The home
of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Men’s Hockey Team, Mariucci Arena
breathes of the great tradition of Minnesota hockey. Inside the arena pictures of
past great Golden Gopher teams are plastered on the walls, trophy cases are
filled with awards of teams past and maroon and gold banners proudly display
the conquests of those teams.
Mariucci
arena is named for the legendary Hall of Famer, John Mariucci. Mariucci was a
native of Eveleth, Minnesota and a stand-out University of Minnesota hockey player. For over 40 years he helped Minnesota grow into a strong “State of Hockey.” His many accomplishments include helping his squad win the NCAA national
championship in 1940, playing five NHL seasons with the Chicago Black Hawks,
coaching the University of Minnesota hockey team and advocating the development
of local home grown Minnesota talent. He coached the US Olympic team to silver
in 1956 and in 1967 he returned to the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars as
the assistant to general manager, a position he held until his death in 1987.
Mariucci arena is appropriately named in his honor.
In 1993
the old Mariucci Arena, located in front of Williams Arena, took on a whole new
face when it relocated just north of its old home. The new Mariucci Arena
brought a brand new look to Golden Gopher hockey. The arena was made with
256,580 bricks; 2,000 of which came from Memorial Stadium. Row 12 in the arena
is 18 feet above the ice; in the old arena fans in the same row were only eight
feet above ice level. With the capability to have ice year-round, the arena
brings a truly state-of-the-art facility to the University of Minnesota Twin
Cities campus.
The crowd
capacity for Mariucci increased from 9,305 its first three seasons to 9,700
prior to the 1996-97 season. The Olympic size ice sheet makes for a fast-pace,
wide open style of hockey that the Golden Gophers are known for. The building
does not have even one obstructed view seat, which is another reason that
Golden Gopher hockey is one of the hottest tickets in town. With the best
possible sight lines from every seat, no Golden Gopher fan is ever disappointed
with the view of the fastest game in town.
Last
season, the Golden Gophers had 242,781 fans enter Mariucci Arena, the third
consecutive year Minnesota surpassed the 200,000 mark. With a list capacity of
9,700, Minnesota averages 9,711 people per home game. The attendance figure is
second in the WCHA behind Wisconsin, who averages 11,870 fans in the
14,385-seat Kohl Center. The record for the largest crowd in Mariucci arena was
set on Feb. 15, 1997, when 9,886 people watched Minnesota defeat
Minnesota-Duluth, 7-1. Minnesota is consistently ranked in the top five in
attendance in the country.
Nothing
can beat the atmosphere that Mariucci can produce on game night. From the roar
of the crowd when the Golden Gophers take the ice, to the roar of the band as
they blare out the Minnesota Rouser, Mariucci Arena boasts deep hockey
appreciation and tradition. Fans and players alike still are amazed by the
breathtaking beauty of a sold-out Mariucci arena and the atmosphere it
provides. On game nights, tradition simply boils over and turns the arena into
one of the finest venues to experience a college hockey game in the country. It
is truly an experience to remember.
Mariucci Arena has recently upgraded its seating capacity from 9,700 to 10,000, making it even more possible for Minnesota Golden Gopher hockey fans to see their team. The Gophers hope to once again electrify the atmosphere in Mariucci for the 2007-08 season. The relatively small seating capacity does have its upsides in making it more of a ?rats-nest? to use the words of Kevin Garnett speaking about the Target Center. Smaller than say the Xcel Energy Center, Mariucci allows the crowd noise to deafeningly reverberate off the walls. Tickets for Gophers hockey in Mariucci are always a hot product.
|
