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Fort Wayne Komets at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

Official Review by Paul Swaney, Stadium Journey Co-Founder

Established back in 1952, the Fort Wayne Komets have existed continuously longer than every club in North America, outside of the NHL's Original Six and the Hershey Bears of the AHL. With longevity like that you would expect a loyal fan base, and an electric atmosphere. And you would be absolutely correct.

The home of the Komets is the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. They share the venue with the IPFW Mastodons and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBDL. This building has also been home to the Fort Wayne Pistons (now Detroit Pistons), as well as indoor football and soccer teams. It is an ultimate multi-use facility, but hockey is definitely the high point.

Food & Beverage    3

There's quite a bit of variety when it comes to the food selection at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, but there isn't one specific item that you haven't seen before. Some of the highlights include boneless chicken wings ($5), burrito ($5.25), and seasoned potato wedges ($3.50).

I also tried the walking taco. I've seen this item elsewhere, but didn't actually know what it was. It's a bag of Frito chips where they add taco meat, cheese, lettuce, and taco sauce right into the bag. I was sort of disappointed to find out what it was and the food snob in me regretted the decision, but it was actually pretty tasty, and for only $3, it was a good value.

The beer selection wasn't very impressive with Coors Light, Miller Lite, Budweiser, and Bud Light costing you $6 per draft. Mixed drinks and wine are also available. Your soda choice is brought to you by Pepsi in three different sizes, including a very reasonably priced $4 souvenir cup size.

Atmosphere    4

The Komets really focus the experience around the moments that some hockey fans love most, the fights. The introduction features clips on the jumbo-tron of some of the best punches thrown throughout the season, all accompanied by Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle." In the first period, there were two impressive fights, the first featuring team tough guy, Jon Mirasty.

One drawback to the hockey on the ice is the amount of ads down on the surface. I haven't seen anything like this. Let's just hope this isn't the future of sports, because it really begins to confuse the eye when there's more color than white on a hockey rink.

Neighborhood    3

Located just off of Coldwater Boulevard, most of what surrounds the Coliseum is a drag of strip malls, chain stores, and restaurants. Casa Risorante and Ruby Tuesday can be found across the street. And there is a Hooter's within walking distance.

For something with more of a neighborhood feel, try Hall's Restaurant, about a mile away on Trier Road. They offer steaks and seafood with a slightly upscale food, without losing a level of comfort. It's also reasonably priced.

Inside the Coliseum, but not quite in the arena is the Roof Top Lounge. Just take the elevator up when you walk in. You must be 21 years old to enter, but it's a good place to have a drink before the puck drops, and you'll see plenty of seasoned Komets fans inside. The menu is nothing special, but I appreciated the hockey themed selections. They also have the local beer from Mad Anthony's on tap, which was a big plus.

Fans    3

This really is a fight-hungry crowd, but they appreciate their hockey as well. First of all, there was well over 5,000 fans in attendance, and that added to the energy. This is a fan base that is deeply invested in its team, and you'll see plenty of orange and black jerseys throughout the stands.

Access    4

There's certainly plenty of parking, although the $4 price tag seemed unnecessary. Once inside you'll find wide concourses and clean bathrooms.

Return on Investment    2

Tickets start at $10, and go as high for $21. The prices seem just slightly too high. Combine that with the parking costs, and the reasonable food and the experience just doesn't quite live up to the overall price.

Extras    2

After a Komets goal, you'll hear the announcer say, "At 7:33" - and the crowd yell in unison, "He shoots, he SCORES!" It's a lot of fun.

Another bonus point for the anchor on display from the USS Indiana, which served in World War II, along with other war artifacts both in the building and on the front side.

Needs work

Paul, your grammar needs work. You repeatedly mix verb tenses and singulars/plurals. As a blogger and reviewer in the public domain you have to do a better job in order to establish and maintain credibility.

With respect to your review of the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, you seem to have been fairly thorough. You cleave to the conventional wisdom regarding prices, and I have no argument with that. As far as advertising on the boards, that is prevalent throughout major and minor-league hockey.
(Fortunately North American hockey has not adopted the reprehensible European practice of plastering sponsor logos on team jerseys.)

It would be interesting to know your criteria for rating the fans. As a hockey aficionado and Fort Wayne resident I think we rate higher than 3/5. I've never had beer spilled on me, and usually do not find myself sitting next to swearing reprobate. We rarely see anything thrown onto the ice surface. Most residents do not hesitate to bring their children to Komet games.

One final suggestion: please include the date of your visit. This should be a prominent part of the header for any review.

by Lair | Apr 21, 2011 07:12 PM

RE: Needs work

So, I appreciate the feedback and suggestions. And you're right that there were a couple of annoying errors in the writing. Hopefully I've fixed those before my mother sees them.

The advertising that I didn't like wasn't those along the boards, but the ones on the ice itself. I've never seen so many on the surface, and it just was a little distracting to me.

This is obviously a subjective process, but rating the fans 3/5 basically is an average score, where they don't do anything unexpected or inspiring - they seem like typical fans that you would find anywhere else.

I don't plan to post the date of every visit at the top, but for my specific visit, I was there on Sunday, February 13th.

by paul | Apr 22, 2011 11:16 AM

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