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 Interactive map of Met Center | |
| Former names | Metropolitan Sports Center(1967–1982) |
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| Location |
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| Coordinates | 44°51′30″N93°14′24″W / 44.85833°N 93.24000°W /44.85833; -93.24000 |
| Owner | Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission |
| Operator | Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission |
| Capacity |
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| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 3 October 1966[1] |
| Opened | 21 October 1967 |
| Closed | 13 April 1993 |
| Demolished | 13 December 1994 |
| Construction cost | |
| Architect | Pattee Architects, Inc.[3] |
| Structural engineer | K.M. Clark Engineering Co.[3] |
| Services engineer | Brush & Morrow[3] |
| General contractor | McNulty Construction Company[4] |
| Tenants | |
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TheMet Center was anindoor arena that stood inBloomington, Minnesota, United States, a suburb ofMinneapolis. The arena, which was completed in 1967 by Minnesota Ice, just to the north ofMetropolitan Stadium, seated 15,784. It was the home of theMinnesota North Stars of theNational Hockey League (NHL) from 1967 to 1993. For its first 15 years, its official name was theMetropolitan Sports Center; the more familiar shorter name was adopted in 1982.[citation needed]
The Met's other tenants included the ABA'sMinnesota Muskies, which played just one season before moving to Miami for the 1968–69 season. The league responded by moving the defending championPittsburgh Pipers to Bloomington, but the Pipers left to return to Pittsburgh after the season. TheNASL'sMinnesota Kicks played two indoor seasons at the Met from 1979 to 1981. TheMinnesota Strikers of theMajor Soccer League (MSL) played indoor soccer at the Met Center from 1984 to 1988. TheBoys' High School Hockey Tournament was also held there from 1969 to 1975.
The arena also held entertainment-related shows, including the first performance ofSesame Street Live in September 1980.
The Met Center was considered to be one of the finest arenas in the NHL for many years. Among NHL players, the Met was known for its fast ice and good lighting. Players also had much praise for the locker rooms and training facilities[citation needed]. Fans gave the arena's sightlines very high marks as well. The Met never boasted fancy amenities, and had cramped concourses and very few frills compared to modern arenas (though some luxury suites were added in the 1980s). As a sports facility, it could best be described as utilitarian, a theme which repeated itself in most Minnesota sports facilities built before 1988 (such as Metropolitan Stadium and theHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome). Like the Metrodome, the Met Center was heavily utilized as a Minnesota sports venue, hosting various high school hockey and basketball events over the course of its lifetime. The North Stars turned down a chance to move to the newTarget Center upon its opening in 1990 due to conflicting soft drink rights (the Met Center was served by Pepsi whereas the Target Center's pouring rights belonged to Coca-Cola).[5][6][7]
After the North Stars moved toDallas, Texas, in 1993 and became theDallas Stars, the Met Center was demolished on December 13, 1994, in a series of threecontrolled implosions. The series of implosions was required after the initial detonation (which was intended to be the only one) failed spectacularly to bring down the building on live television.[8] The NHL returned to Minnesota in 2000 when the expansionMinnesota Wild began play atGrand Casino Arena inSt. Paul. Meanwhile, theHarlem Globetrotters, an annual visitor to the Met Center, moved on, as had a large portion of Met Center's concert business, to Target Center.
For several years after the arena was demolished, the property served as an overflow lot for theMall of America. In 2004, anIKEA store opened on the west end of the property, and the new American Boulevard was rerouted through the east end of the property. The remainder of the site is planned long-term to become the site of Mall of America Phase II, of which the IKEA would be an anchor store.
| Preceded by first arena | Home of theMinnesota North Stars 1967–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of theNHL All-Star Game 1972 | Succeeded by |
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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