Traditions to fuel home-ice advantage during Stanley Cup Playoffs

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs begins Saturday, and all 16 arenas housing the teams that have qualified will be packed with fans in the coming weeks.

Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators, is back to hosting postseason games after the Predators missed the playoffs last year. Same for Capital One Arena, with the Washington Capitals returning to the postseason after not qualifying in 2022-23.

In addition to the excitement the playoffs bring, each arena has something unique that will make the games more special.

NHL.com is taking a look at the special features in or around the arena from each of the 16 teams who made the playoffs (in alphabetical order by team):

Boston Bruins

The Bruins are well-known for their fan banner captains, where famous local sports luminaries -- including players from the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and former Bruins -- come out to wave giant flags before playoff games. Zdeno Chara has done it. Bobby Orr has done it. Former Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman has done it. Some years the Bruins have included Special Olympics athletes along with the professionals. Any way they do it, it revs up the crowd, especially because Boston keeps the fan banner captains secret until they emerge. Never fails to bring the heat to TD Garden. -- Amalie Benjamin

Carolina Hurricanes

The “storm surge,” which the Hurricanes got in the habit of exhibiting after wins, has ebbed (pardon the pun). The bigger in-house event at PNC Arena has become the siren sounder. The Hurricanes have someone crank a siren to bring the players on the ice to start the game and before the second and third periods. To open the game, it's often a celebrity or pro athlete. Sometimes it’s a big name, or perhaps it’s someone who previously played at the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State or Duke. There have also been NASCAR drivers, country singers and politicians. For the second and third period, it's usually a military veteran, a noteworthy person from the community or a season ticket holder doing the honors. -- Tracey Myers

Colorado Avalanche 

At Ball Arena, it’s all about the white pompoms. It’s something the Avalanche have had since their first postseason appearance in 1996, when they also won the Stanley Cup. Whenever Colorado scores, fans cheer and crash their pompoms in celebration. Another tradition that’s developed in recent years is the Super Mario Bros. power-up sound, which the Avalanche play at the end of a successful penalty kill. -- Tracey Myers

Dallas Stars

The Stars have had a few traditions through the years. One is the playing of “Puck Off” by Pantera. The Stars come out to that song at the start of the game and play it following any of their goals. There’s also a “bing-bong” sound bite that’s played after Dallas scores. The fans also get involved vocally, be it yelling “Stars” the two times it comes up in the national anthem or singing along to Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places” when it’s played, usually in the third period. American Airlines Center finds a few ways to get rocking. -- Tracey Myers

Edmonton Oilers

Since moving to Rogers Place for the 2016-2017 NHL season and the completion of the surrounding Ice District in 2022, new playoff traditions have emerged for the Oilers. The Ice District Plaza adjacent to the downtown arena has become a place where fans gather to watch games on giant screens. The plaza has been nicknamed the ‘Moss Pit’ in memory of Joey Moss, the Oilers longtime locker room attendant who was born with Down syndrome and died on Oct. 26, 2020 at the age of 57. Inside the arena, fans will take over the signing of the Canadian national anthem as a homage to former anthem singer Paul Lorieau, who famously held up the microphone during the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs encouraging fans to sing. -- Derek van Diest

Florida Panthers

Before the puck drops at Amerant Bank Arena, it’s time to salute veterans. “Heroes Among Us” has been a staple for the Panthers since 2013. Each hero and his or her family receives four tickets to the game they’re honored at and are recognized during the national anthem and a video presentation during the game. It’s near and dear to the Panthers, especially owner Vincent Viola, a U.S. Army veteran. -- Tracey Myers

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings have taken to playing the Beastie Boys’ “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)” late in the third periods of games since midway through the 2022-23 season, and it has really become the arena-wide singalong at Crypto.com Arena. Kings organist and music director Dieter Ruehle played it after a fight. There was a long delay sorting out the penalties, so he played the song almost in its entirety and the fans started singing along. Everybody in Kings entertainment took notice and added it to the regular rotation. Now they have special graphics with all the lyrics that run during it. -- Dan Greenspan

