Stadium Seating Charts

NHL arenas by capacity, biggest to smallest

The biggest NHL arena is Bell Centre in Montreal, QC, with 20,962 seats for hockey games. The smallest is Canada Life Centre at 15,225. The average NHL arena holds 18,148. The oldest is Madison Square Garden (1968) and the newest UBS Arena (2021).

Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC. Photo: Fleurdelisé, 2008, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The six biggest NHL arenas

Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
1. Bell Centre 20,962 seats for hockey
Photo: Fleurdelisé, 2008, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
United Center, Chicago, IL
2. United Center 19,717 seats for hockey
Photo: Alacoolwiki, 2015, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
3. Little Caesars Arena 19,515 seats for hockey
Photo: Michael Barera, 2025, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB
4. Scotiabank Saddledome 19,289 seats for hockey
Photo: AceYYC, 2020, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL
5. Amerant Bank Arena 19,250 seats for hockey
Photo: Gatorfan252525, 2024, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
6. Xfinity Mobile Arena 19,173 seats for hockey
Photo: Phillyfan0419, 2007, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

All NHL arenas by capacity

#StadiumNHL capacityLocationOpened
1Bell Centre20,962 (source)Montreal, QC1996
2United Center19,717 (source)Chicago, IL1994
3Little Caesars Arena19,515 (source)Detroit, MI2017
4Scotiabank Saddledome19,289 (source)Calgary, AB1983
5Amerant Bank Arena19,250 (source)Sunrise, FL1998
6Xfinity Mobile Arena19,173 (source)Philadelphia, PA1996
7Benchmark International Arena19,092 (source)Tampa, FL1996
8KeyBank Center19,070 (source)Buffalo, NY1996
9Rogers Arena18,871 (source)Vancouver, BC1995
10Scotiabank Arena18,819 (source)Toronto, ON1999
11Capital One Arena18,573 (source)Washington, DC1997
12Lenovo Center18,547 (source)Raleigh, NC1999
13American Airlines Center18,532 (source)Dallas, TX2001
14Nationwide Arena18,500 (source)Columbus, OH2000
15Rogers Place18,347 (source)Edmonton, AB2016
16PPG Paints Arena18,187 (source)Pittsburgh, PA2010
17Crypto.com Arena18,145 (source)Los Angeles, CA1999
18Enterprise Center18,096 (source)St. Louis, MO1994
19Madison Square Garden18,006 (source)New York, NY1968
20Grand Casino Arena17,954 (source)St. Paul, MN2000
21TD Garden17,850 (source)Boston, MA1995
22Ball Arena17,809 (source)Denver, CO1999
23T-Mobile Arena17,500 (source)Las Vegas, NV2016
24SAP Center17,435 (source)San Jose, CA1993
25UBS Arena17,255 (source)Elmont, NY2021
26Honda Center17,174 (source)Anaheim, CA1993
27Bridgestone Arena17,159 (source)Nashville, TN1996
28Climate Pledge Arena17,151 (source)Seattle, WA2021
29Canadian Tire Centre17,010 (source)Ottawa, ON1996
30Prudential Center16,514 (source)Newark, NJ2007
31Delta Center16,020 (source)Salt Lake City, UT1991
32Canada Life Centre15,225 (source)Winnipeg, MB2004

What is the oldest NHL arena?

Madison Square Garden, opened in 1968.

What is the average NHL arena capacity?

18,148 seats across all 32 NHL arenas.

Which NHL arenas also host the NBA?

11: United Center, Little Caesars Arena, Xfinity Mobile Arena, Scotiabank Arena, Capital One Arena, American Airlines Center, Crypto.com Arena, Madison Square Garden, TD Garden, Ball Arena, Delta Center. Capacity on this page is the figure for hockey games; the other layout holds a different number.

How this list is built

Capacity is each venue's official seating capacity for its main sport, taken from the team or venue's own page, or the stadium's Wikipedia infobox where the official page gives none. Each figure links to its source. Standing room, temporary seats and record crowds are not counted. Opening year is the year the current stadium first hosted its main tenant. Arenas set out different seat counts for basketball, hockey and concerts; this page uses the hockey figure. Figures are checked against the source each month; if you spot an outdated number, the source link beside it shows where it came from.

Free to use with a link to this page. Stadium photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited under each photo and on our photo credits page.