Xcel Energy Center

Lore & Background

The arena opened on September 29, 2000. It was built on the site of the demolished St. Paul Civic Center. The push for a new arena in Saint Paul grew after the National Hockey League's Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas. Saint Paul courted the Hartford Whalers and Winnipeg Jets under Mayor Norm Coleman, but the Civic Center was an obstacle to both deals.

In order to get an NHL expansion team, Saint Paul needed to build a new arena. After several failed attempts to get funding, the state funded the project in April 1998. It gave Saint Paul a no-interest loan of $65 million for the $130 million project, though it forgave $17 million of that in exchange for having high school sports championships played at the arena. The naming rights were initially sold to Minnesota-based Xcel Energy.

The arena hosted the Vote for Change Tour on October 5, 2004, featuring performances by Bright Eyes, R.E.M. and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (with special guest John Fogerty and unannounced guest Neil Young). In 2006, the Twin Cities were selected as the hosting metropolis for the 2008 Republican National Convention, and the arena was chosen as the main venue. The convention was held there on September 1–4, 2008. The manager of the Xcel Energy Center at the time was Minnesota Sports & Entertainment whose owner Craig Leipold is also the owner of the Minnesota Wild and a prominent Republican and supporter of George W. Bush and Mitt Romney.

The 10 millionth person passed through its gates on July 3, 2007. In 2010, ESPN magazine listed a Minnesota Wild game at Xcel Energy Center as the third-best stadium experience in North America. In December 2023, Saint Paul city officials spoke on the condition of the venue, stating that it was "showing its age", and said needed renovations could cost "several hundred million [dollars]....based on similar renovations". The project would focus on modernizing the facility to meet demands of newer generations of visitors.

In April 2025, it was announced that Xcel Energy Center would be renamed before the start of the 2025–26 NHL season after 25 years, but that the company would still remain a partner of the team. On June 30, 2025, the Wild and the NHL announced a new naming rights deal with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe—which owns and operates Grand Casino Hinckley and Grand Casino Mille Lacs.

Reader's Guide

The concourse areas contain hockey jerseys from every Minnesota high school on the walls, reflecting the "State of Hockey". Surrounding the arena at all four corners are "crow's nests". One features an organ and is played during Wild games. The second features a lighthouse that houses a foghorn that is blasted when the team takes the ice before games, for all Wild and Frost goals, and after a victory.

The third is used for the Wild's disc jockey. The fourth provides an additional stage for various uses. Before it opened, the arena installed an integrated scoring, video, information and advertising display system by Daktronics. The system includes a large LED circular, center-hung scoreboard with multiple displays, nearly 1,100 feet (340 m) of ribbon display technology mounted on the fascia and large video displays outside the facility.

The center ice display was replaced in the summer of 2014. Of the 10 LED screens, the largest measures 37.5 feet (11.4 m) wide by 19 feet (5.8 m) high. In 2015 the arena began replacing every seat in the building with cushioned seating. This was finished by early 2016.

Did You Know?

• The arena is owned by the city of Saint Paul and operated by the Wild's parent company, Minnesota Sports & Entertainment.
• The record attendance for a Wild game was set May 6, 2014, at 19,416, against the Chicago Blackhawks.
• Prince and Taylor Swift hold the record for the most consecutive sold-out shows at three.