What to Wear to a Hockey Game: 12 Outfits for a Cold Arena

What to wear to a hockey game comes down to one thing: you're dressing for a cold room, not for the weather outside. That means a warm top you'll keep on all night, a jacket or vest you can take off in your seat, jeans or fleece-lined leggings, and closed shoes with thick socks. The twelve outfits below build on that, for women and men, a first date, a suite, a family night and the seats pressed against the glass.

Hockey Game Outfits for Women and Men

1. The oversized hockey jersey, hoodie underneath

Hockey jerseys are cut wide enough to go over shoulder pads, so a thin hoodie or a fleece pullover fits underneath without pulling at the shoulders, and the jersey does the job of a jacket. Wear it with straight jeans, thick-soled sneakers and a beanie in the team's second color, and pull the hood out over the jersey collar so it lies flat and keeps your neck warm. This is the default for the upper bowl, and it works the same for women and men.

2. No jersey? A sweater in the team's main color

A chunky crewneck or a cable-knit in the team's main color does a jersey's job, and you'll wear it again on an ordinary Saturday. Add dark straight jeans, leather ankle boots and a beanie or scarf in the second color, and the outfit tells everyone which side you're on without a single logo. If you're not sure what in your closet comes closest to the team colors, Klodsy can plan the outfit from clothes you already own.

3. Fleece-lined leggings, a long sweater and a cropped puffer

For a winter game with a long walk from the parking lot, this is the warmest women's outfit that still looks like an outfit. Fleece-lined black leggings, a sweater or sweatshirt long enough to cover the hips, a cropped puffer, wool socks and lug-sole boots. Leggings are completely fine at a hockey game; the long top and the short jacket are what keep them from looking like gym clothes.

4. A flannel overshirt over a thermal henley (men)

A waffle-knit thermal henley, a flannel or wool overshirt worn open in your seat and buttoned on the walk, dark jeans, and leather boots or suede sneakers. Pick the flannel in the team's colors (red-and-black buffalo check covers a lot of teams) and you're dressed for the game without dressing as a fan. Two warm layers, nothing to carry, nothing to hold in your lap.

5. A quarter-zip and chinos after work (men)

Plenty of people come to a weeknight game directly from the office. A merino quarter-zip over a collared shirt, chinos or dark trousers, and leather sneakers or chukka boots looks right at a desk and in the stands. Add a chore coat or a wool topcoat for the walk, then unzip the quarter-zip once the building fills up and warms.

6. A matching sweatsuit and a puffer vest

Sweatpants are normal at a hockey game, and a matching set looks more put together than a random pair. Choose a heavy fleece set in grey, navy or the team color, add a long puffer vest so your arms are free for clapping and carrying food, and finish with clean sneakers and crew socks pulled up. A vest suits anyone who runs warm: the core stays covered and nothing bunches up in a narrow seat.

Hockey Game Outfits by Seat and Occasion

Same cold arena, different company.

7. First date: a turtleneck, a leather jacket and jeans

A fitted ribbed turtleneck, high-rise straight jeans, a leather jacket and ankle boots with a low block heel, so the arena stairs aren't a problem. The turtleneck does a scarf's job, which leaves one less thing to hold. Carry a small crossbody rather than a tote: at Anaheim Ducks games, for example, Honda Center allows bags no larger than 4 x 6 x 1.5 inches, clear bags included. The leather jacket outfits guide has more ways to wear the jacket once the season's over.

8. Date night for men: a merino crewneck and a suede jacket

A navy or grey merino crewneck over a white tee (a sliver of white at the neck is enough), dark jeans with no rips, clean leather sneakers, and a suede trucker or a bomber jacket. It's warm enough for the lower bowl and still looks right at the bar afterward. For date outfits away from the rink, see these date night outfit ideas.

9. Box seats or a suite: smart casual and a real coat

A suite is part lounge, part seats: you'll spend a good share of the night in an enclosed room with food, then step out to the open rows in front, which sit in the same cool air as everyone else. Suite tickets are often a work invitation, so dress a notch above the regular seats with tailored trousers or dark jeans, a fine-gauge knit or a button-down, loafers or block-heel boots, and a wool coat instead of a puffer. A sweater dress with opaque tights and knee boots works just as well, and a skirt is fine at any hockey game as long as your legs are covered.

10. Glass seats: dress like you're sitting outside

The front rows are the coldest seats in the house, a few feet from the ice with only the boards and the glass in between. Start with a thin thermal top, add a thick sweater, then a puffer you'll actually keep on, plus a scarf, gloves and the thickest wool socks you own. You may end up on the broadcast, too, and a solid team color looks better on camera than a busy print.

11. Family game: layers you can tie around your waist

With kids along, you're up and down all night for snacks, bathroom trips and laps of the concourse, which is usually warmer than the seats. A zip fleece over a long-sleeve tee, jeans or joggers with deep pockets, and sneakers or boots that can handle sticky floors cover all of it. Check the bag rules before you pack: the Minnesota Wild's game day security page, for one, prohibits backpacks and large totes but permits parenting bags after x-ray screening. And skip anything white, because hot chocolate and ketchup will find it.

12. A warm-weather city or a spring playoff game

The arena is kept cold for the ice whatever the weather is doing outside, so a hot day in Florida or Vegas changes very little once you're in your seat. Wear jeans or light chinos rather than shorts, a tee or a jersey, and carry a denim jacket or a zip hoodie you can put on when you sit down. Shorts aren't banned, but bare legs get cold quickly that close to a sheet of ice.

How Cold a Hockey Arena Feels, and How to Layer for It

The ice sets the temperature, not the forecast.

Hockey arenas are kept cool so the ice stays hard, which makes a game feel more like sitting outside on a crisp fall evening than sitting in a heated room. Where you sit matters most. The rows near the glass get the cold straight off the ice, the upper levels are farther away and usually feel milder, and a full crowd warms the bowl as the night goes on, so the first period is often the coldest stretch. It's the opposite problem from a summer baseball game, where the sun is what you dress against.

Give each layer a job:

• A thin base you'll never take off: a long-sleeve tee or a thermal top.
• A warm middle that does the real work: a sweater, a hoodie or the jersey itself.
• An outer layer that comes off easily and folds into your lap: a puffer vest, a leather jacket or a light puffer. A long parka has nowhere to go in a narrow row, so save it for deep winter and a long walk.

Feet get cold first, since they sit still for three periods. Wool socks with boots or thick-soled sneakers fix that; canvas sneakers, sandals and open toes don't, and steep arena stairs are a good reason to leave stilettos at home. A concert outfit can get away with thin shoes because you're standing in a warm crowd, while a hockey game means sitting still next to the ice.

The rule: one layer you keep on, one you can take off, and wool socks. That covers every seat, from the glass to the top row.

Outdoor games played in a football or baseball stadium are a different outfit entirely: dress for the forecast with a real coat, a hat and gloves, the way you would for a cold football game. If you're planning to skate yourself after the game, that's its own outfit, covered in what to wear ice skating. And for the next home game, try Klodsy to put the outfit together from what's already in your closet.