Playoff arenas have unique features for fans

The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Saturday and the arenas of the 16 teams that qualified will be loaded with fans over the coming weeks.

The Utah Mammoth, in their second season in the NHL, have made the playoffs for the first time. A few others are back after many years out of the postseason.

The Buffalo Sabres haven't hosted a playoff game since 2011 while the Anaheim Ducks have waited since 2018 for the postseason to return to Honda Center.  

The Philadelphia Flyers qualified for the first time since 2019-20, but those games were played in Toronto due to COVID-19 restrictions, so this will be the first time the Flyers host a playoff game since 2017-18.

The Pittsburgh Penguins return after missing the playoffs the past three seasons and the Boston Bruins are back after not qualifying last season.

In addition to the excitement the playoffs bring, each arena has something unique that will make the games more special.

NHL.com is providing a look at the special features in or around the arena from each of the 16 teams who made the playoffs (in alphabetical order by team):

Anaheim Ducks

One of the first things guests might notice at Honda Center are the automobile-sized inflatable Ducks that glide above the crowd after warmups and then return to their perch just before teams retake the ice. The "Paint it Orange" theme remains visible throughout the arena, and a celebrity is often brought in to push the Take Flight button just before puck drop. Former defenseman Chris Pronger used his elbow to strike the button before a game earlier this month. Longtime season ticket holders will bang a large drum before the start of the second and third periods, getting the crowd to chant, ‘Let's Go Ducks' with each strike. The punk rock band The Offspring is also frequently seen and heard at Honda Center, and the Orange County locals often work in collaboration with the Ducks on special in-game events. -- Dan Arritt, NHL independent correspondent

Boston Bruins

The Bruins are well known for their fan banner captains, where famous local sports luminaries -- including players from the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and former Bruins -- come out to wave giant flags before playoff games. Zdeno Chara has done it. Bobby Orr has done it. Former Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman has done it. Some years the Bruins have included Special Olympics athletes along with the professionals. Any way they do it, it revs up the crowd, especially because Boston keeps the fan banner captains secret until they emerge. Never fails to bring the heat to TD Garden. -- Amalie Benjamin, senior staff writer

Buffalo Sabres

With the Sabres' long-awaited playoff return come parties. Lots and lots of watch parties. There will be a Sabrehood Block Party for every home playoff game, including a pregame party at the Alumni Plaza outside of KeyBank Center and, to make sure everyone gets a chance to attend them, a watch party at Canalside (Seneca Resorts & Casinos will host watch parties for away games). There will also be a rally towel given away for each home game, each brandishing a unique slogan which will be unveiled a few days prior to each game. -- Myers

Carolina Hurricanes

When you've made the playoffs eight consecutive seasons as the Hurricanes have, you stick with what you know and what the fans love. That starts with the Storm Surge, which the Hurricanes perform after wins at Lenovo Center. Another big focus is a local celebrity or pro athlete cranking the siren before players hit the ice to start the game and as well as the second and third periods. Tailgating is also a popular tradition for Hurricanes fans, and they don't necessarily wait until the playoffs. As soon as the weather gets warmer, fans are out in the parking lots, on the sidewalks and grassy areas outside Lenovo Center cooking out and playing games ahead of the big game. – Myers

Colorado Avalanche

Two standards return this postseason. We'll start with the white pom-poms, which the Avalanche have had dating back to their first playoff appearance in 1996, when they also won the Stanley Cup. When the Avalanche score, fans cheer and crash the pom-poms in celebration. Also back is the power-up sound from Super Mario Bros., which plays after the Avalanche successfully kill off a penalty. This year there's also an "Avs Alley," an area outside of Ball Arena that will host watch parties for all the playoff games. -- Myers

Dallas Stars

Let's start with something new the Stars are doing this postseason: they'll be wearing their 1998-99 jerseys during the Western Conference First Round, the ones they wore when they won the only Stanley Cup in their history in 1999. They'll follow that with a tradition that began back at the Stars' old stomping grounds, Reunion Arena, and continues at American Airlines Center: "Puck Off." The song, created in 1999 for the team by Pantera, the heavy metal band that originated in nearby Arlington, Texas, blares as the Stars take the ice prior to puck drop. It's also played after each goal. Fans get interactive with two songs, yelling "Stars" both times it's mentioned in the national anthem and singing along to "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks, which is played in the third period. – Myers

Edmonton Oilers

As crazy as the atmosphere can get inside Rogers Place, it's that boisterous outside the arena. Fans gather at the Ice District Plaza, adjacent to the arena, which is nicknamed the "Moss Pit" after Oilers longtime trainer Joey Moss, who died in 2020. Since the area was opened for the 2022 playoffs, it's become the place to be for fans to watch the game on big screens. Oh, and whether you're going into the arena or watching from at the plaza, stop by the McKenzie Brothers Statue at the intersection of 103 Street and 103 Avenue. The statue, depicting Bob and Doug Mackenzie with their trademark toques, is a true piece of Canada pop culture. – Myers

