Gathering Spaces Emptying Seats

Times are changing and so are the ways people watch live sporting events... or don't watch them. Arenas around the league struggle to fill seats. Some struggle to sell tickets, while others sell out but still can't fill seats. Remarkably, most rinks seem to have the same answer, and that is to avoid the issues causing these empty seats, and just replace them with black seats. Black will show up less on TV so people will be led to believe that the building is not empty.

Many team's management put their efforts and money into creating more gathering spaces for fans to socialize and buy food and drinks. Sounds great, except when you are in those gathering spaces, you are not engaged with the event taking place in the arena bowl, and thus, not in your seat. But it seems that this is not as important, and the home team advantage is becoming less of a thing with each passing year.

So lets take a look at what some of the NHL arenas will look like this season with all their not-so-unique seating arrangements.