Another terrific piece Chuck. While I never played the game myself, in my 40+ years working in the game in various capacities I spent many hours in hockey dressing rooms especially those at the Spectrum in Philadelphia (NHL Flyers and AHL Phantoms), Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, PA (AHL Hershey Bears), and Philadelphia Civic Center Convention Hall (NAHL and AHL Firebirds). All three of them also held fond memories for me especially being in each after the teams had won a playoff championship.
I was in the Spectrum's room both when the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup in 1974 and the AHL Phantoms won their first Calder Cup in 1998 (I was also in the Phantoms room at the then Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) Center when they won their second Calder Cup in 2005), the Bears' room at HPA for their 1980 Calder Cup win, and in the Civic Center's room when the Firebirds won the NAHL Lockhart Cup in 1976. Unfortunately, however, all three of these rooms are now "gone". Both the Spectrum and Convention Hall were demolished in the last several years.
The last vestige of the Flyers'/Phantoms' Spectrum locker room during demolition in 2011.
While still standing, Hersheypark Arena has not been home to the Bears since 2002 (they now play in the nearby GIANT Center) after sixty-six seasons (1936-2002) in the venerable domed roofed Arena. (For more on that see
http://hockeyscoop.net/hpa/) Each of these three rooms were of the intimate type that promoted team bonding and accountability as you can see from this picture I took of the Bears' room in the Arena during the 2001-02 season, their last campaign at HPA.
The Hershey Bears dressing room at Hersheypark Arena