NHL players give picks for toughest building to play in League

"Carolina's tough," Skjei said. "Yeah, I think Carolina probably is the hardest because it's so loud. It's not a great visiting locker room, right? OK, but it's fun as the home team."

It also doesn't help that the Hurricanes have been one of the elite teams for the past few seasons, possessing the capability to hem teams into their own end for long periods.

"The way they play is suffocating," Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson said.

Seven other arenas got multiple votes, but it was Bell Centre that came in second with three.

The home of the Montreal Canadiens is intimidating because of the history it holds and the knowledge and passion of the fans that pack it to capacity night after night.

"Everyone knows everything about hockey there," Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf said. "They care so much about hockey and know so much about the game."

Another home of an Original Six team got two votes.

TD Garden, home of the Boston Bruins, was the selection of Canadiens forward and captain Nick Suzuki.

"Boston's always a hard place to go into and win," he said. "The fans there are always pretty rowdy, especially against our team."

For Alex DeBrincat of the Detroit Red Wings, it is less about the surroundings and more about the home team that prowls the ice and the style it chooses to play.

"Usually, they are a hard-hitting team, and you know you are going to get some bruises in that game, but I also enjoy playing there," he said. "It's fun to be in those battles."

The Colorado Avalanche have the biggest home-ice advantage with their rink, Ball Arena in Denver, sitting almost a mile above sea level. The thin air wreaks havoc with teams that fly in to play a game. Players are often seen gasping for air after an average-length shift. Star players like forward Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar can make it more daunting.

"If you get caught out there against MacKinnon's line, two-minute shift, it's not easy," Washington Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois said.

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim had similar thoughts.

"It's the altitude, and they obviously have a good team, so if you start slow and those guys start buzzing around, it could be a long night," he said.

Red Wings forward Patrick Kane has played 1,307 regular-season games in the League and has seen as many, if not more, arenas than his peers.

He gave the nod for best home-ice advantage to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, home of the Predators.

"I would say just the way they play, coming at you hard," Kane said. "It seems like the bass is always cranked up in there. They're always cheering during the timeouts, too, so it's a pretty tough place to play."