BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Thirty years ago Friday, the Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington was demolished.
Known to many as the Met Center, the historic building has played host to many iconic events, from the Minnesota North Stars’ two-time Stanley Cup triumphs to legendary music acts like Prince and Bruce Springsteen.
Here’s a look back at some of the Met Center’s most memorable moments and the day they took place.
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Minnesota North Stars
In 1966, the NHL announced the Minnesota North Stars as the newest expansion team. Terms of the offer include construction of a new arena that could seat 12,500 people, according to MNopedia, an online encyclopedia developed by the Minnesota Historical Society and its partners.
Walter Bush Jr., the founder of the North Stars, worked with eight other businessmen to organize a bid and presented the Metropolitan Sports Commission with a plan for the Met Center.
The arena cost $6 million to build.
On October 21, 1967, the Met Center hosted its first event: the North Stars took on the Oakland Seals. According to MNopedia, Minnesota would win 3-1 in front of a crowd of 12,951.
Because the team played in the winter, arena officials had tow trucks stationed outside during games to help jump-start cars.
The Met Center was the first NHL arena to sell advertising space on its rink signs.
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During its 26-year tenure, the team played in the Stanley Cup Finals – in 1981 against the New York Islanders and in 1991 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Minnesota lost both times.
The arena would be home to the North Stars, then owner, until 1993 Norm Green moved the team to Dallas. Green cited poor attendance and a lack of public funding for improvements to the Met Center as reasons for relocating the team.
The Minnesota Muskies, of the American Basketball Association, played one season at the Met Center.
Legendary entertainment
Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond and Frank Sinatra are just a few of the musical acts playing the Met Center.
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According to concertarchives.org, Minnesota’s own Prince would play the Met Center in 1982, 1983 and twice in 1988.
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Bruce Springsteen played two concerts at the Met Center in 1988 as part of his Tunnel of Love Express Tour.
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According to MNopedia, Neil Diamond performed four concerts at the beloved arena in 1987. More than 70,000 tickets were sold for the concerts.
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On January 24, 1992, Frank Sinatra gave his last concert in Minnesota at the Met Center.
Other well-known artists, including Led Zepplin, Fleetwood Mac, Sergio Mendes and LL Cool J, also played at the arena before it was demolished.
Day of demolition
On a cold day on December 13, 1994, Minnesotans gathered a safe distance from the arena to watch it be demolished via controlled implosions.
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“I think it’s a terrible day,” said former North Stars player Lou Nanne. “It’s had a lot of great attractions here in the Twin Cities area and a lot of wonderful memories for the state of Minnesota.”
When the Met Center collapsed, many attendees were shocked, while others shed tears.
The arena failed to find a tenant after Green moved the North Stars to Dallas and remained unused until it was demolished.
New beginning
Six years after the demolition of the Met Center, the NHL announced that professional hockey would return to Minnesota in the form of the Minnesota Wild. The Xcel Energy Center would be built in St. Paul, where the Wild have played for more than two decades.
In 2004, IKEA would open a store on the former site of the Met Center.
