The best ice in the NHL is at the Bell Center where it is

UPDATE DAY

Members of the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) have spoken: for a second consecutive year, the Center Bell is well ahead in terms of the quality of its playing surface. 

The results of the union's annual survey were released Wednesday and the home of the Montreal Canadiens won the favor of 35.0% of the 503 respondents to the question on the best rink in the NHL, or 176 players. It is ahead of Rogers Place in Edmonton (14.7%) and Canada Life Center in Winnipeg (10.3%).

In 2021-2022, Montreal infrastructure was also popular with 39.7% of the vote, compared to 13.7% for the Oilers arena and 12.2% for the Jets.

The reputation of the Bell Center ice rink has been mentioned many times, the AJLNH recalling that Montreal dominated the total votes for a fifth time in this category.

The city nicer is…

If Las Vegas and its T-Mobile Arena took fourth place in the interrogation on the ice, the Golden Knights can boast of evolving in the most pleasant city for a day off in the eyes of hockey players. At 31.7%, Vegas leads New York (16.3%), Sunrise (11.8%), Florida, Los Angeles (9.7%) and Nashville (9.4%), with the top 5 remaining the same compared to last year.

In addition, Auston Matthews still does not have a Stanley Cup ring at home, but he can boast of having the most beautiful array of shoes, after his peers. The star of the Toronto Maple Leafs is rated 9.1% by respondents, compared to 3.4% for David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins. Clayton Keller (2.9%), of the Arizona Coyotes, Oliver Ekman-Larsson (2.6%), of the Vancouver Canucks, and Quebecer Pierre-Luc Dubois (2.1%), of the Jets, have also attracted attention.

For his part, Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-André Fleury is a very pleasant man to be around in the locker room. Indeed, he dominates with 3.8% of the votes the category of the most pleasant NHL athlete for his teammates. His closest pursuers, all at 2.7%, are Phil Kessel (Golden Knights), Jakob Voracek (Coyotes) and Kevin Hayes (Philadelphia Flyers).