Bank of Kentucky Center, home of Northern Kentucky Norsemen.

Arenas are learning that it pays to be multi-faceted.

College hockey is a big deal in only a few parts of the United States. Most of the 59 colleges that play the sport at the Division I level have fans that are passionate about their team. For years, many teams played in small arenas that didn’t cater to customer comfort. Mariucci Arena, now 14 years old, was one of the first college hockey venues to change that thinking. Its large capacity and excellent sightlines gave inspiration to many other schools who also have improved on the product.

Often you’ll hear that the nicest gifts come in small boxes. Although this term usually applies to fine jewelry, the thought can just as easily apply to the Ice Box where the United States Hockey League’s Lincoln Stars play. Located on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds, the facility is also known as the Coliseum -- host to horse shows during the State Fair. As you arrive, you can’t help but get the impression that this is, indeed, is little more than an unassuming box.

The Kansas Coliseum has considerable charms that loyal Wichita Thunder hockey fans truly appreciate. To put it nicely, they are close to the action, and every seat yields a good view of the action. In a word -- intimate. So much so, Thunder opponents in the Central Hockey League are probably just counting the days with glee until the Thunder moves into their new downtown Wichita digs.

Dale F. Halton Arena is the centerpiece of the Barnhardt Student Activity Center (commonly known as "the SAC") on the University of North Carolina Charlotte (UNCC) campus. Hosting the 49ers men’s and women’s basketball teams, the volleyball team and a wide array of campus activities and other events, this is a bustling place most of the time.

The Ford Center has every intention of achieving big-league status, and in most respects this six-year-old arena qualifies. Excellent location and exterior appearance, coupled with a large seating capacity, good interior lighting, superb sight lines and sound add up to a favorable experience overall. And, yet, you can’t help but notice there’s room for considerable improvement.

It is hard to imagine an arena that is having a better run these days than St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center. Seems a week doesn’t go by when the arena isn’t in the news receiving some plaudits. In December, Sports Illustrated decided, in part because of the nonstop sellouts at Xcel, to take the title of “Hockeytown” away from Detroit and move it west.

They don't make 'em like this place any more. In a sense, that is probably a good thing since Windsor Arena has narrow hallways, little parking nearby, an old-time scoreboard with no video capabilities and no seats with armrests. When you are playing in the oldest facility in the country hosting junior hockey, you are entitled to do things your way. Still, this is an arena worth visiting.

Not all modern arenas are created equal. While pretty much every newer arena has suites and other premium seating, good sight lines and a signature design feature, you rarely see all the elements come together just right. But Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines is a gem that comes awfully close to a perfect fit.

Built on the site of JFK Stadium, the Wachovia Center replaced the Spectrum as home to the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, the NLL’s Philadelphia Wings, the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, and the AFL’s Philadelphia Soul. Originally known as the CoreStates Center, the naming rights were taken over in a 1997 merger by First Union Bank, and then by Wachovia Bank in a 2003 merger.  

Van Andel Arena is home to the AFL's Grand Rapids Rampage and the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins.

The United Center, home to the Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bulls, is the largest arena in the United States. Construction was begun in April of 1992, with the ribbon cutting ceremony being held on August 18, 1994.

HOK Sport designed Toyota Center in conjunction with locally based Morris Architects. The structure features large open windows and some of the most comfortable chairs of any arena. A unique aspect of Toyota Center is the playing surface. Set nearly 32-feet below street level it is the largest lower level of any facility in the country.

Target Center, home to the Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA) and the Minnesota Lynx (WNBA), was the first arena to ban smoking.  The building's unique, movable floor and ceiling system is one of only two that exist in the country.  This allows the venue to quickly transform for the needs of different events.

Staples Center opened on October 17, 1999, and since then, the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers capped-off each of their first three seasons at Staples Center by winning consecutive NBA championships. The Sparks captured back-to-back WNBA Championships in their debut seasons at Staples Center, and the Kings (NHL), Clippers (NBA) and Avengers (AFL) have all set franchise records for attendance and sellouts in each of the first four seasons they called Staples Center home.

The St. Pete Times Forum is one of the most attractive in the NHL. Start off by checking out the 75-foot sculpture of three yellow lightning bolts that anchor the arena, then be prepared because this might be the first time you have ever seen palm trees in front of the facility. The glass construction gives the place a museum-like appearance. The ticket prices are extremely reasonable for NHL-comparison, and the view is amazing from every seat due to the steep construction that claims there is no seat more than 100 feet from the ice.

Reminders of the Oilers’ success in the 80s are prevalent when going to Rexall. Outside is a bronze statue of the one and only Wayne Gretzky hoisting the Stanley Cup. Still not impressed? Known today as “The House that Wayne Gretzky Built,” once you enter the arena, the rafters are covered with 22 banners, including five Stanley Cups, as well as banners hanging of retired players from the Championship Oilers.