📍 Jacksonville, Florida
🏒 Home of the Jacksonville Icemen
Located in the heart of Jacksonville’s sports district, VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena opened in 2003 as the region’s preeminent entertainment venue. The arena has played host to dozens of events such as wrestling, boxing, basketball, indoor football, lacrosse and even tennis, but was conceived primarily for concerts and hockey. VyStar’s current hockey tenant, the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL, have been skating since 2017.
Great acoustics for concerts was at the forefront of the arena’s design, with the legendary Elton John being the first to test the final product. The venue’s exterior was also constructed to fit in with nearby brick-clad structures like the historic Old St. Andrew’s Church and 121 Financial Ballpark across the street.
When it opened in 2003, the Veterans Memorial Arena was home to the Jacksonville Barracudas, a hockey club that competed in the WHA2 and later in the SPHL. The Barracudas departed in 2007 for a smaller rink in the suburbs, leaving the venue hockey-less for a decade. During that time, other sports teams took the reins, including the Jacksonville Giants of the American Basketball Association and the Jacksonville Sharks of indoor football fame. The Sharks – members of the AFL, NAL and now the IFL – have been wildly popular since their inception and often experience the best attendance of any of the city’s indoor teams. In 2017, hockey returned to north Florida when the ECHL’s Icemen moved down from Evansville, where they played from 2010-2016. The club has remained in Jax ever since, cementing itself as a perennial playoff contender.
A cool museum-like spot just inside the main entrance of the building showcases the history of sports in the Jacksonville region, from the Icemen to the Sharks to the legendary Florida-Georgia college football rivalry game held each fall at EverBank Stadium. A dedicated Hall of Fame for the latter is full of memorabilia from games past, including those held at old Gator Bowl Stadium.
Although there’s a potential capacity of just over 13,000 for hockey, the upper level of the seating bowl is almost always curtained off. Sadly, the Icemen, rarely draw large enough crowds to fill even the entire lower level. A game here, however, is still a great value; when the train horn blows after every Jacksonville goal, the excited cheer from the crowd is nothing but vociferous.
Info Invasion
Parking: Several lots around the arena charge $5-$10
Nearby Venue(s): 121 Financial Ballpark, EverBank Stadium
In the Area: Walk the riverwalk through downtown along the St. John’s River
Stadium51 