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Erie Otters Arena Name: Tullio Arena |
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| Tullio Arena |
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| What's the Arena Like? |
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The Louis J Tullio Arena is part of the Erie Civic Center Complex, which includes Jerry Uht Park, home of the Eastern League's Erie Seawolves (AA) baseball team. The two buildings are side-by-side, with the south side of the arena running beyond the left-field wall of the ballpark, and that one side of Tullio is covered with ads for the baseball team. There are plans to add skyboxes to Tullio Arena (see below) and when they are finished, they will be two-sided so they can be sold for both Otters and Seawolves games. Tullio Arena itself is a large white building with yellow brick and orange trim. It sits in the middle of downtown Erie, seemingly on the periphery between downtown and a residential area. There is a nice bit of landscaping at the arena, with the word "Otters" spelled out in shrubs. Upon entering the Tullio Arena there are big signs posted on every door - "No cameras allowed in the Tullio Arena". This posed a problem for your friendly webmaster - how to get the shots I needed without being thrown out of the building? I decided to sneak the camera into the building and worry about the shots later. Once you're through the doors, there is a tasteful lobby with memoribilia from various Erie sports teams and ticket windows. There is also a plaque commemorating Louis J Tullio, former mayor of Erie, who was instrumental in getting the arena constructed in the early 1980's. The arena was originally called the "Erie Civic Human Resources Center", which is right up there with "Fifth Third Field" as one of the silliest names I've ever heard of. Luckily the city renamed the building for Mr Tullio after he retired. Once you walk through the main doors of the lobby you enter the arena bowl. Tullio Arena's layout is unconventional. It is designed much like the old North Bay Memorial Gardens or the Yardmen Arena in Belleville in that there are two huge grandstands running down both sides of the building but little seating in the ends. The side grandstands have about 25 rows apiece and all seats face forward, not angled towards the ice, so if you're in a corner you have to tilt your head to see the action. On the side of the main entrance there is a small seating area behind the visitor's goal, and the fourth side of the building features private suites and no seating at all. Above that wall is the Otters' banners, including their OHL championship banner from 2001-02 and other banners from previous Erie hockey teams. In the opposite end there is a large team photo mural of the cup-winning team. Erie is justifiably proud of their team from that year. The press box is tiny, with only enough room for the Otters' radio crew, so any visiting team's crew is set up at the top of one of the sections on risers. Oddly, there was no centre clock at the arena for my visits, although one has been installed since my last trip. The place above centre ice where the clock normally would hang instead only had a banner supporting the Otters' Memorial Cup bid for 2005. The second time I visited there was nothing there. The score-clocks hang in each end of the rink, and having to look behind the goalie for information is distracting to anyone not used to it. The arena sound system is terrible. Announcements tend to be lost in the crowd noise. Apparently, it used to be even worse, with only one bank of old speakers to serve the entire building. Ahh, the crowd noise. In case you haven't heard, Tullio Arena is LOUD. It is by far the loudest building in the OHL. There are no sound dampeners, no acoustic tiles, just hard surfaces which reflect the noise and amplify it. As a result, the noise in Tullio Arena is downright scary at times. Fans scream non-stop throughout the warm-up, during the player introductions, and into the game. Chants of "Let's Go, Otters" ring throughout the building constantly. I have been to hockey games all over North America and the only buildings I have been to that are as loud as Tullio Arena are the old London Gardens (and then, only some of the time) and the magnificent old Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. Erie fans relish their role as the "seventh man", and as a result, Tullio Arena is one of the most difficult buildings in the league in which to steal two points on the road. The peripherals at Tullio Arena are average. Seats are old, and while they once were obviously comfortable, age has caught up with a lot of them. Bathrooms are clean enough but there aren't nearly enough of them, and as a result they are always lined up out the door - men's and women's - during every intermission. The halls are painted dark grey with maroon trim and there are some stains on the ceiling. In fact, the whole arena feels like it could benefit from a good scrubbing. The fourth wall along the one end prevents fans from walking around the building 360 degrees, so traffic in the slightly-too-narrow hallways tends to bottleneck. There are multiple souvenir stands instead of a single team store, and they sell more and better stuff than in many OHL cities. Concession stands are sufficient without quite being plentiful, and besides, there are always vendors roaming the aisles during the game for easy access to munchies. Much like in Sarnia, the biggest black mark on the Tullio Arena is the "no cameras" policy. I kept my camera away for most of the game, but as the third period began winding down I started snapping pictures surreptitiously. When the game ended, I knew I needed a shot of the centre-ice circle for the montage on the front page of this website, but there was an usher standing right there. I talked to him, told him about the website, and he said "Go ahead", almost apologetically: "Management doesn't want people taking pictures during the game, but after the game is fine." The lights are left on long after the game too, so if you want building pictures (as opposed to hockey pictures) you'll be easily able to get them after the game. I also got my "one good