Xcel Energy Center

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Xcel Energy Center
nickname = The X

|
location = 199 Kellogg Blvd W
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102
opened = 2000
owner = City of St. Paul
operator = Minnesota Sports & Entertainment
construction_cost = $130 million USD
surface = Multi-surface
architect = HOK Sport
tenants = Minnesota Wild (NHL) (2000-Present)
Minnesota Swarm (NLL) (2005-present)
Republican National Convention (2008)
seating_capacity = Hockey and Lacrosse: 18,064 (plus 500 standing room)

Xcel Energy Center is a sports arena in Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. sponsored by Xcel Energy. It is home to the NHL's Minnesota Wild and the NLL's Minnesota Swarm. It is owned by the city of Saint Paul and operated by Minnesota Sports & Entertainment, owners of the Wild and Swarm. Colloquially, it is also referred to as "The X."

eating

The arena contains four spectator levels: one suite level, and three general seating levels named the 100 level, the club level, and the 200 level. Its official capacity is 18,064.

Features

The councourse areas contain a hockey jersey from every high school in Minnesota hanging on the wall, reflecting the "State of Hockey." Surrounding the arena at all four corners are "crows nests." One features an organ built into the shell of a Zamboni machine and is played during Wild games. A second nest features a lighthouse that contains a foghorn that is blasted before faceoff, for Wild goals and after a win. The third is used for the announcement before every Wild game; "Lets play hockey!" and the fourth is for multipurpose.

Attendance Records

*February 8, 2004: the NHL All-Star Game set a record for attendance at a hockey game in Minnesota at 19,434
*The record attendance for a Wild game was set October 5, 2005 at 19,398, the first game after the lockout season.
*On October 28, 2003, Shania Twain set Xcel Energy Center's single-night concert attendance record of 20,554.
*On March 17, 2007, 19,463 spectators watched the final game of the WCHA Final Five tournament, the largest crowd ever for an indoor United States College Ice Hockey Game [ [http://www.uscho.com/recaps/20062007/m/03/17/und-umn.php USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online :: Tour De Force: Wheeler Nets OT Goal To Give Minnesota Broadmoor Trophy ] ] (i.e. not including games held in football stadiums such as the Cold War).
*Since opening the doors of the Xcel Energy Center on September 29, 2000, the Wild have had a sellout for every single game (totaling over 300 consecutive games as of December 8, 2007).

History

The Xcel Energy Center opened in the fall of 2000. A member of the arena's marketing team was quoted in the Minneapolis StarTribune newspaper as saying "We hope that fans will call it 'The X'." It was built on the site of the demolished St. Paul Civic Center. In 2004, the arena was named by ESPN as the best overall sports venue in the United States.

The 10 millionth person passed through the gates on July 3, 2007 to see The Police Reunion Tour seven years after the building first opened.

On June 3, 2008, Senator Barack Obama gave his first speech as the presumptive presidential nominee for the Democratic Party. [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/06/03/politics/fromtheroad/entry4151309.shtml Obama's Victory Speech] By Maria Gavrilovic, CBS News Tuesday, June 3, 2008] Over 17,000 people attended the event with an additional 15,000 watching on big screens directly outside the arena. [ [http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/president/19485059.html?location_refer=Most%20Viewed:President Obama speech in St. Paul ends Primary season] StarTribune Tuesday, June 3, 2008]

The arena was also the venue for the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Other Events

The "X" is the current site of the WCHA Final Five, Minnesota Boys' High School Hockey, the Minnesota Girl's High School Volleyball Tournament, and the High School Wrestling tournaments, as well as the host of the Minnesota State High School League-sponsored volleyball state tournament. It hosted the 2002 NCAA Frozen Four and will do so again in 2011. The National Lacrosse League's Minnesota Swarm began regular season play in the arena in January, 2005.

References

External links

* [http://www.xcelenergycenter.com/ Xcel Energy Center official website]

succession box
title = Home of the
Minnesota Wild
years = 2000 – present
before = first arena
after = currentsuccession box
title = Host of the
NHL All-Star Game
years = 2004
before = Office Depot Center
after = American Airlines Centersuccession box
title = Home of the
Minnesota Swarm
years = 2005 – present
before = first arena
after = currentsuccession box
title = Host of the
Republican National Convention
years = 2008
before = Madison Square Garden
after = TBD