What a ride the 2018-19 season has been! As the Stanley Cup Finals come to an end (and congratulations to the Blues on their remarkable comeback season and first Cup win), I’m taking a deep breath and looking back on a fantastic season of travels. This season was the real genesis of the Tour de National Hockey League, and it’s been the first season I’ve seriously focused on traveling to games. It’s been a lot of travel, but travel filled with great memories with great people.

First off, I’d like to thank Jeff, Graham, Dan, Boston Drew, and Craig for joining me on five trips covering eight new cities this year! And of course, many thanks to all of you who have generously contributed to my fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Thanks to some incredible generosity, we’ve raised $1,865 so far, 58% of my goal of $3,200!

In my first sixteen trips across the NHL, I’ve traveled some 17,000 miles to 16 great cities in 11 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces. And I figure it’s time to set the record straight (or at least half the record) on who’s best and worst so far. So without further ado, I present (in my humble opinion) my current arena rankings:

16. Scotiabank Saddledome (Calgary) – It’s just really old, and the fans were disappointingly quiet.

15. PNC Arena (Carolina) – PNC is in a terrible location and an average atmosphere at best. The Bunch of Jerks movement has definitely helped, though!

14. TD Garden (Boston) – Violence is not the answer, friends.

13. Nassau Coliseum (New York Islanders) – A passionate fanbase deserves a new arena.

12. Prudential Center (New Jersey) – Nice building in an undesirable city.

11. SAP Pavilion (San Jose) – Hey, it’s my best Instagram picture so far!

10. Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia) – Forgive me Philly, but the building needs upgrades and cheaper tickets.

9. Nationwide Arena (Columbus) – Gorgeous arena, but most fans were watching Ohio State football instead.

8. Xcel Energy Center (Minnesota) – Good arena with plenty of Minnesota hockey history.

7. Bell MTS Place (Winnipeg) – Small, plain arena with a great fan base.

6. PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh) – The Flyers’ fierce rivals have a great arena with enthusiastic fans.

5. Amalie Arena (Tampa Bay) – Beautiful building, but is Florida hockey country?

4. Little Caesars Arena (Detroit) – A state of the art building for a great franchise in Hockeytown.

3. Rogers Place (Edmonton) – A near perfect state of the art arena with an exciting atmosphere.

2. Bridgestone Arena (Nashville) – The fans make the game a party, and the party continues after the game on Broadway.

1. Madison Square Garden (New York Rangers) – The World’s Most Famous Arena lives up to its mantra, with loud fans and the best neighborhood in the country!

Sixteen down, sixteen more to go. Hope you’ve enjoyed the Tour so far, because we’ve got plenty more adventures to come!