Target Center Renovations 80 Percent Complete

Henrik Borgström

(Photo credit: Russell Hons Photography)

The Target Center is going through a serious facelift. So far, the renovations are about 80 percent done according to the Target Center Twitter feed. You can view some of the renovation upgrades by clicking on this link.

Will this be enough to keep the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s Frozen Faceoff at the Target Center? We’re supposed to hear about the future of the Frozen Faceoff this summer, but the league has yet to make an announcement. Fans are waiting for the NCHC’s decision with anticipation. I wrote about this subject earlier this summer.

Make no mistake about it, if you’ve attended the previous four Frozen Faceoffs, you will know that the Target Center pre-renovations was a run down, worn out basketball only arena that was frozen in the 1990’s. Many of those fans referred to the Target Center as a dump. If you’ve attended games in the various NCHC buildings, you will view the Target Center a down grade.

If you were a WCHA fan prior to realignment, moving from the Xcel Energy Center to the Target Center was a major step backward. Post renovation, it still might be. Like I’ve stated in the past, I am willing to give the Target Center a chance.

It’s my belief that the Target Center’s condition (pre renovation) might have kept NCHC fans away from the Frozen Faceoff.

Looking at the Minnesota Timberwolves attendance numbers, the condition of the Target center might have been a factor for NBA fans, too. The Timberwolves finished second to last during the 2016-17 season averaging 14,809 fans per game. That’s an improvement from the 2015-16 season where they averaged 14,175 fans per game. It will be interesting to see if those attendance numbers improve in the 2017-18 season.

Looking at the pictures that have emerged, they’ve made some remarkable improvements to the Target Center.

As you can see from the images, the Target Center has had a major face lift.

From the Complaint Department

Over the last four years; here are some of the complaints that I have heard from fans. The sight lines in the Target Center are horrible. Also, there was a lot of complaints about the ice conditions. While the Target Center has worked hard on the ice conditions the last two seasons, the ice conditions have still been questionable. From what I’ve read, the latest renovations were supposed to address the ice conditions. I guess we will soon find out.

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