shot" which appears below, which was taken from the "extreme seats" in one corner by the goal line. In Sarnia, they don't tell you about the policy in advance, but they enforce it rigidly. In Erie, they tell you long in advance, but ushers look the other way after the game. It's still a ridiculous policy, but at least in Erie the arena staff are good-natured about it, unlike the "sphincter police" in Sarnia (to use a phrase coined by the Ultimate Sports Road Trip). The second time I went to Erie I managed to write ahead and receive a photgrapher pass which eased some of the tension a little bit, and I was able to get a few better shots. Still, though, for some reason the crowd seems to enjoy enforcing the policy as much as the team! I couldn't believe hearing "Hey, no pictures!" multiple times and one person even running off to tattle on me to an usher! Erie fans' embrace of the no camera policy puzzles me, but I now finally have all the Tullio pictures I want and have no need to bring the camera back. Thanks to Mark Jeanneret for giving permission, but the stress of being a photographer in Erie still makes it barely worth it to bring your camera. The Louis J Tullio Arena is one of the OHL's better buildings. It is now past its twentieth birthday, and the place has the soul of an older building with a lot of the amenities of a new one. If the upcoming proposed renovations are completed, it will take its place as one of the best in the OHL. As it stands now, it is still a good building with an unbelievable atmosphere. The whole building shakes on its foundations when the crowd gets going, and the noise in Erie is one of the best gameday experiences in the Ontario Hockey League, even if you're cheering for the visitors. |
| Future Developments |
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A $1.7 million renovation is underway at Tullio Arena, which will include a new roof, brick repair, a state-of-the-art sound system, new spotlights, closed-circuit television security system, a new performance stage, 1,000 new floor seats, new west-end platform seats, repairing the existing east-end platform seats and north and south retractable seating, new side rails and backs for east-end platforms, new decks at west end, risers for hockey seating, and a new covering for ice surface. Further renovations were proposed to the Tullio Arena as part of Erie's 2005 Memorial Cup bid. The building cannot be expanded on three sides due to a parking garage, a city street, and a left field, respectively, but the fourth side can be expanded. Seats will be added to the fourth side of the building where there currently are no seats, creating a seating bowl that extends all around the rink. Several rows would then be removed from the back of each side so that private boxes and an improved press box can be installed. Concourses would be widened and there would be more bathrooms added as well. The Otters would build a team store and a scoreclock with a video board would be installed over center ice, where it belongs. The new private boxes on the south side of the building would have windows on both sides so they could also be sold for Seawolves' games. The status of the renovations is unknown, although I would assume that they would have to be completed if Erie ever wants to host the Memorial Cup, as the Tullio as it stands is not quite up to Memorial Cup standards. A new centre-ice scoreboard with video screens was installed for the start of the 2006-07 season. |
| Inside Tullio Arena |
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| What Is It Like For Away Fans? |
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Everything you've ever heard about Tullio Arena is true. The building really is that loud. When the crowd gets going, a person wearing the visitors' team colours can almost feel himself shrinking in his seat against the roar. In any crowd that unbelievably loud, there will be a fair share of crazies, but security does an excellent job keeping a lid on things. The vast majority of Erie fans are sweet-tempered, warm, welcoming and nice people and you shouldn't have any problems with them, and if you do run into a nutbar, security will do its job admirably. Yes, Erie fans are sweet-tempered, warm, welcoming and nice people, but they're nice people with loud voices. Either bring your earplugs or prepare to be numbed into glassy-eyed submission by the OHL's loudest fans. The second time I went to Erie was for a regular-season game and the noise was definitely subdued from my previous visit, but it was still way up there. Erie fell behind early in the game and never looked like catching up, and the building was only 3/4 full, but the noise was still terrific. Go there. You won't regret it. Danger Girl says: The Tullio is a loud, rockin' place where emotions can run high and things can get crazy. That being said, some areas of the arena are worse than others. Like any arena, the yahoos seem to congregate behind the visitor's bench ... and they are pretty bad, ranking somewhere just below Windsor's section 18 and the Asylum in Ottawa. I've heard that the area by the penalty boxes is no picnic either. The security in Tullio is probably the most aggressive in the league. They use real city police officers who DO something (unlike Windsor, where the cops do nothing). That there is a need for such stringent security is kind of intimidating, but at the same time reassuring. Problems are dealt with swiftly and efficiently. Otter Trotter says: Erie fans are much louder and more involved in the game then most Canadian fans. The Erie fans may appear rough, obnoxious, and intimidating, but I think that it is that we are more involved in the game. We do have our obnoxious fans, especially around the visitor's bench and penalty box, but overall, I think Erie fans are good hockey fans. I feel that visiting fans are welcomed to the Tullio Arena. Several Erie fans will go over and welcome the visitors to the Tullio Arena when they see visiting fans in the stands. Visiting players have remarked about how loud and intimidating the Tullio Arena can be. If you have a choice in sections to sit in, I would recommend Sections 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 21, or 22. Sections 4, 5, 21 and 22 are where the visitors attack twice. Intimidation Factor: HIGH |
