A fan sent in a very interesting question to Dan Rosen’s “Over the Boards” mailbag segment on NHL.com a couple months ago. The fan basically asked what innovations and changes can be made to arenas to increase attendance.

We’ve seen baseball and football stadiums keep getting built with a bit of ‘one-ups-manship’ against their competition. Some of those ideas (retractable roofs) have worked better than others (the Miami Marlins had in seat fish tanks). Meanwhile, the basic hockey stadium design has remain unchanged since, well, pretty much forever.

The fan specifically mentioned retractable roofs and ice level suits. Both of those are commonplace in the NHL but Rosen explained why they were prohibitive in an NHL setting. Rosen did offer his own rebuttal of ideas he would like to see work. Some seem like they might work, others maybe not. Let’s take a look at Rosen’s wish list for an innovative NHL fan experience.

Fans Select Three Stars Of The Game

Some hockey fans would love this, especially the hardcore ones. The hockey writers at this site would love this. The casual fan on the other hand may not be interested. How many times does the arena seem to empty out just as the final horn sounds?

If your team is losing it might empty out even before that. Some fans are at the mercy of public transportation so leave the game as quickly as possible. The thrill of picking the game’s three stars might not be enough to get them to stay after the game has ended.

Not only that, but the NHL seems to be a little more cautious about letting fans decide player honors. Remember the 2016 NHL All-Star game when a little known former Arizona Coyote player named John Scott was not only named to the team but named the game’s MVP? Remember how the league’s reaction was anything but thrilled? Get enough fans in on the joke and something like that could happen every night in the NHL if fans could vote on the three stars.

One potential solution is letting real hockey writers decide the choices, but then again, you couldn’t fully accurately vote on the three stars until after the game is over. What if a player you would not have considered 20 minutes ago scores a beautiful goal in overtime? Maybe that goaltender you though was having an average game comes up huge in overtime and deserves the credit for his team win?

In-Arena, Mid-Period Interviews With Players/Coaches

No one stays in their seats during intermissions. That’s the fans chances to hit the restrooms, buy some food, and grab another cold beer. If you’re watching at home, and not having to go wait in a long concession line, those interviews are fun entertainment in between periods. Plus they keep you from changing the channel.

For fans that are actually there buying a hotdog might be a more pressing matter during those 18 minute breaks in between action.

Live Mini-Concerts In Between Periods

The Nashville predators famously do this, and the Nashville Predators famously do this well. Then, again, it is Nashville, a city known for its music. It’s one of those things that unique to this non-traditional hockey market. Vegas has showgirls and Elvis impersonators while Nashville has country music.

Live music is great, but this idea would work on a small scale. Let’s use the New Jersey Devils as an example. Getting a Bruce Springsteen cover band to play during intermission while fans are mingling on the concourse sounds fun. Teams can chose musical acts to fit their region and fan base preference, hence, why we said Bruce Springsteen for New Jersey.

Point is don’t expect a full blown concert from an A-Lister in between periods. Most NHL teams don’t have that in their marketing budget.

Interactive Fan Experiences Outside Arena

This is a great idea, but not for every game. First teams have to deal with this crazy thing called the weather. Hockey is a winter sport, so you can’t really have an outdoor fan experience with snow on the ground when it’s below freezing. The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning are lucky they don’t have to worry about that.

Unless it’s a major event, this idea might not work for weekday games. I live close enough to the Prudential Center that I can drive there after work and make it for puck drop, but I wouldn’t have enough time to get there early and enjoy this fan festival idea. Many other working fans would be in the same boat.

If it’s an afternoon weekend game, which notably brings in a lot of school aged children in attendance, than yes this would work. They should be scheduled for those type of games and major events (playoff games and jersey retirements) but not all 82.