Target Center, Xcel Energy and Home Ice

Currently, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference holds its conference championship, the Frozen Faceoff, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Last weekend, the NCHC finished its fourth year of a five-year contract with the Target Center. Soon, the NCHC will have to decide if the Frozen Faceoff will continue to be held at the Target Center. I am in favor of continuing at this venue and here’s why.

First, I want to be clear. I think past weekend’s Frozen Faceoff was the best of the four. Hands down. If we give it time, I think the tourney is only going to get better. Last weekend, I had a great time. I thought the hockey on the ice was excellent, well, except for the on-ice officiating. That discussion is for another day. No wambulance for this guy.

Second, I am not a toady, but NCHC fans are very lucky, the front office staff is very proactive, and they’re constantly seeking to improve. The don’t make the same mistake twice. I also like the fact that they take input from the fans. If we give it time, I think future Frozen Faceoffs are only going to get better. The Target Center is in the process of updating their building. I am excited to see what happens this summer with phase three of the renovations.

I know, I know.

Is the Target Center as good as the Xcel Center? Not even close. Currently, the Target Center is a dirty, grungy building in need of some new seats and paint. However, they’re still in the process of updating their building. The video scoreboard was fabulous. I found myself watching it all weekend long. This is only a preview of the things to come. Fans will be sitting in new seats next year. Per Target Center renovations:

As part of the Target Center Renovation, fans will have brand new seats to sit in starting with the 2017-18 Timberwolves season. Along with the new seats, there will also be new railings. (Target Center)

While the Target Center is a basketball only facility and there isn’t a lot of hockey played there, I thought the ice was serviceable. Could it have been better? Yes. I’ve read numerous tweets and comments from fans complaining about the ice conditions. I’ve watched a lot of hockey over the course of my lifetime and I didn’t think it was that bad. The ice conditions “should” improve moving forward.

Xcel Energy Center

Obviously, there’s no comparison between the Xcel Energy Center and the current makeup of the Target Center, but I am willing to see what improvements are made during the offseason.

Also, maybe our expectations are unreasonable? With the league’s current setup, I don’t ever see the Frozen Faceoff replicating the old Final Five. It’s not possible minus Big Ten schools Wisconsin and Minnesota. You’re never going to have 18,000 screaming fans for a Frozen Faceoff at the Xcel Energy Center. It’s just not possible.

While I am not overly sentimental, I enjoyed my experience with the Final Five. I loved having a three-day event in Minnesota’s capital city. One look will tell you that St. Paul is a lot cleaner than Minneapolis. But after four years of going to the Target Center, I am willing to make more memories there. IMHO, there are way more dining and drinking establishments in the area surrounding the Target Center than the Xcel Energy Center.

Staying at Target Center?

A few weeks ago, I talked briefly with the NCHC front office and it appears that the league likes the partnership with the Target Center and might be interested in staying. Matt Wellens of the Duluth News Tribune spoke with Josh Fenton, the NCHC Commissioner and he said that the league is focused primarily on having discussions with Target Center.

“That conversation needs to resolve itself fully first before looking at other any serious discussion elsewhere,” Fenton said.

It appears that the Target Center is doing its part to be a good partner with the NCHC.

“They wanted to see this event succeed and that’s why we’ve seen the growth of the event and the success of the event, because of their persistence and their work putting it on,” Fenton said. “They definitely would like to see it succeed, and they’re a big part of why we’ve had some great success.”

Home Venues

This past weekend, we saw the celebration that took place in Houghton, Michigan, after the Michigan Tech Huskies beat the Bowling Green State Falcons 3-2 in double-overtime to advance to the NCAA tourney. During the post-season, the WCHA held all of their playoff games at the home venue of the higher seed. That format appeared to be a smashing success for the WCHA.

Next season, the Big Ten Hockey Conference is going to the same format. We will no longer be able to make fun of the WCHA and the B1G’s conference tourney attendance photos. At this point, I am not in favor of the NCHC going to this format. Having the Frozen Faceoff in the Twin Cities gives fans a chance for a mid-winter/early spring vacation.

@Buccigross our nominee for the very BEST way to punch your NCAA tourney ticket, courtesy of @mtuhky #CawlidgeHawkey #WCHA pic.twitter.com/iGPgYIaNW3

— WCHA Men's Hockey (@WCHA_MHockey) March 20, 2017

For now, I am all for staying at the Target Center, at least in the short term. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.