📍 Springfield, Massachusetts
🏒 Home of the Springfield Thunderbirds

The MassMutual Center is the heart of entertainment in Western Massachusetts, a hub for concerts, wrestling and pro sports. The city’s flagship indoor venue, which has been a staple in the American Hockey League – headquartered right here in Springfield – since its inception, the arena is currently home to the AHL’s Thunderbirds and is notable for its longstanding hockey and basketball tradition.

Opened in 1972, the MassMutual Center has been home to a trio of AHL franchises have kept the league continually operating in the city. The circuit’s first entry was the Kings – later the Indians – although they’d move down the Mass Pike to Worcester in 1974 and ultimately become the Abbotsford Canucks. The Falcons took that franchise’s place, skating in Springfield for more than forty years before relocating to Tucson in 2016. It was the Thunderbirds, formerly the Portland Pirates, who swooped in and took up the mantle to keep hockey alive in the city. In addition to minor league hockey, the venue also hosted the Hartford Whalers for two seasons in 1978 and ’79 while the team was waiting on renovations to wrap up down at their beloved Civic Center.

Of course, being located in the city where basketball originated, the MassMutual Center has also been a reliable barn for hoops. It hosted numerous Division II Championships over the years, and was also the home court for the Springfield Armor of the NBA G-League. The Armor, however, would only play five seasons before moving to Grand Rapids.

Despite its age, the MassMutual Center has been thoroughly maintained and enhanced to keep it fresh. In 2005, major renovations on the entertainment complex concluded, resulting in about 6,800 unobstructed seats for hockey and a central videoboard – although an even newer replacement was hung in 2015. An adjoining convention center was also built in conjunction with the upgrades.

Colloquially known as the “ThunderDome”, the arena does well in providing a family-friendly atmosphere and in being a social hangout spot. A secluded bar and lounge on the concourse gives fans a place to mingle; an outdoor patio that overlooks the city is also a popular pre-gaming space, with live music often setting the mood. For the kiddos, a variety of video games, set up inside old hockey lockers, are available to play.

The arena also goes above and beyond in its concession selection, with outposts like Casa del Sol Cantina Bear’s BBQ Smokehouse and Juguito’s Juice Bar giving fans plenty of cuisines to choose from. Folks can also go for a goalie-mask bucket of nachos or stop at the “Taste of New England” for whole turkey legs and chicken pot pies.

Elsewhere on the concourse is the Springfield Hockey Hall of Fame, honoring both legends who have skated in the city and stars who are native to Western Mass. Among them is Willie O’Ree, a New Brunswick native who played just six games for the Springfield Indians during the 1957-58 campaign, but a man who left his mark on the sport by becoming the first black player in the NHL.

Although the franchise is still young, the Thunderbirds have skated their way into the playoffs a handful of times, including a run to the Calder Cup Finals in 2022. What’s next for the franchise is anybody’s guess but one thing is for sure: hockey will be played in Springfield for a long time to come.