Two decades on, it's a rockin' place: Twenty years ago this fall, the Gophers made one of the biggest moves in their long history: across the street. After playing for decades in what is still lovingly known as The Old Barn -- originally Williams Arena throughout, then Mariucci Arena at the hockey end -- they crossed 4th Street SE to the sparkling new confines of their new-era arena.
On October 11, Minnesota faces off for its twentieth season in the "new" barn when it opens the 2013-14 campaign against Mercyhurst.
The numbers tell the story: Since they began playing at the new Mariucci, the Gophers have established significant home-ice dominance. They've won exactly 69 percent of their home games. Last season, we watched the Maroon and Gold win all but three games there (14-3-3). Their home record since 2011? 31-9-3.
Over eleven miles of refrigeration piping freeze that world-class Olympic-sized ice while 850 tons of steel frame the building.
The puck first dropped on the new ice well before the inaugural season began. An alumni game was played there on August 21, 1993.
The brick house is ever with us: I've always thought that one of the coolest things about Mariucci is the inclusion of part of Memorial Stadium, the legendary Brick House, which was torn down. Of the quarter-million bricks that went into building the then-new arena, 2,000 are from Memorial, which served Gopher football from 1927 to 1982. A Vikings game against Green Bay was once played there, too, and I called a Minnesota Kicks soccer game against Fort Lauderdale at the House in 1981.
Today, in addition to the bricks at Mariucci, the original Memorial Stadium entrance is ensconced at the McNamara Alumni Center.
