in the grand scheme of things, Nationwide Arena is a great facility for a young and growing fan base. Although the Jackets struggled for a while out of the gate, they’ve found some success in recent years with talented players like Nick Foligno, Cam Atkinson, and Sergei Bobrovsky. They may never reach the grand hockey culture that cities like Chicago, Toronto, or Montreal have, but they’ve got a good team and a good arena. And that’s something to be proud of for a smaller market team!

Building: 4 / 5

Atmosphere: 2.5 / 5

Neighborhood: 4 / 5

Overall: 3.5 / 5