Tahoe Blue Event Center - Tahoe Knight Monsters
- Andrew Kulyk
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Photos by Andrew Kulyk, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.71
Tahoe Blue Event Center
75 Highway 50
Stateline, NV 89449
Year Opened: 2023
Capacity: 4,200
Lake Tahoe - An Unlikely Hockey Mecca
Think of Lake Tahoe and the immediate impression that comes to mind is a resort community which attracts winter sports enthusiasts and naturists. Straddling the California/Nevada state border and into the adjoining city of Stateline, Nevada stand a good number of high rise mega casinos, which at one time provided easy gambling access to traveling Californians looking for their true gaming experience.
While this might be an unlikely home for hockey, this region has been in search of minor league hockey in the past. In the 1990s teams played in nearby Reno, and that city was an aspirational site for future ECHL expansion until the mid 2010s. Nearby Carson City also offers a resident population base to support a
professional hockey team.
It all came together in 2023, when the ECHL awarded an expansion team to the South Tahoe region. Nicknamed the Tahoe Knight Monsters, the team began play in the fall of 2024 in the brand new Tahoe Blue Event Center, a $100 million multi purpose entertainment facility with a capacity of up to 5000 patrons, and funded through a public and private partnership.
Food & Beverage 5
The first recommendation is to come hungry, and second, explore and check out all the concession stands dotting the 270 degree single level concourse before making a selection. The food here is varied, with plenty of tasty things to choose from. The more unique choices? A brisket cheesesteak, which can be enjoyed with peppers, onions and cheddar, or the signature loaded mac n cheese version. Hungry fans can choose between Andouille sausage or a traditional Nathan’s hot dog. A sandwich called Italian Toast features several meats, cheese, lettuce and pesto on toasted focaccia. They name their pizza dish Left Coast Pizza, and it features pretty ample slices. One of the more unusual food offerings for a sporting venue is an actual soup bar, offering six different soup tastings in two sizes or encased in a bread bowl. The best dessert selections are at The Baked Bear, which offer ice cream sandwiches, scoops in a variety of flavors, cookie and brownies, and all sorts of
toppings. Alcohol includes several local craft beer and cider on the menu, as well as a local bourbon aptly named The Sportsmen’s Whiskey.
Atmosphere 4
Let’s start with the building. It is gorgeous. The exterior design and the spacious concourses mimic that of a combination ski lodge and symphony hall. Elegant. Warm. Cozy. Lots of glass and views of the spectacular natural scenery which abuts this beautiful community.
The seating bowl itself is rather ordinary. The building features a single level seating bowl, with a number of suites and small batches of club seating in each end zone. The most unfortunate design flaw is a massive white wall dominating one of the end zones, which is softened only via the HD scoreboard. A LED ribbon board also rings the top of the seating bowl. Like the concourses, the seating bowl is a 270 degree ring, with the one end zone reserved for dressing rooms, team facilities and building operations not accessible to the public.
Their adopted mascot, “Tessie”, a replication of the legendary sea serpent which allegedly inhabits Lake Tahoe, is an integral part of game ops presentation. Tessie roams the concourses welcoming fans and participating in photo opportunities. The entire feel of a Knight Monsters game is geared to family and kids.
Neigborhood 3
A tale of two cities...
South Lake Tahoe on the California side, is a busting area of hotels, shops, restaurants with patios, and a streetscape packed with locals and tourists alike, a true urbanist experience. Traverse across the border into Stateline, and that neighborhood is dominated by four mega casinos - Bally’s, Harrah’s, Golden Nugget and Harveys, all self contained entertainment and gaming facilities that look tired and dated, all with massive parking ramps attached which look and feel even more tired and dated. The streets are clean, manicured, and
landscaped, and totally devoid of people save for those scampering from car to arena. The one shining element to this streetscape is the arena itself, right in the middle of all these skyscrapers.
Fans 5
When the Tahoe Knight Monsters descended onto this community, hockey fans responded. They snapped up season tickets, and there is now a waiting list. They pretty much fill this arena on a nightly basis. Everywhere there is swag, young and old alike wearing jerseys, hockey gear, caps fearing their beloved Tessie. The fans are loud, knowledgeable, and into the game. No doubt that the ECHL made a great choice siting their newest franchise, an affiliate of the NHL Vegas Golden Knights, here in this market.
Access 3
Public transportation is pretty much a non starter. The Tahoe Transportation District offers several bus routes from points north, south and east into Stateline, but service stops mid-evening and is impractical for patrons when games end anytime past 9pm. So auto transportation is pretty much the only way to get to the arena.
Parking options mean paying to enter any of the ramps adjacent to the four mega casinos in immediate proximity to the Tahoe Blue Events Center, or the surface lot directly behind the arena. There is no street parking
available. Patrons wishing to grab a free parking spot would need to search in South Lake Tahoe in the California side of this city, and that would entail at least a mile walk.
Return on Investment 2
Coming to a Knight Monsters game? Prepare to pay and pay and pay for the experience. To begin with there is the parking. Expect to pay $25 to pull into any of the nearby casino ramps, none of which are controlled by the team. One may check out the parking apps to try and score a sweeter deal. There are no nearly parking options where one can park for free or at a more competitive rate.
Then there are the ticket costs. The team uses a dynamic pricing formula which means varying prices depending on the day and opponent. On this Saturday night, the last regular season game, ticket costs run from $38-$82. These are not resale quotes but prices for primary purchase from the team itself. On the team website there is a family four pack for $140 available. To put that in perspective, some NHL teams offer that same four pack at a lower price point. Then the awesome concessions we listed also come at a cost - that Nathan’s hot dog will set one back $12, and the Left Coast Pizza $10. Their soft drink, popcorn, nachos and
basic fare come at more reasonable prices.
Extras 4
Probably the coolest advertisement in the building comes in the form of a roulette wheel, or two of them two be exact, taking up the entire face off circles at each end and promoting nearby Harrahs casino.
Celebrity alert! Amongst the primary ownership group is none other than Heisman Trophy recipient Tim Tebow, who played several seasons in the NFL, then moved on to a minor league baseball career, and became a cultural icon for his very public Christian religious beliefs. A very simple Tebow hockey jersey is on display at one of the team merchandise stands.
Final Thoughts
Undoubtedly the most enduring gift the Tahoe Knight Monsters give this community is a sense of identity. This is largely a transient town, a place for seasonal residents, a destination for tourists and gaming enthusiasts. Yet the focal point of team, a professional team, to compete, to cheer for, to wear the colors for, serves a uniter for people looking to unite. Small wonder this team has done so well at the gate, even though fans must pay a premium for the privilege to be a part of all this. The Tahoe Knight Monsters should easily take their place as a signature franchise of the ECHL for years to come.
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