📍 Worcester, Massachusetts
🏒 Home of the Worcester Railers

One of the ECHL’s older venues, the DCU Center in downtown Worcester has been home to all of Central Massachusetts’ pro hockey teams over the last 40+ years. Since 2017, the hometown club has been the Worcester Railers – the league’s only entry in southern New England – with much needed renovations to the ’80s era venue coming along with their arrival in the Heart of the Commonwealth.

The DCU Center opened originally in 1982 and holds a little over 12,000 for hockey, though draping black curtains keep most of the 200 level and the entire 300 level closed off for Railers games. Following a series of renovations that took place in stages from 2009 to 2022 – which included the construction of a sparkly new glass atrium at the main entrance – the hideous beige seating bowl was subsequently replaced with new blue and black seats in 2023, designed to match the primary colors of the arena’s primary tenant.

The improvements, however, have yet to extend to the concourse side of things. The halls of DCU Center are a bit outdated – both in style and in general maintenance. The peeling walls of these common areas are certainly in dire need of a refresh to help the arena become a premier hockey venue once more.

Worcester’s amenities, on the other hand, are far from lacking. The concessions available to fans feature dishes and treats from all parts of the spectrum, including Cousin Sal’s meatballs, Nacho Mama’s, Slice Slice Baby, Bri’s Sweet Treats and stands serving up snocones and frozen lemonades too. The Bud Light Lounge and the Coors Light Cold Zone, an open bar in the end zone that boasts a clear view of the ice, are also top-notch spots that are typically found at larger venues.

In the main lobby, kids are also kept enter-train-ed with a large inflatable locomotive where they can practice taking their best slapshots. The train theme, as expected, runs deep at DCU Center. When the Railers score, a diesel train horn blares through the building, followed by the playing of Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train.

Did you know?
DCU Center has been the site of several Boston Celtics preseason games, and has also hosted a number of indoor football and indoor lacrosse teams.

But before the Railers came to town, it was the Worcester IceCats and Worcester Sharks – both of the AHL – that had taken up residence at the center city arena. The IceCats played at DCU from 1994 until their move to Peoria, Illinois in 2005 – ultimately becoming today’s Abbotsford Canucks – while the Sharks skated from 2006 until relocating in 2015 to be closer to their affiliate in San Jose. Among the three franchises that have played in Worcester, only the IceCats have clinched a championship, winning the Calder Cup in 2001.

The Railers, meanwhile, qualified for the playoffs in their inaugural season, but lost in the first round and haven’t been back to the postseason since. Currently affiliated with the New York Islanders and the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders, the Railers are trying to stay on track and remain competitive in their chase for a Kelly Cup. For them, it’s the light at the end of the tunnel that keeps their wheels churning night after night in the Commonwealth.