RiverCentre Arena
Encyclopedia
The RiverCentre is a large convention center located in Saint Paul, Minnesota
, USA. It has twice been honored as "Best Convention Center" by Minnesota Meetings and Events Magazine. It hosts a large variety of events and has been the home of the annual Festival of Nations
since 1934.
of approximately 16,000 for hockey. The Civic Center was the home of both iterations of the Minnesota Fighting Saints
of the WHA
- the first from 1973-1976 and the second from 1976-1977. The arena was renamed the RiverCentre in the mid 1990s. The arena was torn down in 1998 to make way for the Xcel Energy Center
which opened in 2000. The boys' state high school hockey
and basketball tournaments were also held at the Civic Center as well as three NCAA Frozen Four national ice hockey championships. The arena was also the home of Verne Gagne
's American Wrestling Association
(AWA).
The arena was unique in North America in that the hockey dasher boards were made of clear acrylic glass
from the shelf all the way down to the ice. This was because the arena's seating configuration was round, and the closest seats between the blue lines were not flush against the boards. The clear boards made for better sightlines for most spectators seated between the blue lines, since the seating angles in the Civic Center were shallow. The clear boards were replaced with standard white dashers boards when the Minnesota Moose
of the International Hockey League played there, as the team needed to be able to sell advertising on the boards. This wrecked the sightlines for what should have been the best seats, and this illustrated that Saint Paul needed a new arena with appropriately-designed seating.
In 1998 the NHL expansion team Minnesota Wild
announced a lease to play in St. Paul until 2030. The Saint Paul Civic Center started demolition shortly thereafter. The Xcel Energy Center
opened in 2000, and it sits on the site of the Civic Center.
and The E Street Band
, actress Courteney Cox
and 200 extras filmed the Brian De Palma
-directed music video for "Dancing in the Dark
" at the arena, one day before Springsteen's 1984 Born in the U.S.A. Tour
formally opened at the arena.
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, USA. It has twice been honored as "Best Convention Center" by Minnesota Meetings and Events Magazine. It hosts a large variety of events and has been the home of the annual Festival of Nations
Festival of Nations
The Festival of Nations is the largest and longest-running multicultural festival in Minnesota, celebrating cultural diversity with food, music, demonstrations, exhibits and dance...
since 1934.
Saint Paul Civic Center Arena
The Saint Paul Civic Center was an indoor arena, that was part of the RiverCentre. The arena opened on January 1, 1973, and had seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of approximately 16,000 for hockey. The Civic Center was the home of both iterations of the Minnesota Fighting Saints
Minnesota Fighting Saints
The Minnesota Fighting Saints was the name of two professional ice hockey teams based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that played in the World Hockey Association. The first team was one of the WHA's original twelve franchises, playing from 1972–76. The second team was relocated from Cleveland, Ohio, and...
of the WHA
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
- the first from 1973-1976 and the second from 1976-1977. The arena was renamed the RiverCentre in the mid 1990s. The arena was torn down in 1998 to make way for the Xcel Energy Center
Xcel Energy Center
The Xcel Energy Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is named for its locally-based corporate sponsor Xcel Energy. With an official capacity of 18,064, the arena has four spectator levels: one suite level and three general seating levels. The arena is owned by the...
which opened in 2000. The boys' state high school hockey
Minnesota high school boys hockey
The Minnesota High School Boys Hockey program is a high school ice hockey program in the State of Minnesota. Based on tournament attendance, ice hockey is the most popular high school sport in the state...
and basketball tournaments were also held at the Civic Center as well as three NCAA Frozen Four national ice hockey championships. The arena was also the home of Verne Gagne
Verne Gagne
Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne , is a retired American professional wrestler, football player, and professional wrestling trainer and promoter. He was the former owner/promoter of the American Wrestling Association , based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which was the predominant promotion throughout...
's American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
(AWA).
The arena was unique in North America in that the hockey dasher boards were made of clear acrylic glass
Acrylic glass
Poly is a transparent thermoplastic, often used as a light or shatter-resistant alternative to glass. It is sometimes called acrylic glass. Chemically, it is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate...
from the shelf all the way down to the ice. This was because the arena's seating configuration was round, and the closest seats between the blue lines were not flush against the boards. The clear boards made for better sightlines for most spectators seated between the blue lines, since the seating angles in the Civic Center were shallow. The clear boards were replaced with standard white dashers boards when the Minnesota Moose
Minnesota Moose
The Minnesota Moose was an ice hockey team in the International Hockey League. They played in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA, at the Saint Paul Civic Center. The team also played some home games at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The Moose were a representative of professional hockey in Minnesota at...
of the International Hockey League played there, as the team needed to be able to sell advertising on the boards. This wrecked the sightlines for what should have been the best seats, and this illustrated that Saint Paul needed a new arena with appropriately-designed seating.
In 1998 the NHL expansion team Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
announced a lease to play in St. Paul until 2030. The Saint Paul Civic Center started demolition shortly thereafter. The Xcel Energy Center
Xcel Energy Center
The Xcel Energy Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is named for its locally-based corporate sponsor Xcel Energy. With an official capacity of 18,064, the arena has four spectator levels: one suite level and three general seating levels. The arena is owned by the...
opened in 2000, and it sits on the site of the Civic Center.
Popular culture
On June 28, 1984, Bruce SpringsteenBruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
and The E Street Band
E Street Band
The E Street Band has been rock musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972.The band has also recorded with a wide range of other artists including Bob Dylan, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Nicks, Tom Morello, Sting, Ian...
, actress Courteney Cox
Courteney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox is an American actress, she is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream and as Jules Cobb in the ABC sitcom Cougar Town, for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination....
and 200 extras filmed the Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma
Brian Russell De Palma is an American film director and writer. In a career spanning over 40 years, he is probably best known for his suspense and crime thriller films, including such box office successes as the horror film Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables, and Mission:...
-directed music video for "Dancing in the Dark
Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen song)
"Dancing in the Dark" is a 1984 song, written and performed by American rock singer Bruce Springsteen. Adding up-tempo synthesizer riffs and some syncopation to his sound for the first time, it became his biggest hit and, as the first single released from Born in the U.S.A., started it off to...
" at the arena, one day before Springsteen's 1984 Born in the U.S.A. Tour
Born in the U.S.A. Tour
The Born in the U.S.A. Tour was the supporting concert tour of Bruce Springsteen's massively popular Born in the U.S.A. album. It was his longest and most successful tour to date. It featured a physically transformed Springsteen. After two years of bodybuilding, Springsteen had bulked up...
formally opened at the arena.