Air Canada Centre, Toronto Raptors Edition

Official Review by Jeff English, Stadium Journey Correspondent

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The Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario was opened in 1999 as a multi-purpose arena shared by the Toronto Raptors of the NBA, the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL, and the Toronto Rock of the NLL (Lacrosse). The Raptors played their first game there on February 21, 1999 against the Vancouver Grizzlies, after moving down the street from the Skydome (now known as the Rogers Centre). Seating capacity for basketball is 19,800. The arena is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., owners of both the Raptors and Maple Leafs.

The Raptors are a relatively new NBA team, having joined the league in 1995 and are presently celebrating their fifteenth anniversary. A number of NBA greats have played for the Raptors over the years, including Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Hakeem Olajuwon, but the team has not enjoyed a great deal of success. The Raptors have made the playoffs only five times in their fifteen years, winning only one playoff series.

The Air Canada Center (ACC) is located on Bay Street in the heart of Toronto’s business district, surrounded by skyscrapers and not far from the CN Tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere. The arena can be entered from the street, or through Toronto’s Union Station.

The ACC is a beautiful, first-rate facility located in a great neighbourhood. But the big problem for the Raptors is that they share the building with the Maple Leafs here in the center of the hockey universe, and as a result, the arena is geared much more towards hockey than it is basketball. Consequently, Chris Bosh and the rest of the Raptors seem like they’re nothing more than really tall house-sitters for when the Leafs are off on a road trip.

Food & Beverage   4/5

The Air Canada Centre provides a wide variety of food & beverage, ranging from the standard stadium fare of hot dogs and nachos to more interesting, upscale options such as paninis and wraps and even some vegetarian fare. The concourses are all littered with food kiosks, and there are some unique locations on the main level, such as Lord Stanley’s Mug, featuring the brewery that provides the beer for the arena, and Burkie’s Dog House, a specialty hot dog stand.

While no one will confuse the food prices at the ACC for being cheap, many of the items are not unreasonable. Some of the more traditional items seem prohibitively expensive, such as both pizza slices and hot dogs running north of $4.00 (and the pizza, provided by Canadian chain Pizza Pizza, is pretty dreadful), many of the higher-end items are priced around where you would expect to see them in a restaurant. Deluxe sandwiches or the gourmet hot dogs at Burkie’s will run you around $6.00 or so. A perfectly solid and substantial meal of chicken fingers and fries can be had for $8.50.

The beer of choice at the ACC is Rickard’s Red, brewed on-site at Lord Stanley’s Mug. Draught prices range from $6.09 for a small, $8.69 for medium, or $12.17 for large.

Atmosphere   3/5

They try, they really do. The games are fairly well-attended. There’s pump-you-up music, dancers, and a wacky mascot. There’s the same kind of stock inspiration intro video on the scoreboard that you’ll see at most sporting events. There are silly games between quarters and during commercial breaks. Overall, it’s a fun experience, but you can just never quite shake the feeling that the Raptors are playing in someone else’s house.

The problem, of course, is that the Air Canada Centre is shared with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the more storied franchises in pro sports. For the most part, the pictures on the walls are of Leafs greats and the banners hanging from the rafters are for Leaf victories. Even the restaurants mentioned previously, Lord Stanley’s Mug and Burkie’s Dog House, are references to hockey’s championship trophy, the Stanley Cup, and Leafs GM Brian Burke, respectively. The Raptors are a relatively new team, and in a town that’s passionate about hockey, they don’t garner a lot of respect, even in their own building.

Neighborhood   5/5

That’s right, since we’re in Canada, we’re spelling “neighbourhood” with a “u”. Downtown Toronto is a delight. The ACC is attached to Toronto’s beautiful Union Station, a hub for both Canada’s railway system and Toronto’s transit system. Union is also just a short walk from the Rogers Centre, home of baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays. Union Station also features a number of shops and fast food restaurants, so it’s easy if you want to grab a quick bite before or after the game.

Have I mentioned that Toronto’s hockey crazy? The Air Canada Centre is only a block or so away from the Hockey Hall of Fame, which is a fun, affordable experience for the whole family, featuring both interesting, informative exhibits and interactive games.

If you’re looking for shopping, it’s also a short walk to the Toronto Eaton Centre, the third largest shopping mall in Canada and the largest east of Edmonton.

As for bars, the area doesn’t disappoint. A short walk west of the ACC will bring you to Wayne Gretzky’s Restaurant, featuring many items of the Great One’s personal memoribilia. If you’re heading east, be sure to stop at either the Firkin & Flatiron or the Jersey Giant, two personal favourites.

The Firkin is a basement pub in a unique building with great food and a fun atmosphere on game nights, while the Jersey Giant is more of an English pub with some of the best fish & chips I’ve ever had. But there are many other bars and pubs in the area as well, and it would really be hard to make a bad choice.

Fans   3/5

The fans at the Raptors game do what they’re supposed to. They cheer when it’s appropriate and boo when it’s appropriate. The cheering gets particularly boisterous if the Raptors approach 100 points, as fans are then able to redeem their tickets the following day at their local Pizza Pizza establishment for a slice of free bad pizza. But the fans don’t do much more than what is expected of them. Fans of visiting teams seem to get a free pass, and you’re as likely to hear conversations about the Leafs as you are about the Raptors. Raptors fans merely seem to be Leaf fans in disguise.

Access   4/5

The ACC is a cinch to get to… unless you’re driving. As mentioned previously, the arena is connected to Union Station, a prominent stop on Toronto’s subway line. City residents are able to take streetcars and subways to the game, which is a simple, cheap way to get there. An option for fans coming from out of town is to take Go Transit, a network of buses and trains operating in the Toronto area and serving other major cities such as Hamilton, Oshawa, and Kitchener. The main hub of the Go system is Union Station, so it is a convenient, affordable, stress-free way to travel.

If you are driving from out of town, a suggestion is to find one of the few meccas of free parking in Toronto (e.g., Yorkdale Mall) and take the subway from there. Downtown Toronto is prone to traffic congestion at peak times (like after sporting events). There are some parking garages in the area, but expect to spend at least $20.

Return on Investment   3/5

Excluding the grotesquely expensive courtside seats (up to $1,300!), tickets range from $240 for half-court in the lower bowl, to $12.50 for a seat high up in the upper bowl at the end. You can’t buy a seat in the lower bowl for less than $85, and it’s tough to say they’re worth the price of admission in this economy. The seats in the upper bowl are much more reasonable, topping out at $65. The Raptors also offer a family deal on Sundays, featuring discounted tickets and including food and soft drinks in the ticket price, making it a little easier to take a family of four to the game.

The average ticket price for a Raptors game is in the middle third of the NBA, and they’re pretty reasonably priced when compared to going to a Leafs game. But a night out at the Raptors game certainly won’t be cheap. Ultimately, if you’re a basketball fan, it will be worth it to you. If you’re just looking for a fun night out, there are better ways to spend your entertainment dollar.

Extras   3/5

The Air Canada Centre scores extra points for bringing fans the Raptors Dance Pak, a collection of a dozen limber beauties who provide pregame and halftime entertainment. Also very entertaining is the Raptors mascot, a hyperactive guy in a bright red dinosaur costume who does flips, dunks, attempts backwards half-court shots, and just generally falls down a lot. The ACC would score more bonus points if only the mascot had a better name than “The Raptor”.

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