Despite being 30-years old, the San Jose Sharks’ home rink still feels somewhat modern. Sure, it’s not as nice as Climate Pledge Arena or newer buildings, but as we’ll explore in our SAP Center lower bowl review, the venue is in good shape.
Having been born and raised in Northern California, I’ve literally been going to Sharks games for as long as I can remember. And while the SAP Center has undergone some changes over the years, it remains very similar to the building I first visited back in 1994.
This may be the third oldest arena in the NHL but there aren’t calls for it to be replaced. That’s due in large part to a timeless design that feels like hockey. The open areas and exposed concrete are things you see at rinks across North America. It may lack the polish of more modern venues, but San Jose’s home doesn’t feel dated.
Views from the SAP Center lower bowl are exactly what you would expect. There are no odd quirks or other issues to be concerned about. Since the stadium was completed in the early 1990s, the legroom between rows is passable. It makes you yearn for the good ol’ days when teams and designers actually cared about the average fan.
The only real negative is the fact there is just one concourse that serves the upper and lower decks. Things are hectic during intermissions or after games when there is a mass of people. Meanwhile, bathrooms here have some funky angles and appear to have been jammed into available spaces.
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The SAP Center team store is okay and has sizable clearance racks in case you want that Evander Kane Sharks jersey. There are plenty of kiosks selling merchandise around the arena as well.
Over the years, food and beverage options at SAP Center have transformed from usual stadium grub to Bay Area hipster delight. Nothing here is even remotely interesting to me but that’s because I see NorCal hipster life on a daily basis. It may be intriguing to someone from out of town.
There is some free parking near the SAP Center assuming you’re up for a walk. Delmas Avenue has two-hour parking during the day which converts to no time limit after 6pm. It is as safe as street parking in the Bay Area can be so don’t leave anything valuable inside your car.
SAP Center lower bowl review score: 7
This is an enjoyable place to watch a hockey game and our SAP Center lower bowl review score reflects that. Look, there is nothing exceptional about this stadium. It’s not Madison Square Garden or T-Mobile Arena.
However, there have been a lot of sporting venues built since SAP Center welcomed fans for the first time in 1993 and many of them can’t match up. If you were to compare the Sharks’ rink to a player, it would be former franchise star Joe Pavelski. While not elite in any one area, both do enough things well to be good at what they do.
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