The St. Louis Blues have to worry about what their team will look like when it hits the ice. However, the team that hits the ice will be playing in a different looking arena than they saw last year.
The St. Louis Blues have been playing in the Scottrade Center (under various names) since 1994. There have been tweaks over the years, but nothing like the arena will see this summer.
Some of the past changes include taking out seats for the current Pepsi Plaza. There was the addition of a video ribbon and there have been a couple different versions of the scoreboard/videoboard.
However, there has never been the kind of undertaking the Blues and team/building owner Tom Stillman are undertaking right now. They are all but going to overhaul the entire arena, with new seating, a new ice surface and cooling system and more.
Now that the NHL Entry Draft is over, time is precious for both the players and the construction workers. Camps are just around the corner (the prospects will gather at the Blues practice facility this week) and there are events coming up that need an arena not under construction.
Things are already a decent amount underway. The team already took down the old videoboard and brought the old girl down with a little style.
The new board will not go up for a little bit while construction is going on. There are renderings though.
This is what our new Jumbotron will look like next year compared to our old one! pic.twitter.com/zeyp89zr94
— Logan (@lweso_21) June 21, 2017
Personally, I’m not that big of a fan yet. It will definitely be bigger and bigger is supposedly better. However, it seems so plain as pictured. Yes, there will be a video ribbon below, but it just lacks the flare you’d think something new would have. It almost harkens back to the old style scoreboards, just with big screens.
The center video board will not be the only update though. They might be only a few years old, but the wraparound ribbon will be replaced and the advertising signs above the entrances will become digital too.
They also announced that we're getting a new ribbon board (top circle) and the Toyota signs like u see in this pic will be all digital! pic.twitter.com/w0kbPOg3yp
— Logan (@lweso_21) June 21, 2017
I might not be the biggest fan of the board yet, but it will be impressive in size. Below is a comparison shot showing how much larger it will be than the old one and how it compares to some of the more impressive ones from around the league.
According to #STLBlues, new scoreboard will be a 40 foot cube. Here is how that looks compared to the old board and against a couple others. pic.twitter.com/cFwZ33wKGC
— TheFaceoff.net (@thefaceoffnet) June 21, 2017
All of that is just for show though. Granted, the show is what fans see, but events run on the building itself.
The Blues are going to be putting in an entirely new ice plant and changing up the seating.
Again, I’m not crazy about the seating thing. It is going to bring in extra revenue, but I’m more old school. I like the Old Barn, where it was nothing but people in the seats and less exclusivity.
I get it. It brings in more money and gives fans another choice in terms of what they want in terms of seating. It just seems to be at the cost of pure seating numbers and will, again, separate fans and take a little of the atmosphere away from the building.
That’s the way sports are going though. It’s all about corporate dollars and big spenders. Nevertheless, it will be an impressive section for those that sit there.
The ice shelf will be the the biggest addition they’ve made so far, despite getting the least publicity. The possibility of having Olympic style events in St. Louis would be a big coup.
While hockey is not the only reason to make such a change, it is definitely a huge reason. Obviously, the Blues get better ice. The building can now also bid on more international events like the World Cup of Hockey or IIHF Junior Championships, which St. Louis almost got even before the changes.
Next: 10 Ways Brayden Schenn Deal Immediately Impacts The Blues
All the switches are going to make the building a very different place come the start of the 2017-18 NHL season. The Blues on-ice product might not get a big boost from any of it, but it will make for a better venue to play in and a more entertaining experience for fans.
It will also open up possibilities for more events other than the Blues. That, in turn, funds the team’s ownership, which they can turn around and spend on the team.
It’s a win win situation, even if there are a few minor gripes from those like myself.