Xcel Energy Center

     Xcel Energy Center is a one-of-a-kind multi-purpose sports and entertainment facility located in the heart of downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota's state capital. Situated on a six-acre site, encompassing 650,000 square feet, Xcel Energy Center is part of the RiverCentre Convention Center Complex, which also includes the adjacent Roy Wilkins Auditorium and Touchstone Energy Place. It's transparent glass exterior creates a distinguished identity and unique welcome to its visitors. Owned by the City of Saint Paul and managed by the Saint Paul Arena Company, an affiliate of Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MSE), Xcel Energy Center is home to the National Hockey League's (NHL) Minnesota Wild and a multitude of spectacular entertainment events annually.

    With four separate concourses on four seating levels, plus the Al Shaver Press Box on the fifth level, Xcel Energy Center's open concourses are fan-friendly, measuring as much as 60-70 feet in width and providing fans with an open view of the ice. The venue seats 18,064 for NHL games, and each of its four levels has been strategically situated to create great hockey sightlines. There are 74 executive suites, including 12 on the main concourse and 62 on the exclusive executive suite level. The St. Paul Club Level consists of approximately 3,000 upscale seats with unique club and dining opportunities. Fans visiting this exceptional arena will enjoy state-of-the-art technology, including an electronic display system with 360-degree video boards, an eight-sided scoreboard, an advanced in-arena production studio and superior acoustics for concerts.

    The building opened with the first-ever Minnesota Wild home preseason game versus the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (3-1 win) on September 29, 2000. The club has sold out all 87 games (preseason and regular season) it has played at the arena, and has drawn over 1.5 million fans in its first two years. The Wild established an NHL expansion team attendance record when it drew 751,472 fans for its 41 home games during the club's inaugural campaign in 2000-2001.

    The Xcel Energy Center's first-ever concert featured Barenaked Ladies and the Corrs on September 30, 2000. The year 2001 marked the return of the historic Minnesota State High School Tournaments to Saint Paul, where they had been held for 25 years before moving to Minneapolis during the construction of Xcel Energy Center. Over the past three years, the world-class arena featured such performers as Walt Disney's World on Ice, Dixie Chicks, Paul Simon and Brian Wilson, Prince, Tim McGraw, Eric Clapton, Andrea Bocelli, Creed, The Who, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond, The Eagles, John Mellencamp, Santana, Billy Joel, Elton John, matchbow Twenty, Bob Dylan and may others..

The Xcel Energy Center established new records for attendance in 2002 for both the Dodge WCHA Final Five and the NCAA Frozen Four. The all-time attendance record for a WCHA Final Five game was set during the semi-finals on March 15 when the University of Minnesota defeated St. Cloud State in front of 18,523. The total combined attendance of 75,151 at the tourney, surpassed the previous record for total attendance set in 2001 at the Xcel Energy Center. The attendance at the final game of the 2002 NCAA Men's Frozen Four (19,324), eclipsed the previous single-session records set two days earlier, and established a new all-time attendance record for the largest crowd ever to witness a hockey game in the state of Minnesota. The combined attendance for the 2002 Frozen Four was 57,957, also setting a record for total tournament attendance, under the current format.

State Of Hockey Tribute:

In the years leading up to the completion of the Xcel Energy Center, Minnesota Wild and Xcel Energy Center officials envisioned museum exhibits in the arena dedicated to Minnesota’s contributions to the sport of hockey. Below are listed the exhibits that can be viewed in the Xcel Energy Center:

Wells Fargo Jerseys: The jerseys of 181 high school hockey teams are on exhibit on the Executive Suite Level. These represent 146 boys and 35 girl’s programs, and are a fitting highlight to the hosting of the annual State Tournament in the building.

U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Exhibit

The Main Concourse’s Iron Range Grill restaurant features six exhibit cases with artifacts from the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minn. Three particular inductees are featured: Frank Brimsek, John Mariucci, and John Mayasich, along with general information on the Hall and its exhibits. In addition, the walls feature photomurals of past Iron Range teams from Eveleth, Grand Rapids, Hibbing, and Virginia.

Amateur Hockey Awards

Located outside the Iron Range Grill just inside Gate 4, this area features the Hobey Baker, Patty Kazmaier, and Mr./Ms. Hockey awards. The Baker and Kazmaier awards honor the best male and female college players while the Mr./Ms. recognize the most outstanding male and female Minnesota high school hockey players respectively.

WCHA Jerseys

As the host of the WCHA’s Final Five Tournament, the Xcel Energy Center displays the Jerseys of the association’s ten member schools just inside Gate 2.

Minnesota State High School Tournaments

As a complement to the high school jersey exhibit, St. Paul Pioneer Press’ headlines from twenty four selected tournaments are displayed on eight support pillars that surround the lower bowl. The exhibit begins with the very first event in 1945 and includes representations from the second level boy’s tournament as well as the girl’s competition, which began in 1995. Saint Paul Hockey Champions The St. Paul Club Level honors Saint Paul minor league (plus one major league) champions representing the seasons of 1915-16, 1939-40, 1948-49, 1959-60, and 1964-65. The exhibits include a replica jersey, St. Paul Pioneer Press’ headlines/photographs, and appear on six support pillars that surround the seating area. A hockey/corporate timeline has been placed on the wall in the Northeast corner of this level, which is sponsored by The St. Paul Companies. The timeline features significant events in both Minnesota hockey and St. Paul Companies’ history.

Other Exhibits

Exhibits featuring the Minnesota North Stars and Minnesota’s contributions to past Olympic teams can be found at Gate 3, while the 100 Level features photo murals on historic arenas and a jersey display on small college hockey. The original Zamboni from the St. Paul Auditorium has been restored and will be positioned on the 100 Level.

XCEL ENERGY CENTER CONSTRUCTION FUN FACTS

5,500 tons of reinforcing steel is embedded within the concrete.

3,500 tons of structural steel makes up the roof framing.

19,845 square yards of carpet.

40,000 cubic yards of poured in place concrete.

56,000 square feet of glass.

2,400 cooling tons of air conditioning.

50 miles of copper cable.

150,000 cubic yards of soil and rock excavation.

225 piers were drilled in sandstone for the foundation.

220,000 bricks and 55,000 burnished and rockface concrete masonry units on the exterior walls.

Facility has enough electric power capacity to light 600 houses.

12 miles of 1 ¼” pipe installed in the ice floor.

400 cubic yards of concrete used to pour the ice floor.

The ice floor is cooled down to freezing by pumping 8,400 gallons of Glycol through the 12 miles of pipe at a temperature of 10 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit.

400 miles of electric wire.

21,600,000 cubic feet of air per hour pumped into building.

Glass curtain wall on west side is 23,000 square feet in size and contains over 500 pieces of glass.

Wild locker room is 9,368 square feet.

Scoreboard weighs more than 50,000 pounds

Arena perimeter is 2,175 feet.

Arena height is 141 feet and 6 inches (event floor to bottom of roof deck).

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