The Vancouver Canucks haven't had maroon in their jerseys since 2007 when they went back to their original royal blue and kelly green colours. The seats inside GM Place, later renamed to Rogers Arena, have clashed with the jerseys on the ice ever since.
The maroon seats have remained unchanged since the arena was opened in 1995. At nearly 30 years old, the seats are past due to be replaced. Fans have pointed out that some seats are broken, most are uncomfortable, and the majority lack basic features like cupholders.
Those seats will finally be replaced as part of a multi-phase overhaul of Rogers Arena but fans will have to wait at least one more year for those new seats. At least, most fans will.
The Canucks announced Thursday that phase three of their plans includes replacing all of the seats in the upper and lower bowl. Unfortunately for fans, phase three won't begin until the summer of 2024.
Some seats, however, have already been replaced. The Canucks have built a new VIP section in the lower bowl behind the team benches, complete with new seats and an exclusive VIP lounge underneath the stands. The new seats provide a peak at the likely new colour for the rest of the seats: black.
According to previous reports, the replacement of all of the seats in Rogers Arena will take place over the course of three years, so it's entirely likely that not all fans will be in new seats by the 2024-25 season either.
All fans, however, will be able to enjoy other aspects of the Rogers Arena renovations, including a new video board that is nearly four times larger than the previous board and includes internal angled screens inside for easier viewing for those sitting in the lower bowl.
The new board replaces a board that experienced many technical difficulties during the past season, including dead pixels and flickering screens. Why the artist's rendering of the new video board illustrates a game where both teams have just six shots on goal with two seconds remaining in the third period remains a mystery.
