Canucks' giant scoreboard is missing from Rogers Arena
Something was missing on a recent arena tour for fans at the home of the Vancouver Canucks.
Rogers Arena’s giant centre-ice scoreboard was nowhere to be seen in a photo snapped by Twitter user @EthansPC. Also missing was the electronic ring beam, which usually connects to the front of the first row of the upper bowl.
what’s missing in this picture? pic.twitter.com/c1dBqtwyJX
— Ethan (@EthansPC) June 18, 2023
The Canucks weren’t willing to comment on their missing scoreboard when Daily Hive inquired this week, but it certainly looks like the team is getting a new one for next season.
Rogers Arena’s scoreboard was last replaced in 2006, when the Canucks installed an integrated Daktronics super system and boasted that it was “unmatched by any other NHL venue in North America.”
That’s no longer the case, of course, as the Canucks had one of the oldest scoreboards in the league last season.
Fun fact: The #Canucks scoreboard is tied for the oldest in the NHL. Only the Saddledome's jumbotron has been around as long. #Canucks https://t.co/weLSofkznq
— Lachlan Irvine (@LachInTheCrease) January 21, 2023
This is a story that Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston has been following, having told Sekeres and Price last month, “There is a new scoreboard coming for next year.”
The Canucks’ previous scoreboard was the first that included a high-definition video screen. The four main LED screens were 14 x 24 feet long, with a resolution exceeding 300,000 pixels per screen.
By comparison, the Oilers’ scoreboard at Rogers Place in Edmonton is 38 x 22 feet in size.
The Canucks’ next scoreboard will be the third one installed since Rogers Arena opened in 1995.
What about the seats?
The other top-secret arena project the Canucks are working on right now is the new VIP section, behind the player benches at centre ice.
The section features new black seats, which are expected to one day replace the maroon-coloured ones used in the rest of Rogers Arena as well.
Eagle-eyed fans will notice that @EthansPC’s photo also shows more work being done in that regard. There now appears to be eight rows of black seats in place or coming soon, extending from aisle to aisle on either side of the section 117 staircase, where there is an additional tunnel that’s expected to connect to a new high-end restaurant for the VIPs.
Not all the new black seats will be for big spenders, according to Canucks YouTuber Clay Imoo, who reported last month that only rows 7-10 will be VIP seats.
The Canucks haven’t commented on what they’re planning for the new section, at least not to media. Multiple season ticket holders have told Daily Hive that they’ve been told by the team that the cost for a seat in the new high-roller section is $75,000 per year, on a three-year commitment, and includes access to all events at Rogers Arena.