How To Get There |
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From I-90: Exit at Peach St. Take Peach St. north into the city and follow it straight downtown. Turn right on 8th St. Tullio Arena is two blocks ahead on your right. From I-79: Follow I-79 to the end of the expressway and the Bayfront Highway. At Bayfront Highway sign, get into far left lane. On Bayfront Highway, go through 3 traffic lights and 1 blinker light. At the next traffic light, you will see Hamot Hospital on your far right. Turn right onto State Street, heading South. At 8th Street, turn left, heading East. Tullio Arena is one block away, on your far right. Parking is available in the lot in front of the arena and across 8th Street. You can also park on city streets after 6PM without worrying about parking meters. |
| Another Look Inside Tullio Arena |
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| Admission Prices |
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Platinum: $13.50 Gold: $11.50 Child (12 and under): $9.50 (any seating section) Platinum is in the front several rows of the sides between the blue lines. Gold is everything else. All prices are in US funds. |
| Franchise History |
| The Erie Otters are perhaps the most nomadic team in OHL history. They got their start sometime back in the 1950's in Hamilton as the Tiger Cubs. In 1960 the team was renamed the Red Wings and played out of the old barn on Barton Street. In 1972-73 the team was bought by Ron Cupido and the Finochio brothers, who changed the name to the Fincups. They lasted another few years in Hamilton, however the ice-maker at the ancient Forum died in 1976 and the building was condemned. The Fincups were homeless in Hamilton, so they moved to Garden City Arena in St Catharines for the 1976-77 season. The team was back in Hamilton the next year as the ownership found a home for their team at Mountain Arena, but attendance was terrible and the dawn of 1978-79 season saw the franchise playing in nearby Brantford as the Alexanders. The team never drew well in tiny Brantford, though, and in 1984-85 the franchise was back in Hamilton yet again, with the promise that they would be able to play in Copps Coliseum when it was finished. The newly rechristened Steelhawks never drew well in that cavernous building, though, so by 1988-89 the team was on the road again, down the QEW to Niagara Falls where they were reincarnated as the Thunder. The Thunder were stable in Niagara Falls for a time, but the nomadic team again was soon on the move. In 1996-97 the franchise became the Erie Otters, and they seem to finally have found stability and decent attendance in Pennsylvania. |
| Retired Numbers |
| 16 Brad Boyes |
| Local Rivals |
| Erie is far enough away from the rest of the league that they don't really have any local rivals, but the rest of the Midwest Division always gets the Otters' faithful's blood boiling. |
| About the City |
| By Erieite Otter Trotter: Located on Pennsylvania's North Coast, Erie is a blue-collar city of 104,000. Named after the Eriez Indians, Erie was first settled in July of 1795 and was incorporated as a city on April 14, 1851. Erie is known as the Flagship City as Erie is the homeport for the US Brig Niagara. The Niagara, a reconstruction of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's flagship at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812, is the Flagship of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Niagara is a working ship, acting as an Ambassador for Pennsylvania in the Great Lakes and along the East Coast. Erie is a manufacturing city, making hospital equipment, plumbing supplies, chemicals and other manufactured goods. The world famous Hammermill Papers were made in Erie, but that plant has closed. Erie's best-known product is the General Electric diesel locomotives. Agricultural products are also important for the Erie area, with grapes from Erie County vineyards are made into a wide variety of juices and wines. Erie is a city that has a small town feel, but with amenities of a much larger city. Erie has many educational, cultural, historical, recreational and sporting activities that give the city a great quality of life. Erie is in a good geographical position - from Erie, you can drive less then 3 hours and be in one of three major cities. Erie's most well known attraction is Presque Isle State Park, a year-round multi-use park. Over 4 million people visit the park each year to take advantage of the swimming, hiking, biking, skiing and other recreational activities. In the past, it was a perception, to both insiders and outsiders, that Erie was a decaying and dying city, which caused Erie to be referred to as 'Dreary Erie' or the 'Mistake on the Lake'. Manufacturing companies were closing or moving out of Erie and many citizens where leaving the center city to the suburbs. While there still are empty buildings and decaying neighborhoods, the perception of Erie seems to be changing. When they get to know Erie, people find out that they like the feel of a city without the problems that go along with a larger city. Several former Erie hockey players, who heard bad things about Erie before they played here, now call Erie home. Erie-area celebrities include two-time Olympic Gold Medallist in wrestling Bruce Baumgartner, who was elected team Captain and carried the American flag during opening ceremonies at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Former PA Governor and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge is from Erie, as are Tae-Bo fitness guru Billy Blanks; Colonel Strong Vincent who led the defenders at Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Philip Cochran who was a WWII fighter pilot and the inspiration for the 'Terry and the Pirates' comic strip; Pat Monahan of the band Train; and children's author Marc Brown, the creator of Arthur. For more information about accomodations and attractions please see visiteriepa.com. |
Feedback |
If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail me at  and I'll update the guide.
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Copyright © Kevin Jordan
2002-04. |