If you feel sorry for Connor Bedard and Matt Rempe for their recent (bad)luck with penalties in the NHL, wait till you read about this piece of hockey news. What transpired at the AHL on Friday, will probably have both the teen phenom and the New York Rangers star counting their lucky stars, and perhaps—just perhaps—laughing their guts out.

In a game where the Charlotte Checkers faced the Rochester Americans at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York, this mishap occurred when John Leonard, the American hockey star, could not exit the penalty box because of a malfunctioning door! And he was stuck inside for an extended twelve minutes. B/R Open Ice shared a clip on X that just sparked the curiosity of the incident among everyone.

While it was a thrilling 2-1 win for the Checkers, this unexpected twist, however, became the talk of the town. It was Checkers’ forward C.J. Smith who scored the opening goal off an assist by Matt Kiersted. And even though Leonard was embarrassingly locked in for 12 minutes inside the penalty box, he did come back to score the winner in the third period. Talk about poetic justice.

But while the extended penalty did not cost the Charlotte Checkers the game, for the Blue Cross Arena, questions may arise as to why such an incident took place in the first place. But then again, it seems like improvements are soon to be implemented.

Blue Cross Arena to undergo improvement while American Hockey Star’s penalty incident gains traction

Well, there are chances to improve the venue’s standards. Per reports, VenuWorks has been picked as the new operator for the Blue Cross Arena by the city of Rochester. If VenuWorks receives the city’s go-ahead, the Iowa-based organization could take over Blue Cross Arena at the end of the next AHL season, with the initial contract’s length to be five years.

In order to implement improvements, in the arena where the American Hockey Star served an extended penalty, the venue management organization will be investing upwards of a whopping $1.2 million. In fact, the investment will also go into managing the court street parking lot as well.

Meanwhile, the Mayor Malik Evans has already expressed his excitement about the project. “This is an important decision for our city,” he said. “We have big plans for the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial as part of our ROC the Riverway initiative, with more than $7 million in upgrades planned that will keep its prominence as the primary sports and entertainment destination of the Finger Lakes. We are excited to welcome VenuWorks to Rochester,” he concluded.

Hence, for the upcoming season, ensuring a seamless experience for both players and fans should be the topmost priority. After all, the arena serves as the key part of Rochester’s sports and entertainment hub. Maintaining its operational integrity is a must! What do you think? Let us know!