Winterhawks Home Opener 2025!

We celebrated our first-date anniversary with tickets to the Winterhawks home opener in the newly refurbished Memorial Coliseum! (Our very first date was to a Winterhawks game in 1994!)

The Glass Palace got a fresh paint job, new lighting, and some updated seating options. The concourse is light and airy - a definite change from the dingy gray. The bathrooms boarder on luxurious!

Inside the arena, more fresh paint and new seats really change the feel.

I definite improvement, don't you think??

And cup holders! 

Though if I'm honest, the all-grayscale look lacks a bit of the "charm" of the old reds and blues.🤣

"The Portland Winterhawks enter the 2025-26 season Commemorating 50 Years of Hawkey. Following back-to-back runs to the Western Conference Championship and 14 straight trips to the WHL Playoffs, the Winterhawks 50th Anniversary season is set to be one to remember both on and off the ice.

"The Veterans Memorial Coliseum is undergoing the final touches of a $50 million renovation, which includes all new seats, the addition of VIP loge boxes, updated restrooms, ADA accommodations, and a fresh coat of paint to enhance the concourse, which already boasts stunning views of the Rose City." (source)

On the ice, the most notable change is the new LED boards. According to their web site, "the Winterhawks become one of only three North American hockey teams, and the only Canadian Hockey League franchise, to feature this impressive technology."

My sentimental self didn't like them at first because I missed the traditional boards. BUT... during play, the boards are static with the old-school local advertisements! The best of both worlds!

Because it was the home opener for the team's 50th Season, there was much hoopla before and during the game.

And they won!!!!

Anniversary gold uniforms and SHINY helmets:

Always a fun time cheering for the Hawks!

But the most amusing part of the evening is when we discovered that there was now only ONE men's restroom in the concourse. You should have heard the men FREAKING OUT because they had to stand in line. I will say, I have NEVER been to an event in my entire life when I didn't have to stand in line for a toilet stall. NEVER. I thought it was hilarious that they we so angry and entitled - HA!

Side note: We've since been to another game and noticed that they put a temporary "MENS" sign over one of the women's restrooms. I guess the men just couldn't handle it 🙄