Los Angeles Kings

At Crypto.com Arena, it's all about star power. We'll start with the longtime video of the "South Park" kids as well as rapper Snoop Dogg telling the fans to get loud. Will Ferrell leading the "Go Kings Go" chant has become commonplace, but the actor and comedian has been especially locked in during the Kings' push to the playoffs this season. Ferrell was at the arena for the Kings' home finale Saturday after making a cameo appearance in Sabrina Carpenter's headline set at the Coachella Music Festival on Friday. -- Myers

Minnesota Wild

Games at Grand Casino Arena always begin with a young flag-bearer, a different child each game who skates to the middle of the ice and plants the Wild flag prior to the singing of the national anthem. Right before puck drop, the familiar chant of "Let's Play Hockey!" is led by a person or group that's special to Minnesota. If you're feeling peckish, grab some mini donuts from Sections 126 or 227. You'll smell those fabulous little treats as soon as you walk in the building. Before or after the game, be sure to see the statue of St. Paul native Herb Brooks, coach of the gold medal-winning United States hockey team in the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. Also check out a 1980 Olympic championship ring at Herbies on the Park, a restaurant just steps away from the arena. -- Myers

Montreal Canadiens

The ghosts of Montreal's past Stanley Cup success remain prevalent at Bell Centre, which has inherited the ones that used to hang at the Montreal Forum. The 24 Stanley Cup banners made the crosstown trip nearly 30 years ago, but the Canadiens have yet to hoist a new one since 1993, and never at Bell Centre. Last season, fans were thrilled that the Canadiens were back home for the playoffs but this season, there are more expectations, more pressure, more demand for a longer playoff run. As this season's Canadiens try to bring a Cup back to Montreal for the first time in more than 30 years, the ghosts of Montreal Cup glory past will be watching over them. -- Myers

Ottawa Senators

The rally bell, something the Senators began at the start of last season, is back for another go. A fan or local celebrity rings the bell, which is located in the 300 level of Canadian Tire Centre and is a tribute to the Peace Tower, the clock tower that's a prominent feature of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The bell ringing segues into "Hell's Bells" by AC/DC, which is played as the Senators come out onto the ice. This postseason, the Senators will also have outdoor activities at the arena for all games, be it home or on the road. Sens Mile, a fan zone stretch on Elgin Street, also returns and street signs will be changed to "Sens Mile" signs. -- Myers

Philadelphia Flyers

It's been a while but it's likely the Flyers bring back an old standard: "God Bless America." The Kate Smith song, which the Flyers began playing before games in the Broadway Bullies era of the mid-1970s, will probably be sung by their longtime national anthem singer Lauren Hart. The Flyers brought the song back for the first time in many years on April 5, when they defeated the Boston Bruins 2-1 in overtime. -- Myers

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins don't really change things up at PPG Paints Arena once the playoffs begin, they just continue their regular-season traditions. Each game begins with someone or several people, be it a group, a local celebrity or athlete, yelling "It's a Hockey Night in Pittsburgh!" for night games or "It's a Great Day for Hockey!" for day games. The first phrase is in homage to Mike Lange, their former play-by-play broadcaster who passed away on Feb. 19, 2025. The second saying is in honor of "Badger" Bob Johnson, former coach of the Penguins and Wisconsin Badgers who passed away on Nov. 26, 1991, when he was still Pittsburgh's coach. -- Myers

Tampa Bay Lightning

The place has a different name but the traditions around Benchmark International Arena haven't changed much. Sticks of Fire, the Lightning fan club which sits in Section 307, will do its "March to the Match," which begins at a local establishment, goes through Thunder Alley and proceeds to the arena among cheering fans. The Lightning also feature the "Thunder Kid," when a young fan is selected to skate a lap around the ice to AC/DC's "Thunderstruck," before stopping at center ice to stoke the crowd. After that it's the national anthem from the fabulous Sonya Bryson-Kirksey, who's considered a good luck charm for the Lightning.

Utah Mammoth

The Mammoth have experienced a lot of new things the past two seasons, and the playoffs will be no different. We'll start with the Zammoth. This creation, which made its debut at Delta Center on April 7 and could be part of the playoffs, is the Zamboni from the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics turned into a fan-focused mammoth that drives fans around the ice during intermissions. Oh, it also shoots T-shirts into the crowd. Talk about multitasking (or tusking). The "Tusk Tunnel," a tunnel resembling a cave with giant tusks from which the team emerges to start each game, made its debut this season. Oh, and the Mammoth have been using a segment of "Pretty Handsome Awkward," by The Used, a band from nearby Orem, Utah, for their goal song this season. -- Myers

Vegas Golden Knights

What happens in Vegas stays (happening) in Vegas with their postseason. It just gets amped up a little more because the T-Mobile Arena likes to increase the production value from the regular season. Maybe it's a dragon being projected on the ice. Perhaps it's a dragon atop the castle stage, which sits behind one of the goalie nets. There will be music, there will be showgirls near the glass as the team takes warmups. It's Vegas: of course it's a show. -- Myers

NHL.com staff writer Derek Van Diest, deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman and independent correspondents Taylor Baird, Kurt Dusterberg, Sean Farrell, Dan Greenspan, Wes Crosby, Corey Long, Zoe Pierce, Matt Komma, Paul Delos Santos contributed to this report.