Welcome back to the second part of our summer-long series ranking NHL media meals. With the schedule revealed this week, I've started booking road trips for the upcoming season, which is also making me hungry and excited for the media meals next season. This week, we count down the No. 17 through 24 media meals in the NHL.
Ranking Every NHL Arena's Media Meal Part 1: The Bottom 8 Revealed (Nos. 25–32)As I write this, I feel blessed that I get to travel as often as I do. And while on the road covering the Toronto Maple Leafs, I like to see what every city has to offer in terms of restaurants, amenities, etc.
These are better than most media meals, but not what I would call S-tier. But who knows? Perhaps that will change in 2025-26. One of my plans for this season is to give every city a chance to move up or down the rankings following each visit.
With that said, here are rankings for the mid-tier to lower-ranked media meals in the NHL.
TikTok · David AlterCheck out David Alter’s video.No. 17:Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers boast one of the fanciest setups in the NHL, featuring a small, specially-appointed table with a fancy cloth and real cutlery reserved for home front office executives. This meal used to be quite expensive at $20 plus tax and tip, but they've since reduced it to $15, which was a welcome change. The decreased price appeared to correlate with a smaller protein selection, though the quality remained decent. For some reason, they had an abundance of salad dressings. You name it, they had it. And they had a lot of it. They also offered a great dessert selection from a local Alberta creamery. Even though there was a fee, I was on a list and didn't have to pay, which I appreciated. They also serve pizza during intermissions and offer various snacks and assorted drinks.
No. 18:Florida Panthers
From Stanley Cup finalists to Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers are not winners of the media meal prize. They usually offer a choice of one or two proteins. It's not bad for just $13 US. They have cherry coke on fountain, which I always appreciate, as many venues do not. You also get hot dogs and cookies; during the playoffs, they even changed it up, offering a marshmallow and Rice Krispy treat covered in chocolate on a stick. Upstairs, they usually have some sort of hot food, such as chicken 'tendies' or empanadas, along with chips. They also had candied popcorn in the colors of the Florida Panthers, which I really liked. It's these little bonuses that stopped them from falling further down the list.
TikTok · David Alter331 likes, 9 comments. “#Leafs #media #meal for Game 6 against the Panthers. The hot dog was great. Same with the chicken and plantains. Hopefully there will be some more left this #NHL season.”No. 19: Vegas Golden Knights
The drawback to Vegas is that they take cash only, and I actually didn't have any on me. So, a shout-out to the Mayor of Las Vegas, Gary Lawless, for telling the staff not to charge me for dinner, which I very much appreciated. They offered a good selection, although I didn't have time for the three-color cauliflower. What truly elevates the Vegas experience is the amazing candy and treat selection upstairs. This contributed to a great dining experience. They also offer cold brew coffee for those hot Vegas nights, which I definitely dig.
No. 20:Toronto Maple Leafs
Since I am based in Toronto, I don't have to frequent the media meals. However, I often choose to partake. During the height of the pandemic, they reverted to free meal vouchers, which I loved because I could use the $25 credit and pay a few extra dollars to get some delicious Edo sushi. In December 2023, the media meals returned. They were okay, but sometimes consisted of nothing more than basic burgers and worse. It's not bad, but for $15 plus taxes, it could be better. Sometimes they'd offer Mexican food, and it was okay. Their best nights are when they offer Asian cuisine. During the playoffs, they switched to vouchers where $15 would get you $25 worth of concession food. It's not a great value proposition, and the selection was limited to 300-level choices, excluding any of the new, fancier restaurants due to renovations. I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store for next year, as I believe they have the potential to move up the list. Upstairs, many media members settle for the free Pizza Pizza.
TikTok · David Alter143 likes, 14 comments. “It’s #media #meal time for Game 5 between the #Leafs and Panthers in the #NHL #stanleycup playoffs. Refusing to have the voucher so I enjoyed the free #pizza. And jelly beans.”No. 21: Calgary Flames
The Flames' media meal is fairly basic, with the main event typically being chicken thighs. For Alberta, I was hoping for some Grade-A beef. The real saving grace that kept them from falling further down the list is the adjacent commissary for employees, which offers a vast and reasonably priced selection. Media members were also allowed to partake, and I opted for this over the main meal, at a fraction of the cost.
No. 22: Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets offer a decent meal at an okay price, but it's not particularly memorable. The best part of their offerings is an ice cream machine. Also, their Tim Hortons coffee seems to be superior to any other Tim Hortons coffee I've had. This could be because there's a standalone Tim Hortons location right next to Nationwide Arena. It's hard to explain. The Blue Jackets are the only team that has an emotional support dog greeting you as you come out of the elevator. His name is Jaxon, and he's a very good boy.
TikTok · David Alter1292 likes, 36 comments. “Media #meal time in Calgary for #Leafs vs #Flames. Unique to this city, they have a staff cafeteria where the value proposition absolutely slaps.”No. 23:Washington Capitals
The Capitals actually spent a season operating on a voucher system similar to the Maple Leafs, where $10 would get you $30 worth of food, and it was actually really good. However, I do like that they eventually transitioned to a traditional media meal. It's another one of those small buffet spreads, typically featuring only one protein option. If you didn't like the dressing they put on the beef, you pretty much weren't eating. The Caps do have a good snack game in the press box, though, with more sweets than savory options.
No. 24:Winnipeg Jets
The Jets' meal is fairly pricey at $17 plus tax, and there wasn't much going for it. Winnipeg is a very underrated food city, and they actually have an awesome food court next door that many of my colleagues opt for instead. I went to Saburo for an awesome Korean Fried Chicken platter. It was delicious.
(Top Image Credit: David Alter on TikTok)