Here is what Wikipedia says about the Auditorium:
The George V. Meehan Auditorium is a 3,059-seat hockey arena, in Providence, Rhode Island. The arena opened in 1961 and was dedicated on January 6, 1962. On September 28, 1964, at the same time that he was campaigning to stay in office, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson addressed the bicentennial convocation of Brown University at Meehan, in favor of educational opportunity, freedom of conscience and the proposed National Endowment for the Humanities. It is named for George V. Meehan, the benefactor of the arena, which he hoped would "service and promote" the Brown Bears ice hockey program, which now belongs to the Ivy and ECAC Hockey leagues.
In 1965, Meehan Auditorium hosted the Frozen Four ice hockey semi-finals of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It is recognizable for its large white domed roof, and is located on the highest corner (Hope Street and Lloyd Avenue) of Brown's main athletic complex on College Hill in Providence. It was renovated in 2002, bringing its capacity up to its current level.
You can learn more about the arena on the Brown Athletics Website.
Here's my evaluation:
Atmosphere:
So far, Meehan had the worst atmosphere of any rink I've been to in the league. There crowd was empty enough where I probably could have counted how many people there were in the building easily. While school was not in session while I was there, I have been told that not many students attend most games. Also, according to College Hockey News, Brown has drawn the least average attendance of any team in the ECAC this season.
Sometimes during the game it didn't even feel like I was at a college hockey game. It reminded me of watching my little brother's travel games where just the parents are in the stands. Having music in between whistles almost felt weird.
Tradition:
I never really thought of Brown having much of a hockey tradition, which is probably due to the fact that they don't have a big following and haven't been overly successful (only two 20 win seasons in program history). But after walking around the rink, I learned that Brown has a long hockey tradition. The university first had a hockey team for the 1897-98 season and lasted through the 1906-06 season before a 20 year break. There are pictures of all the Brown hockey teams in a gallery above the visitors net and there is a Hall of Fame gallery behind the home team's net. There are also very nice Brown and White banners honoring championships and tournament appearances of both the men's and women's teams. I also spotted a trophy case to the left of the main entrance with some very old trophies in it. There were also plaques commemorating Brown players that have earned All-American, All-League, etc. honors. I really liked how the rink also slightly doubled as a Brown Hockey museum.
Functionality and Amenities:
The concourses were of decent size, and most importantly, they went completely around the rink. I also like how the concourses behind the nets were above the goals and acted as a ledge to watch the game. At the game I attended, many people lined the railings to watch the game from that perspective. There was also a nice lounge above the concourse looking over the home team's goal for the Brown Hockey Association. The food was very basic. But, none of this really matters since there aren't many people at the games.
One thing I didn't like was how the food stands were on one side, and the bathrooms were on the other. Little things like that are just annoying. They should be spread out equally.
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| Aerial view of the Meehan Auditorium |
Other Thoughts:
One of the first things I noticed once I entered the building was that it was absolutely freezing! It has to be the coldest rink in the league.
I think the roof of the auditorium is cool. It really makes the place feel like an "auditorium," and I think it helped with the acoustics of the building.
Meehan also has a good press box. While it's hard to walk in, it's very long and two-tiered so there's plenty of seats. And they have the best cookies in the league!
Oh, and there's a huge nine-foot stuffed bear in a display case when you walk into the rink. It's awesome!
Here are some pictures I took:
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| The roof |
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| Center ice logo commemorating the 50th Anniversary |
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| Plaques dedicated to All-American, All-League, etc. players |
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| Maybe Brown should bring back these sweaters |
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| View from the concourse by the away team's goal |
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| The upper seats were red and yellow |
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| The lower seats are brown |
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| View from the concourse behind the home goal |
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| View of the center ice logo from the press box |
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| The men's banners are in brown, while the women's are in white |
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