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| Former names | Metropolitan Sports Center (1967–1982) |
|---|---|
| Location |
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| Coordinates | 44°51′30″N 93°14′24″W / 44.85833°N 93.24000°W |
| 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 | |
| |
The Met Center was an indoor arena that stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States, a suburb of Minneapolis. The arena, which was completed in 1967 by Minnesota Ice, just to the north of Metropolitan Stadium, seated 15,000. It was the home of the Minnesota North Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967 to 1993. For its first 15 years, its official name was the Metropolitan Sports Center; the more familiar shorter name was adopted in 1982.[citation needed]
The Met's other tenants included the ABA's Minnesota Muskies, which played just one season before moving to Miami for the 1968–69 season. The league responded by moving the defending champion Pittsburgh Pipers to Bloomington, but the Pipers left to return to Pittsburgh after the season. The NASL's Minnesota Kicks played two indoor seasons at the Met from 1979 to 1981. The Minnesota Strikers of the Major Soccer League (MISL) played indoor soccer at the Met Center from 1984 to 1988. The Boys' High School Hockey Tournament was also held there from 1969 to 1975.
The arena also held entertainment-related shows, including the first performance of Sesame Street Live in September 1980.
- ^ Associated Press (1966-09-30). "Break Ground Monday for Hockey Arena". Winona Daily News. Minneapolis. p. 14. Retrieved 2022-03-08 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c Goldberg, Jeff (2018-02-28). "1967–68 ABA Arenas, and the Beginning of an Era". Arena Digest. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
- ^ Associated Press (1966-10-21). "North Stars Get Okay on Arena Plans". Winona Daily News. Minneapolis. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-03-08 – via Newspapers.com.