Nashville Predators

Let’s start with burning some pregame energy on the “smash” car in front of Bridgestone Arena. For a few dollars’ donation, which goes to the Nashville Predators Foundation, fans can take a swing at an old junk car with a sledgehammer. Once inside the arena, let the chanting begin. Predators fans have made a habit of yelling various chants throughout the seasons, be it “he shoots, he scores” or “It’s all your fault! It’s all your fault!” And for those who like to stretch their vocal cords, feel free to sing along to Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It,” played after every Predators home goal. -- Tracey Myers

New York Islanders

Bringing fans together from everywhere is the name of the game for the Islanders. At UBS Arena there’s a massive New York Islanders sign on a wall separating sections 227 and 228 from 327 and 328. The sign has the Islanders logo featured prominently, as well as logos celebrating their fan meetup groups from around the world, including from Texas, Georgia and Great Britain. Another feature of UBS Arena is its low ceiling and a lower bowl much like Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders’ home from 1972-2015. The goal of that design was to replicate the sound of playoff hockey at Nassau. -- Tracey Myers

New York Rangers

When it’s time for the last television timeout in the third period at Madison Square Garden, it’s also time for Dancin’ Larry. A fixture at Rangers game since the mid-1990s, Larry struts his stuff during “Strike It Up” by Black Box. Granted, it doesn’t happen every game. But if the Rangers are in a tight game or are winning, which has been the case a lot this season, Larry is dancing. -- Tracey Myers

Tampa Bay Lightning

Getting kids involved in the game is always a plus, and Amalie Arena has made it a tradition to do so. Before puck drop at Lightning home games, one young fan is selected to be “Thunder Kid” for the pregame festivities. That lucky youngster skates around the ice once to AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” stopping at center ice to get the crowd going before the Lightning players come out of their tunnel. The Thunder Kid also greets players with a fist bump as they come onto the ice. -- Tracey Myers

Toronto Maple Leafs 

Another playoff appearance for Toronto, another season of the Maple Leafs Tailgates presented by Scotiabank. Even when the Maple Leafs aren’t at Scotiabank Arena, fans (who register for free mobile passes through the Maple Leafs app) are welcome to come to Maple Leaf Square, be part of a blue-and-white rally and watch games on a giant screen set up outside the rink. The tailgates are in their 11th season and no matter the weather, there have always been massive crowds present to cheer on the Maple Leafs. -- Tracey Myers

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks may not be the only team that taps into “Towel Power” during the playoffs, but they were the first, and there is a statue of Roger Neilson in front of Rogers Arena to remind fans of the origin story. The life-size memorial features the former Canucks coach, who passed away in 2003 at age 69, holding up a hockey stick with a white towel on the end, just as he did in 1982 in protest officiating in Game 2 of the Campbell Conference Final. Fans greeted Neilson and the Canucks with waving towels at the airport when they flew back to Vancouver, they won the next three games to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in team history, and despite losing to the New York Islanders in the Final, a tradition was born with the team handing out white towels for fans to wave at playoff games. -- Kevin Woodley

Vegas Golden Knights

For the sixth time in seven seasons, the Golden Knights will be in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, meaning the show in T-Mobile Arena becomes a must-see event. The showgirls will dance along the visiting boards during warmups; the in-house music’s bass will rock the Fortress; the drumline will play the fans in. The highlight will always be the on-ice projection show coming with a story previewing the game. From slicing a jet in its first season to a dragon last year, the on-ice playoff pre-game show is always an event. -- Paul Delos Santos

Washington Capitals

If the Capitals need a jolt in the third period of a tight game, Capital One Arena is sure to “Unleash the Fury.” The video features Tom Green in a Capitals jersey saying those words several times, including at the end when he screams them along with the crowd. But the montage also has other motivating movie clips, from the Hickory’s pregame clapping in “Hoosiers,” to Howard Beale urging viewers to get up out of your chairs “Network,” to Bluto (John Belushi) screaming “Let’s Do It!” in “Animal House.” Unleash the fury, indeed. -- Tracey Myers

Winnipeg Jets

At Canada Life Centre, it starts with “The Whiteout,” a tradition that goes back decades where fans dress in all white and wave white towels throughout the game. Oh, and don’t forget the “Whiteout” street party in True North Square. Speaking of traditions, there’s also Dancing Gabe Langlois, who has been dancing at Winnipeg sporting events for decades and first garnered notoriety when he was seen dancing in the stands at a Winnipeg Bombers Canadian Football League game in 1984. -- Tracey Myers