The Metropolitan Sports Center (the name was officially changed to just the “Met Center” in 1982) was built for the new National Hockey League expansion team, the Minnesota North Stars. Construction took a year, from October 1966 to 1967, at a cost $7 million. On October 21, 1967, the North Stars played their first home game against the California Seals. The multicolored spectator seats were in the process of being installed as fans arrived at the arena for the first time.

 

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The facility seated 15,000. It was home to the North Stars Hockey team from 1967-1993 and ABA’s Minnesota Muskies. The Met Center was considered to be one of the finest arenas in the NHL for many years, both for its sight lines and its ice surface. Among NHL players, the Met was known for fast ice, the best lighting, great locker rooms and training facilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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DEATH AT THE MET

Bill Masterson the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game, the result of massive head injuries suffered following a hit during a January 13, 1968, contest against the Oakland Seals.

Wikipedia gives this account:

He carried the puck up the ice at full speed, passing it off as two Seals defenders, Larry Cahan and Ron Harris, converged on him. Masterton was knocked backward in the resulting collision and landed on his head. Like most players of his era, he wasn’t wearing a helmet. Referee Wally Harris compared the hit to an explosion, adding “he was checked hard, but I’m sure it wasn’t a dirty play.” The force of the impact caused Masterton to bleed from his nose, ears and mouth. The impact of the hit caused him to lose consciousness before he hit the ice; according to some accounts, he briefly came to and muttered, “Never again, never again” before passing back out. He received treatment on the ice and in the dressing room before being rushed to Fairview-Southdale Hospital.  Some 30 hours after his fall, on January 15, Masterton died without ever regaining consciousness.

Masterton’s death sparked a long-running debate in hockey about the merits of wearing helmets, as few NHL players did so in that time. Despite several efforts to mandate their use, it was 11 years before the NHL made them compulsory for all new players beginning in the 1979–80 season. In his memory, the NHL created the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy which it has awarded since 1968 to a player who demonstrates perseverance and dedication to hockey.

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FACEBOOK FACTS:

• The huge graduating classes of Bloomington high schools had their commencement ceremonies in the building.
• The teams stayed at the Marriott Hotel. 

 

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END OF THE MET

The last North Stars game was played in 1993.  The team moved to Dallas to become the Dallas Stars.  The scoreboard was crated up and moved to Dallas with the team.  The seats, ice assembly, sideboards, and perhaps the doors were moved to the Sleepy Eye Ice Arena, which was built in 1994.

The building was demolished on December 13, 1994, in a series of three controlled implosions of the building and using the usual heavy equipment.  Video of the implosion is on YouTube.