Under The Lights At NHL Predators Arena

With the NHL’s 2015-16 regular season beginning next week, on October 7, fans in the facility management field might be interested to know that the site of the NHL All-Star Game in January 2016 is now operating with an LED lighting system. Home of the Nashville Predators, Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN debuted the new lighting for the September 20 meeting between the home team and Florida Panthers.

logo of 2016 NHL All-Star logo

The 2016 NHL All-Star Weekend is set to take place January 30-31, 2016 in Nashville. In addition to the All-Star Game, played on January 31, the weekend will include the NHL All-Star Skills Competition and the NHL Fan Fair.

“The combination of the improved lighting and fan entertainment elements coupled with the environmental benefits and lower operating costs made this solution an easy choice to add to our upgrades to the Bridgestone Arena this summer,” said Tim Friedenberger, vice president of facility operations there.

“We are especially excited about showcasing the new system during NHL All-Star Weekend, when the eyes of the hockey world are upon Nashville,” Friedenberger added.

Bridgestone Arena is the sixth NHL venue to install an LED lighting system, replacing 247 metal halide fixtures with under 120 LED fixtures.

Interior of Bridgestone Arena with LED lighting
courtesy Ephesus Lighting

The arena chose Ephesus Lighting, a Syracuse, NY based company that manufactures high-output LED lighting for sports, entertainment, and industrial settings. Of the project, Mike Lorenz, President of Ephesus Lighting, said, “Since we illuminated the first sports arena in North America with an LED lighting solution in 2012, facility operators have come to understand that our digital lighting solutions create the optimal stage for fans and performers.”

While reducing the number of fixtures by half, the new system is projected to improve the light levels to over 200-footcandles on the surface while yielding a projected energy savings of more than 75%.

Home of the Nashville Predators since the team’s inception in 1998, Bridgestone Arena is a multi-purpose facility, hosting concerts and other events throughout the year. The flexibility of an LED lighting system will benefit those types of events also. The installation features Ephesus’ color-tuning fixtures in the arena—as well as Prism full spectrum color fixtures both inside and outside of the arena to allow for the creation of light shows and other lighting experiences. These fixtures are controlled by an advanced DMX system to create these effects.

“The system provides us greater control over the lighting than ever before,” Predators senior director of broadcasting and entertainment, Bob Kohl, said. “Everything will look better and crisper for fans at the arena, viewers watching at home and the players, who will appreciate the elimination of shadows and glare on the playing surface.”