NHL Arenas by Capacity, Largest to Smallest

The biggest and smallest NHL arenas

The Bell Centre in Montreal, home of the Canadiens, is the largest NHL arena by listed capacity, at 20,962. The smallest is the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, home of the Jets, at 15,321. The rest of the league's 32 arenas fall between them, with most listing between 17,000 and 19,500.

Every NHL team has its own home building. The newest two opened in 2021: UBS Arena at Belmont Park for the New York Islanders, and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle for the Kraken, rebuilt from 2018 to 2021 inside the original roof of the 1962 Seattle Center Coliseum. The oldest in use is Madison Square Garden, opened in 1968 and renovated from 2010 to 2013. Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome opened in 1983, and its replacement is under construction.

All 32 NHL arenas ranked by capacity

The list below runs from largest to smallest by the capacity shown on Wikipedia's list of NHL arenas in November 2026. That list gives one figure per arena and does not always separate hockey seating from other configurations, so treat the numbers as listed capacities. Current naming-rights names are used.

• Bell Centre, Montreal, QC: 20,962 (Montreal Canadiens, opened 1996)
• United Center, Chicago, IL: 19,717 (Chicago Blackhawks, opened 1994)
• Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA: 19,538 (Philadelphia Flyers, opened 1996)
• Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI: 19,515 (Detroit Red Wings, opened 2017)
• Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ON: 19,347 (Ottawa Senators, opened 1996)
• Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB: 19,289 (Calgary Flames, opened 1983)
• Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL: 19,250 (Florida Panthers, opened 1998)
• Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL: 19,092 (Tampa Bay Lightning, opened 1996)
• KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY: 19,070 (Buffalo Sabres, opened 1996)
• Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC: 18,910 (Vancouver Canucks, opened 1995)
• Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON: 18,800 (Toronto Maple Leafs, opened 1999)
• Capital One Arena, Washington, DC: 18,573 (Washington Capitals, opened 1997)
• Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC: 18,547 (Carolina Hurricanes, opened 1999)
• American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX: 18,532 (Dallas Stars, opened 2001)
• PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA: 18,387 (Pittsburgh Penguins, opened 2010)
• Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB: 18,347 (Edmonton Oilers, opened 2016)
• Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA: 18,230 (Los Angeles Kings, opened 1999)
• Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH: 18,144 (Columbus Blue Jackets, opened 2000)
• Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO: 18,096 (St. Louis Blues, opened 1994)
• Madison Square Garden, New York, NY: 18,006 (New York Rangers, opened 1968)
• Grand Casino Arena, Saint Paul, MN: 17,954 (Minnesota Wild, opened 2000)
• Ball Arena, Denver, CO: 17,809 (Colorado Avalanche, opened 1999)
• TD Garden, Boston, MA: 17,565 (Boston Bruins, opened 1995)
• SAP Center, San Jose, CA: 17,435 (San Jose Sharks, opened 1993)
• T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, NV: 17,367 (Vegas Golden Knights, opened 2016)
• UBS Arena, Elmont, NY: 17,255 (New York Islanders, opened 2021)
• Honda Center, Anaheim, CA: 17,174 (Anaheim Ducks, opened 1993)
• Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN: 17,159 (Nashville Predators, opened 1996)
• Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA: 17,151 (Seattle Kraken, opened 2021)
• Prudential Center, Newark, NJ: 16,514 (New Jersey Devils, opened 2007)
• Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT: 16,020 (Utah Mammoth, opened 1991)
• Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, MB: 15,321 (Winnipeg Jets, opened 2004)

Why hockey capacity is lower than basketball capacity

Most NHL arenas also host basketball, concerts or both, and each configuration seats a different number of people. A rink is longer and wider than a basketball court and is ringed by boards and glass, so the first rows of the lower bowl sit farther from the playing surface and some removable seats are not installed. That is why Scotiabank Arena lists about 18,800 for hockey and 19,800 for basketball, and why American Airlines Center lists 18,532 for the Stars and 19,200 for the Mavericks.

Figures also move between seasons as teams add premium spaces and standing room, and sources update at different times. The Good Seats PPG Paints Arena page cites 18,187 for hockey; Wikipedia's league list shows 18,387. A difference of a few hundred seats does not change where you should sit.

New arenas and recent moves

• Utah Mammoth: the franchise began play at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City in the 2024-25 season, sharing the building with the NBA's Utah Jazz. It has the second-smallest listed capacity in the league.
• Calgary Flames: Scotia Place, a new arena listed at about 18,400, is scheduled to open in 2027 and replace the Saddledome.
• Proposed buildings: new arenas have been proposed for the Dallas Stars in Plano, the Philadelphia Flyers in South Philadelphia and the Ottawa Senators, with dates and capacities not final as of November 2026.

Arena plans change, so check the team's own announcements for current status.

What arena size means for a hockey ticket

Arena size matters less than the shape of the bowl. Buildings with two tiers, such as PPG Paints Arena, keep the upper level closer to the ice than buildings with three stacked tiers. Arenas with shallow upper levels, such as UBS Arena, where upper sections have only a handful of rows, make the cheapest seats unusually good.

In any arena, the same rules apply: center ice between the blue lines, high enough to see over the glass, and the end where the home team shoots twice if you want to see goals up close. The Best Seats at a Hockey Game explains each choice.

Sources

• Wikipedia, List of National Hockey League arenas
• Wikipedia, Climate Pledge Arena
• Wikipedia, Madison Square Garden