Staples Center's new LED lighting system, installed in the off-season, "adds a certain acuity to an arena that was always a little noirish," and now the NHL Kings' home rink "really pops," according to Chris Erskine of the L.A. TIMES. The Lakers will "stick with their old incandescent lighting, but the Kings and Clippers will play under these new, energy-efficient high beams this year." Staples Center President Lee Zeidman said, "It focuses light on the playing surface, and less on the seating area." He added that TV techs "believe the LED system provides a sharper picture for viewers." Erskine notes the lighting grid, which "cost around a half-million dollars, is expected to save enough electricity to pay for itself in 2.5 years." The LED system also "generates less heat, lowering the arena's gigantic air-conditioning tab." Meanwhile, Zeidman is "installing a new retractable floor seating system to quicken hoops-to-hockey transitions," and "gone soon will be the temp seats that wobbled." But until then, fans will "have to entertain themselves with such minor upgrades as Goose Island, a craft beer emporium outside Section 108." Other changes include the old Fox Sports Skybox restaurant "becoming the TEAM LA merchandise store, set to open in December." Erskine: "Upgrades or not, Staples has never been our most charming venue. Its entryway, L.A. Live, still looks like Lady Gaga's Christmas tree." But Staples is "groomed and efficient in ways Dodger Stadium or the Coliseum can only wish for" (
L.A. TIMES, 10/9).
