The Met Center used to be Minnesota's hockey mecca, but now it's the Xcel Energy Center that serves as the state's NHL hub. It's only building that the Wild have ever called home and it's up to the current squad to put some noteworthy banners in the rafters. Let's take a look at the legislature for the State of Hockey.
Minnesota Wild Stadium
In a previous hockey life, Minnesotans would go to the Met Center in Bloomington for North Stars games. Now, the state's hockey mad residents pack the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul to see the Wild. It's the only home building the franchise has ever operated out of and sellouts happen with regularity. Last season, the Wild enjoyed a 106% capacity crowd throughout the 2014-15 campaign. (It's always nice to have a packed building for the singing of the "State of Hockey" anthem.) We imagine the turnout's a plus for morale, but the standings show mixed results for how well the Wild do in Minnesota. The club won two more games on the road than they did in their home building.
The Xcel Energy Center has yet to see anything beyond a Conference Finals appearance, but there have been a few memorable moments that have taken place at St. Paul's hockey shrine. Richard Park's OT winner versus the Avalanche in the 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs springs to mind, as does Josh Harding blanking the Stars in his first game back between the pipes following his MS diagnosis. The pressure's now on Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to weave some more Minnesota hockey magic.
Arena Vitals
Date Opened: 2000
Construction Cost: $170 Million
Architect: Populous
Capacity Attendance: 17,954
Has A Stanley Cup Final Been Played There: No
Previous Minnesota Wild Arenas
None
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