The XL Center looks awful on TV

[Guapo]

Hartford doesn’t need an XL Center.

Medium is a better fit.









Try the veal.

 

[Guapo]

Hartford doesn’t need an XL Center.

Medium is a better fit.









Try the veal.

Take the XL Center...please!

 

[John]

I love spending $10 for a hot dog and soda

 

[FartMan69]

Same actually I’m 6’3 and I just stopped buying anything other than standing room. I just wander the park. There are so many good vantage points there that there’s no point in wasting the extra money on a seat I can’t fit into.

If you get a nice usher around the SRO area behind the grandstands sometimes you can snag a handicap folding chair if any are open. That’s my fav move if I can’t get loge or club

 

[Hurleyman216]

There is also a strong case to be made for the arena contributing sales and other taxes to state coffers, Ritter said. The venue also is key to downtown Hartford’s revitalization, adding hotel bookings, restaurant business and parking revenue to the surrounding area, he said.

Ever notice that there never are any hard numbers associated with argument when it get trotted out?

It’s like when town governments tell you that bringing new businesses to town will lower your mil rate. It never happens in reality. The more business and infrastructure the higher the mil rate. Lamont literally came out yesterday with an open letter to CT saying that the fixed costs CT has are “like a mortgage” and nothing can be done about it.
That’s pure BS. At the end of the day state employee pensions and other benefits need to be cut back to on par with industry. This state needs to stop kicking the can down the road. You can’t convince me that building a new arena in Hartford is going to make money for the city, but if you think you can then show me the numbers to prove it.

 

[husky8273]

it really is surprising they won a hosting gig. although the prov civic center did a few years ago too.

how will they handle weekday parking better than the last time XL hosted?

 

[Ha Who]

how will they handle weekday parking better than the last time XL hosted?

It is Hartford.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

This is a hot take and also a little bit exaggerated. You can literally get up out of your seat during a time out and go to the bathroom and be back in your seat before play begins

Most of us can; perhaps not so true for Monday night’s fans, AAC Guru, and a few old guys at men’s games.

 

[HuskyHawk]

There is also a strong case to be made for the arena contributing sales and other taxes to state coffers, Ritter said. The venue also is key to downtown Hartford’s revitalization, adding hotel bookings, restaurant business and parking revenue to the surrounding area, he said.

Ever notice that there never are any hard numbers associated with this argument when it gets trotted out?

I don't have a dog in this fight really, as a non resident. But the reality is that both Worcester and Providence have no issue maintaining a modest, updated arena. Either you are attempting to be a real city or you aren't. There should be something there for the Wolf Pack, the UConn hockey and basketball teams, concerts, Ice capades, circuses etc.

Not having a building of that type would be the death of Hartford. We can't fix what is really plaguing Hartford, namely that it needed to annex Wethersfield, Bloomfield, West Hartford and Newington 120 years ago. East Hartford too ideally.

 

[CL82]

I don't have a dog in this fight really, as a non resident. But the reality is that both Worcester and Providence have no issue maintaining a modest, updated arena. Either you are attempting to be a real city or you aren't. There should be something there for the Wolf Pack, the UConn hockey and basketball teams, concerts, Ice capades, circuses etc.

Not having a building of that type would be the death of Hartford. We can't fix what is really plaguing Hartford, namely that it needed to annex Wethersfield, Bloomfield, West Hartford and Newington 120 years ago. East Hartford too ideally.

It either generates a positive cash flow or it doesn't. If this thing is operating at a muti-million dollar loss, and that masked by the $3.5M that UConn pays it annually, you have decide how much having the Ice Capades play a fews date to a less than half full arena really matters to Hartford.

 

[TJT]

I don't have a dog in this fight really, as a non resident. But the reality is that both Worcester and Providence have no issue maintaining a modest, updated arena.

I was recently in the DCU Center in Worcester. It is looking rather tired these days. With all the money being spent on their new AAA baseball ballpark (100M+ in public funds), I have doubts the city will have money any time soon for a major arena rehab.

 

[John]

I was recently in the DCU Center in Worcester. It is looking rather tired these days. With all the money being spent on their new AAA baseball ballpark (100M+ in public funds), I have doubts the city will have money any time soon for a major arena rehab.

that's the old Centrum? or did they build something newer - the Centrum is about the same age as the XL

 

[Waquoit]

Nah, it's a dump. I have a lot of great memories of games there, but it's pretty crappy these days.

It's probably as spiffed up now as it's ever been. Why is it a dump now?

 

[CL82]

It's probably as spiffed up now as it's ever been. Why is it a dump now?

Off the top of my head? It's dirty, worn, loose seats, inadequate concourse. As I noted earlier, it still looks good on TV though.

 

[Waquoit]

But the reality is that both Worcester and Providence have no issue maintaining a modest, updated arena.

The reality is that you are talking out of your tookus. The XL is in much better condition than Worcester and they just lost their hockey team.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

The NCAA should host the March Madness tourney at Mohegan instead of Hartford .

 

[HuskyHawk]

The reality is that you are talking out of your tookus. The XL is in much better condition than Worcester and they just lost their hockey team.

I just haven't been to XL in a few years. If it's in decent shape then people should stop bitching. How does it compare to the Dunk? I've been there often.

 

[FartMan69]

When they added the extra 5k seats to an arena built for 10k people after the roof fell off it became obsolete immediately. Although It's not really an issue of is it suitable to watch a game but rather the issue that at it's current set up it's going to lose money every year and all the band aids in the world aren't going to solve that. Wrecking ball will have to be the fate and i'll let the smarter minds make the decision on a new building.

 

[FartMan69]

I just haven't been to XL in a few years. If it's in decent shape then people should stop bitching. How does it compare to the Dunk? I've been there often.

Providence dumped the right amount of money into the building at the perfect time. The XL needed to be addressed 20 years ago and wasn't.

 

[CL82]

When they added the extra 5k seats to an arena built for 10k people after the roof fell off it became obsolete immediately.

Uh no. From memory? Roof drainage design was flawed. Used a center drain concept, which iced over. Ensuing rain caused load to exceed capacity.

 

[Ha Who]

Uh no. From memory? Roof drainage design was flawed. Used a center drain concept, which iced over. Ensuing rain caused load to exceed capacity.

No. His point is the concourse, restrooms, etc were designed for a capacity of 10,507 not 16,294

 

[TJT]

that's the old Centrum? or did they build something newer - the Centrum is about the same age as the XL

Yes. Same building - new name. Originally opened in 1982 making it a few years newer (7-10) than either the XL Center or Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence.

 

[Waquoit]

No. His point is the concourse, restrooms, etc were designed for a capacity of 10,507 not 16,294

And the concourses are more open now than they ever were.

 

[FartMan69]

Uh no. From memory? Roof drainage design was flawed. Used a center drain concept, which iced over. Ensuing rain caused load to exceed capacity.

I’m talking about after the roof fell. They added seats but didn’t make the concourse bigger hence being obsolete

 

[FartMan69]

And the concourses are more open now than they ever were.

They painted them and took the doors off the seating bowl. Still same size