George V. Meehan Auditorium - Brown Bears
- Paul Baker
- Jan 4
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 5
Photos by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.29
George V. Meehan Auditorium 235 Hope St Providence, RI 02912
Year Opened: 1961
Capacity: 3,100
Ivy League Bears
Meehan Auditorium is named for George V. Meehan, who donated the funds to build an arena to “serve and promote” the Brown men’s hockey team. Notable events to be held at Meehan include a visit from President Lyndon B. Johnson during his 1964 Presidential campaign and the 1965 Frozen Four.
The Brown hockey program is one of the oldest in the nation, having played its first game in 1898. In fact, there’s a plaque in Meehan Auditorium honoring the first-ever collegiate hockey game, between Harvard and Brown, held on January 19, 1898. Brown won that game 6-0 and went on to win the Intercollegiate Hockey Association title, sometimes referred to as the first-ever college hockey championship.
Today, Brown competes in the ECAC and Ivy League. They have qualified for four NCAA Tournaments (1951, 1965, 1976, 1993), reaching the Frozen Four the first three times. 19 Brown Bears have played in the National Hockey League.
Brown sponsored the first women’s ice hockey program in the nation, which started play in 1964. The Bears have played in one NCAA Tournament, finishing as runners-up in 2002. 8 Brown alumni have played professionally in the CWHL, NWHL/PHF or the PWHL.
Food & Beverage 2
There are two small concession stands right near the entrance to Meehan Auditorium. Usually, only one of the two stands is open for Bears games. A basic menu is available here, with hot dogs, pizza slices, pretzels, and other assorted snacks comprising the entire menu. On the plus side, no food item costs more than five dollars.
Coca-Cola products are featured at Meehan Auditorium. Warm drinks are popular choices in this chilly rink, with coffee, tea, and hot chocolate available. Augmenting the cold beverages are a selection of beer and wine, including Brown-branded Bruno Brew and Hi NeighBEAR from local Narragansett Brewery.
If you’re short on cash, check out the vending machines on the far end of the rink. The drinks in these machines are actually less expensive than at the snack bar. Don’t tell anyone, it will be our secret!
Atmosphere 2
The Brown athletic department puts on a game-day presentation that is right in line with what you’d expect in an older facility hosting an Ivy League team. It’s reserved, traditional, and almost scholarly in nature.
Overall, athletics at Brown University are not as big a deal as they are at other Ivy League institutions. As a result, the fan support and game day atmosphere are less than they could be, and can vary from game to game. When the pep band is in attendance, and there’s a good turnout by the student body, Meehan can be a fun and energetic place to catch a game. Unfortunately, those games tend to be the exception rather than the rule.
Still, the Brown staff does their best to put on a good show in this old-school barn. Recent additions to the game day include some limited light effects during pregame intros (Stadium Journey was told that attempts to include the larger building lights and smoke effects into introductions were not successful – old buildings, right?) Small scoreboards at either end of the rink display basic game information.
The team uses the new sound system well with music during play stoppages, and the PA announcer leans into his work, adding some energy to the proceedings without being too over the top. Contests are held during intermissions to get fans involved in the action.
Even with recent tweaks to the game day presentation, the game day experience at Meehan Auditorium is very similar to what it’s been for years. Stadium Journey continues to hear whispers that there are plans are in the works for some new features at Meehan Auditorium. Efforts to modernize the old barn are in the planning phase. Stay tuned!
Neighborhood 5
Meehan Auditorium is located on the residential East Side of Providence, adjacent to several other Brown University athletic venues, including Paul Bailey Pizzitola Sports Center, Stevenson-Pincince Field, Brown Softball Field and Murray Stadium. Brown Stadium is located about a mile away.
Thayer Street, which serves as Brown University’s main street, is just a couple of blocks from the rink. Thayer Street is filled with quaint shops, restaurants, and bars. A short distance in the other direction is Hope Street, which continues the eclectic vibe of the East Side with more locally owned shops and places to eat. Nearby Wayland Square and Wickenden Street offer more fine restaurants, shopping, and nightlife options.
Downtown Providence is only a mile and a half away at the bottom of College Hill. Providence enjoys a well-deserved reputation as one of the finest culinary destinations in the country, and visitors to the city will find many diverse and excellent dining and lodging choices here.
Fans 2
Brown annually ranks in the bottom ten of all Division One schools nationwide in terms of attendance. While there is some fluctuation from year to year, average attendance tops out at around 800 fans per game every year. In hockey-mad Rhode Island, these figures can be very surprising.
The fans that do frequent Meehan Auditorium are long-time fans of the program. They know their hockey, but do not support their team in a boisterous manner. Fitting for an Ivy League location, they are quiet and reserved in their support. As mentioned before, it just seems to fit here.
There is a sparse turnout by the student body for Bears hockey games. This is a recurring theme for many Brown sports, and how to get more students invested in sporting events is a focus for the new athletic administration. With the compact geographic footprint and longstanding rivalries of the Ivy League and ECAC, there is often a good turnout from visiting fans.
Access 4
Meehan Auditorium is located adjacent to the Pizzitola Sports Center in Brown’s Athletic Complex. While Brown University is located near Interstates 95 and 195, one must navigate a maze of neighborhood streets on Providence’s East Side before arriving at the arena. If attending a game during a weekday, Providence can be a tough city in which to get around. Several RIPTA buses run regularly to nearby Thayer Street, just a couple of blocks from the rink.
Parking is available for Brown hockey at no charge in any of several small lots shared by the university’s athletic venues. Complete directions to these lots can be found here. Fans unable to find a spot in a lot can utilize free on-street parking in the area around the auditorium. Finding an available spot can be tricky at times, but patient visitors should be able to find spots within easy walking distance of the facility.
Fans will be greeted upon entering the rink by a stuffed Alaskan Brown Bear. A concourse circles the arena, separating the upper and lower seating sections. There are areas for standing room on either end of the rink. All seats are folding wooden chairs painted brown, red, or gold and feature excellent views of the ice.
Restrooms are located on the far end of the arena and are large enough for a typical Bears crowd. Folks needing handicapped access should be warned that this building was built before ADA specifications, so there are stairs to be navigated and no elevators on site, just an old chair lift to get one up the aforementioned stairs.
Return on Investment 5
Tickets are sold as general admission, priced at fifteen dollars for adults and ten dollars for youths. Parking is free in the athletic complex parking lot near Meehan Auditorium or on the streets surrounding the rink. As mentioned before, no concession item costs more than five dollars.
Extras 3
Brown University displays its hockey history proudly, and that’s worth a couple of extra points. Banners for players who went on to play pro hockey or in the Olympics can be found around the concourse. Trophy cases in the lobby are loaded with hardware, and plaques honoring every captain and coach in Brown history hang proudly. All-Americans and All-Conference players are recognized. Banners honoring conference championships, NCAA tournament appearances, and Frozen Fours hang from the rafters.
As you enter Meehan Auditorium, you are greeted by paintings of the “Brown Hockey Legends,” seven individuals who have been instrumental in the establishment and growth of Brown hockey. Meehan Auditorium doubles as a museum for Brown hockey history. It’s quite fitting for the home of two of the oldest hockey programs in the country.
Final Thoughts
Meehan Auditorium, in use for over sixty years, gives you exactly what you would expect from an Ivy League hockey rink. It’s uniquely designed, it’s loaded with history, and features a gameday presentation that is reserved and almost scholarly in nature. While often overlooked in a crowded New England hockey scene, Meehan Auditorium makes for an excellent Stadium Journey.
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