Xcel Energy Center

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The push for this arena began after the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas, with Saint Paul initially courting the Hartford Whalers and Winnipeg Jets under Mayor Norm Coleman. The state funded the $130 million project in April 1998 via a no-interest loan of $65 million, forgiving $17 million when high school championships were agreed upon. The arena opened on September 29, 2000, hosting its first Wild game against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks just weeks later on October 11. The building also served as the main venue for the 2008 Republican National Convention and hosted the Vote for Change Tour in 2004 featuring Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M., and Bright Eyes.

In Their Own Story

On October 18, 2000, the arena witnessed its first victory when the Wild defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 6–5. Two years later, on April 21, 2003, Richard Park scored an overtime game-winner to secure the franchise's first playoff win against the Colorado Avalanche. A historic moment arrived on April 26, 2015, when the Wild clinched a playoff series for the first time, defeating the St. Louis Blues 4–1 in Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The arena has also set records beyond men's hockey; on January 6, 2024, 13,316 fans attended the Minnesota Frost's PWHL debut, setting a new record for professional women's hockey attendance. High school hockey history was made here too, with the March 6, 2015 State Boys' Hockey Tournament semifinals drawing 21,609 fans.

Reader's Guide

Visitors enter through an indoor access area shared with the RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium. The concourse features hockey jerseys from every Minnesota high school on the walls. Four 'crow's nests' surround the arena: one houses an organ played during games, another contains a lighthouse with a foghorn blasted for goals and victories, the third holds the Wild's DJ, and the fourth serves as an extra stage. The facility includes nearly 1,100 feet of ribbon display technology and a large LED center-hung scoreboard, which was replaced in summer 2014. In 2015, every seat was replaced with cushioned seating by early 2016. The campus is the world's first complex to hold Green Globes (2017), LEED Platinum (2019), and EIC SES Gold (2020) certifications.

Did You Know?

• The arena's foghorn in the lighthouse crow's nest is blasted for all Minnesota Wild and Frost goals.
• Every seat in the building was replaced with cushioned seating between 2015 and early 2016.
• Prince holds the record for the most consecutive sold-out shows at Xcel Energy Center with four.
• The venue hosted its first playoff game on April 14, 2003, a 3–0 loss to Colorado.
• The arena shares a single indoor access area with both the RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium.