Frozen Faceoff Review

[gfhockey]

Pluses

Location

Pourhouse when not busy (hot bartenders there)

skyway

light rail

strip clubs

mix drinks at target center

all business owners we talked to couldn't believe how generous Sioux fans are for tips

got in free at all places that had cover cuz they knew we were there to party and spend money

juicy lucy at huberts

augies

saville club

dream girls ($9 all you can drink water and pop lmao)--waived it for us

Minus's

Glass reminded me of purpur arena

target center is a dump

pourhose when busy was impossible to get a drink

the guy doing karaoke

flex cam

fight in section 106

visiting teams didn't have any fans

fan fest outside

target center food

all the gangstas at bus stops

marriot bar sucked

no tables really at pourhouse

discuss

[MafiaMan]

Pluses

Location

Pourhouse when not busy (hot bartenders there)

skyway

light rail

strip clubs

mix drinks at target center

all business owners we talked to couldn't believe how generous Sioux fans are for tips

got in free at all places that had cover cuz they knew we were there to party and spend money

juicy lucy at huberts

augies

saville club

dream girls ($9 all you can drink water and pop lmao)--waived it for us

discuss

99% of your pluses have ZERO to do with actual hockey...

[SiouxFan100]

We had fun, Skyway is great. Pourhouse needs more places to sit. We got there at 2:00 Friday and couldn't order food until closer to 3:45. The tourney would have had a different feel if UMD or St Cloud would have made it. The weather sucked. Again, it would be a different experience with the outdoor activities. I am going to buy the cheap tickets next time. All seats had good site lines as far as I could tell. Many comments about all the Sioux fans there. I miss MN and Wisconsin. Not a bunch of cheering going on.

[siouxkid12]

The 1980's called the target center and they want all their electronics back.

The lady during the intermission did not engage the fans at all like Rusty.

I felt like I got molested by the cops before entering.

I went cheap and bought the Upperbowl seats, a lot if seats went empty in the bottom and we tried sneaking down on Friday but got booted by the rent a cops. I would think since these games are on TV they would want as many people in the bottom bowl to make it look sold out. Saturday was more successful as we got into the lower bowl.

[Snake]

99% of your pluses have ZERO to do with actual hockey...

And your post had zero to do with a frozen face off review.

I enjoyed being in downtown Minneapolis for a change. St. Paul got to be quite stale after 13 years. The biggest issue was the target center. The seats were pitched well, but the glass warped the view of the ice. I will be moving higher up next year. The staff were a little too "aggressive" with their pat-downs and asking to see tickets when going to the seats. It was a bit annoying. The lack of closed-circuit TV in the concourse and a decent scoreboard made it feel "old," but hopefully that will be addressed when they update it as part of the Vikings Stadium finance package. That's still happening, right?

[farce poobah]

I was having a ton of flashbacks to the 1980s ...

Not just the arena itself ... but its electronics (agreeing with siouxkid above) ... the music playlist which didn't play any music newer than 1996 or so.

But for me the biggest flashback was going back to the first WCHA tournament in 1988, at the old St Paul Civic Center. That building was about half full, even for the Gopher - Badger game. The ice sucked, with players at extreme risk of injury. The boards sucked, with weird bounces all over. But somehow, that event grew into the heated-rivalry loud-and-louder WCHA Final Five that we grew to know and love.

Here's hoping that this event grows to become the same. Certainly we'll need UMD and St Cloud to be frequent visitors.

Certainly, there's a LOT of appeal for fans that is better / more convenient than downtown St Paul. More nightlife, more hotels, skyways to access a LOT (or get close) of the places to visit. And light rail 1 block away.

I think this is going to work. But it will take a while ... maybe a decade ... and we're going to need some REAL rivalries to bring fans in.

[gfhockey]

yeah the pat down was a bit weird

the guy who patted me down didn't even catch the 10 shooters I had in pockets and he grabbed them in my jeans lmao

then won a puck from some plinko game and they were going to take that away from me cuz I might throw it on the ice

[MafiaMan]

And your post had zero to do with a frozen face off review.

I enjoyed being in downtown Minneapolis for a change. St. Paul got to be quite stale after 13 years. The biggest issue was the target center. The seats were pitched well, but the glass warped the view of the ice. I will be moving higher up next year. The staff were a little too "aggressive" with their pat-downs and asking to see tickets when going to the seats. It was a bit annoying. The lack of closed-circuit TV in the concourse and a decent scoreboard made it feel "old," but hopefully that will be addressed when they update it as part of the Vikings Stadium finance package. That's still happening, right?

Now THAT'S a review, Snake, not gfhockey's Minneapolis strip club review.

[gfhockey]

lot more places to eat also and more culture too

but I always felt like I was about to be mugged

[farce poobah]

but I always felt like I was about to be mugged

Agree, that holds true.

For those coming from out of town, I feel like there should be some kind of caution. If you're going to walk the streets after 7pm, stay in a pack (or go skyway). Less of a problem when its 15 degrees outside than in say July, though.

[sprig]

New boards needed badly, worse than anything else.

[yzerman19]

Warm weather would've brought out more fun- rooftop bars, etc.

I bet the owner of Eagle Street, Allarys, McGoverns and Mr. Tom Reid are a little irritated today

[gfhockey]

yeah knew some one that stopped at mcgoverns

said place as ghost town other then a couple bucky fans.

heard a target center guy said they sold more alcohol during one session then they ever do for a t-wolves game

[NorthDakotaHockey]

From a group who was there half hour before each session, and stayed from opening drop to final whistle of all four games (with probably no more than 500-600 others tops), we thought that the NCHC and the Target Center did one heck of a job. We arrived early for the Fan Fest on the Target Plaza. Great tent with some NCHC exhibits and history. Good outdoor hockey games and activities for kids and adults alike. Reasonably priced draft beer at I think $3.00 each. Live music. National Guard booth. Other vendors. Sun was shining but cold. Sucks for them that the weather was a bit chilly but hey, after this winter, it felt like 50 degrees plus. In fairness, with kids and not having alcohol or titty bars as our top priorities, maybe we found the Fan Fest to be more inviting and comfortable than most. Inside, the display with the NCHC trophies was great. Some very impressive hardware.

Entry first day and second was a breeze. Target Center has that goofy single entrance deal which could have been a problem had there been 15,000 instead of 7,000. Coming back from a between game snack (and drink) for the Championship Game found some dickweed security guy being difficult on the pat down. Luck of the draw. They were just doing their job. No contraband, no problem. As for the complaints about upper/lower bowl and the ticket nazis, the difference in ticket prices was substantial. You buy cheap, you sit cheap. I've no problem with that. Made for some room for us legitimately in the lower bowl to move away from the glass and stretch our legs.

Sure, Target Center is dated. It is old school after thirty years or so. Folks might say the same things about The Ralph twenty years from now. I'll be in my grave. The Target Center was built for basketball. Still, It has a history of some fine hockey having been played there. Interesting how they raise the entire floor up five feet for hockey. That it does not have tempered glass boards sucks, but it gives a nice old school feel. And plexiglass is much more forgiving for the players. The concession prices were fair, at least for arena food. The souvenir stands were sufficient in number, although they ran out of a few items. The lines were manageable. The latrines were sufficient. Of course, all of this comes with a somewhat skinny crowd. Three bands were present and fun. Guess which school did not have one. Todd Anderson and crew called fair and tight games.

The old boards and glass made for some interesting and entertaining bounces and caroms. The ice may have sucked but everyone had to skate on the same sheets. The building was chilly. The Zamboni drivers need to leave less water. They'll get these things figured out.

The banter and games during timeouts and period breaks was everything that one always get. Lame at times, but good parts of the crowd were always into it. Free t-shirts. Plenty of pucks into the crowd gives rise to one of my bigger peeves. Hey all you strapping guys diving over three rows of seats to get a piece of vulcanized rubber . . . . GIVE IT TO THE KID. Cripes almighty.

The games were what they were. They were on time and there were no equipment failures to delay anything. The power did not go out. The exit between games was a nice touch, and easily handled. Downtown Minneapolis is what it is. Pretty damned safe for a big city downtown. The riff raff is not going to mess with you if you do not mess with them. Safe walks. Good transportation. Plenty of bars and restaurants. We deliberately went off line a few blocks and found a good place where tables and service were plentiful. Why stand ten deep in the Pourhouse? I'll see my fellow fans in the are

Perhaps the best part of the tournament was when the "Let's Go Sioux" chant broke out in a tense championship game after Wisconsin finished off Ohio State in OT. By then, of course, many of the ND fans who came for hockey had long left even though there was hockey still being played. That is your choice, of course, but I was long taught and always remember to be in the seat for the Anthem and stay until the final horn. One misses too many interesting things on and off the ice otherwise. The all-tourney team should and could have included a ND player or more than one Miami player. Would have been nice if everyone was in the concourse by the time PU grabbed its trophy. Section 106 had plenty of "entertainment" with some boneheads getting in pushing and shoving matches, especially after the Friday game. Alcohol is a good thing except in the hands of grasshoppers who cannot handle their alcohol. Plenty of those grasshoppers in attendance.

Of course, the highlight outside the arena was the Hoggsbreath Brunch. Good seeing a solid raft of fine folks there. Thank God this tournament is signed for five years at Target Center. Nothing wrong with the experience. It just needs to go through some growing pains and establish a bit of the pedigree. The NCHC will be fine. It is already the premier college hockey conference in the country and it will produce the 2014 National Champion in Philadelphia.

This is all.

[ringneck28]

Since there isn't a regular schedule of hockey games at Target Center, I really have my doubts about how much they will improve the hockey end of operations. I think that it is a joke that the ice was in the condition that it was for this tournament. The boards are the same as I remembered in 1997. If I remember correct, wasn't there a goal off of a goalie from the board in one of the games in 1997 also? It may have been ND too.

I would say that the NCHC should do some negotiating with Target Center. If they don't want to make improvements, I hear that there are arena's in Omaha, Grand Forks, Fargo, Milwaukee, and maybe even Sioux Falls that would be able to host this event.

[gfhockey]

section 106 I heard was rowdy and fun to be in

had a couple friends in that setion

said beers were being poured on people and 2 fights with one guy getting chocked out and another thrown down the steps

[Blackheart]

Walking down in our section when we first got to Target Center, was looking for the right row, the letters were on the arms of the aisle seat....got to our row and noticed that letter H was missing on the armrest but someone had taken the time to put a piece of white athletic tape on the arm with the letter H scribbled on it...kinda funny but kinda sad and cheap too.

[choyt3]

Interesting how they raise the entire floor up five feet for hockey.

hmmm??? Not getting this. They put the ice in back in December I think it was. What did they raise? Around the rink?

[choyt3]

section 106 I heard was rowdy and fun to be in

had a couple friends in that setion

said beers were being poured on people and 2 fights with one guy getting chocked out and another thrown down the steps

Sounds like fun. Considering the source, it is hard to believe that happened.

[NorthDakotaHockey]

hmmm??? Not getting this. They put the ice in back in December I think it was. What did they raise? Around the rink?

When Target Center was built, it was done so as a multi-purpose arena. Hopes of landing an NHL franchise were still high. The entire concrete floor raises up five feet, or slightly more, to make better hockey sight lines. Hydraulic system. Goes down for basketball to allow for more seats going down to courtside.

If one was close to the ice in the corner, as were my seats until we moved, you could see that the floor was raised up as there was a drop off accessible only to arena staff. I did not hear that they put the ice in back in December. I suppose that they could have and simply covered it for three months. I don't recall an ice show being there recently.

Anyway, at ice level Row A, the seats are actually a bit down in the well. Would be nice if they lowered the floor a foot or so for those in the first row. Certainly not on the glass seating like at The Ralph or the Xcel.

The Frozen Faceoff program also mentions the design on the floor going up and down for hockey. The entire concrete slab.

[franchise]

There was a lot about the arena that I liked. We got upper tickets as I generally enjoy the higher view and I was very pleased with the sight lines. We sat lower in the title game and I think up top was better.

I was bummed that they ran out of souvenir pucks.

The "games" during the breaks were ok for the most part, but the chick urging people to flex, dance and kiss was pretty annoying.

The all tourney team was a joke...one non-pioneer? come on

Really enjoyed The Pourhouse. They made a wise business move being the official und bar.

The pat downs seemed very random. I got groped pretty good, but they didn't give my wife a second look.

Overall, it was a fun weekend and it should only get better as they work out the kinks.

[NorthDakotaHockey]

Yes, I waited too long on the pucks too. Two guys waiting to buy both wanting the last puck. One guy was me. The other a rich landowner from Valley City.

I was out bid.

One more thing that I actually thought was pretty cool and even old school. The crew shoveling the ice were high schooler kids, not women in tight shorts and low cut shirts. Took awhile getting used to it, but it was nice. Except that they need to teach those kids how to drill in the post anchors a bit deeper . . . .

[choyt3]

When Target Center was built, it was done so as a multi-purpose arena. Hopes of landing an NHL franchise were still high. The entire concrete floor raises up five feet, or slightly more, to make better hockey sight lines. Hydraulic system. Goes down for basketball to allow for more seats going down to courtside.

If one was close to the ice in the corner, as were my seats until we moved, you could see that the floor was raised up as there was a drop off accessible only to arena staff. I did not hear that they put the ice in back in December. I suppose that they could have and simply covered it for three months. I don't recall an ice show being there recently.

Anyway, at ice level Row A, the seats are actually a bit down in the well. Would be nice if they lowered the floor a foot or so for those in the first row. Certainly not on the glass seating like at The Ralph or the Xcel.

The Frozen Faceoff program also mentions the design on the floor going up and down for hockey. The entire concrete slab.

I see. Cool. Great info. Weird concept. They had to get the ice in early to make sure it was going to work and to get the logos and such on at a time where the T'Wolves had a large enough gap in their schedule. They just covered it before putting the wood floor back on.

[MafiaMan]

The boards are the same as I remembered in 1997. If I remember correct, wasn't there a goal off of a goalie from the board in one of the games in 1997 also? It may have been ND too.

You must be referring to '99 or '00...the '97 tournament was at the old St Paul Civic Center and '98 was in Milwaukee at The Bradley Center.

[gfhockey]

the pourhouse had bartenders that were easy on eyes