Xcel Energy Center

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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.

Seating

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.

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(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.

Other Events

The "X" is the current site of the Minnesota Boys' High School Hockey, the Minnesota Girl's High School 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.

Future events

The Xcel Energy Center won the bid to host the 2008 Republican National Convention.

References

External links

Xcel Energy Center official website

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Last updated on Wednesday February 27, 2008 at 23:45:29 PST (GMT -0800)
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