BleedGopher
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Per Rachel:
As trends go, bigger equaled better in the 1980s. Think massive shoulder pads in power suits. Giant perms. Baggy parachute pants.
That hankering for the huge spread to college hockey, too, as Olympic-size ice surfaces — 200 feet long by 100 feet wide — came into vogue during the '80s. But like all trends, it ran its course. Which is why the Gophers removed the Olympic-size rink inside 3M Arena at Mariucci last spring, replacing it with a slimmer, 200x89 sheet as part of a $14 million renovation.
Fans will get their first look at the new ice surface, dasher boards, lighting system and additional seating Sunday, when the No. 3 Gophers face Bemidji State in an exhibition game. Players can't wait to put their refreshed stage into action.
"All the guys are excited to play on home ice,'' forward Jimmy Snuggerud said. "It will be really cool."
The arena's new ice sheet is a hybrid: skinnier than the Olympic size but wider than the NHL standard of 200x85. It replaces a rink built in 1993, after the 1980 "Miracle on Ice'' popularized the larger ice surfaces. Colleges began moving back to the smaller dimensions over the past 20 years, leaving only a handful of big sheets still in use.
Gophers coach Bob Motzko said the rink looks just the same when viewed from the concourse, exactly as he hoped. But he believes spectators will notice a difference when the puck drops.
"There's a reason [big rinks] are going away,'' he said. "It's a more physical game, a more offensive game on a smaller sheet. It's more fan-friendly, and you can recruit more versatile players.''
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
As trends go, bigger equaled better in the 1980s. Think massive shoulder pads in power suits. Giant perms. Baggy parachute pants.
That hankering for the huge spread to college hockey, too, as Olympic-size ice surfaces — 200 feet long by 100 feet wide — came into vogue during the '80s. But like all trends, it ran its course. Which is why the Gophers removed the Olympic-size rink inside 3M Arena at Mariucci last spring, replacing it with a slimmer, 200x89 sheet as part of a $14 million renovation.
Fans will get their first look at the new ice surface, dasher boards, lighting system and additional seating Sunday, when the No. 3 Gophers face Bemidji State in an exhibition game. Players can't wait to put their refreshed stage into action.
"All the guys are excited to play on home ice,'' forward Jimmy Snuggerud said. "It will be really cool."
The arena's new ice sheet is a hybrid: skinnier than the Olympic size but wider than the NHL standard of 200x85. It replaces a rink built in 1993, after the 1980 "Miracle on Ice'' popularized the larger ice surfaces. Colleges began moving back to the smaller dimensions over the past 20 years, leaving only a handful of big sheets still in use.
Gophers coach Bob Motzko said the rink looks just the same when viewed from the concourse, exactly as he hoped. But he believes spectators will notice a difference when the puck drops.
"There's a reason [big rinks] are going away,'' he said. "It's a more physical game, a more offensive game on a smaller sheet. It's more fan-friendly, and you can recruit more versatile players.''
Gophers men's hockey ready to unveil renovated 3M Arena at Mariucci
The Gophers' Olympic-sized ice sheet has been replaced with one the size of modern NCAA rinks. Bemidji State visits Sunday for an exhibition.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
