3M Arena at Mariucci — Attraction in Minneapolis

Pros: The wider sheet of ice and steep seating bowl means a less congested style of play with more room to create & setup, which makes Gopher Hockey ( any Hockey game played there) plus the Hundreds of breathtakingly gorgeous girls you'll get to see- are a feast for the eyes. I wholeheartedly support the rosters made up of primarily Minnesota boys.

Cons. Security ironically allows 9/11 religious types hold up fans trying to get to their seats, requiring them to remove hats and coats, yet nobody tells them to take those silly robes and babushka hoody dewrags off their heads. How unnecessary and extra. Just get rid of that pointless charade, and lower prices for the non terrorist, PAYING CUSTOMERS.

VERY long lines for the bathrooms, no urinals, or seperators- small concourse TVs, showing one, if any replays - even on goals or plays under review.

Unbelievably high food and drink prices! I spent the entire 1st intermission and most of the 2nd period just to take a leak, then waiting in a long disorganized line, to deal with the snottiest crew of old women make a meal out of basic stuff like hotdogs (no relish or onions ?!) only to have my nearly $100.00 (worth) of snacks be thrown in the garbage. You cannot even make this up: They do not accept money !!! My pile of crisp, fresh from their bank $20 bills was scoffed at like it was Monopoly money, and treat me like one of their poopy diapers.

I was lucky enough to run into an old friend in the concourse who used his spot in line and risked his bank account card/high interest credit card to buy me a Domino's brand pizza for (only) $10. It wasn't their actual product, just some sauceless, cold, wet, spongey band-aid with 4 pieces of pepperoni, and as an addded insult was not much bigger than a Hockey puck.

I've never needed a beer so badly in my life. I finally found a simple minibar that only had single beers like they have at campgrounds without a very long line and stacks of money on the table. I attempted to select *1 *ONE can ... which was snatched out of my hand by some unnecessary, replaceable by a vending machine, self important, "bouncer" who used her/zim/they/thems germy hands to open it for me without my permission?! (It would've been more flat, and less cold by the end of my hike back to our seats.) Price? : $14.75 A can, not a whole case. While the cashier made a mild fuss over simply reading my 1970s birthdate on my clipped, but valid with papers, class A license, zhe/zher got legitimately mad when i tried to grab my beer AFTER setting a $10 + $5 + $1 tip [for 1 can of beer!] on the table, like i had stolen it. I eventually got my money back, but didn't get one sip of it NONE of their drinking fountains were working either. What a poorly run business!

I'd been looking forward to going to an affordable alternative to an inconceivable mild game for a long time- this was a special occasion, payday - night out with my brother and...

Mariachi is a large hockey arena suitable for high school graduations. I have participated for several years as a faculty line leader as part of the Edina High School ceremony. The ceremony goes smoothly in this setting, as the faculty can check in and get settled and dressed upstairs, while the students get organized downstairs. We all meet and line up in a large tunnel. The processional goes smoothly and there's plenty of room for the choir and band to perform. The jumbotron shows closeups of the graduates. The only detraction for me is that I can't understand the speeches very well because of the sound system. Many family members and friends can attend without too much crowding, and the experience is positive...

One of the all time Must Do Hockey Fan Experiences IMHO From the Marching band doing their thing pre and post game. To all the trophies and displays around the concourse. My local facility, Young Arena doesn't have any 1980 US OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALS displayed nor any other hockey rink I've been to. The Student Section is a real highlight with all of their shenanigans. The ice is Olympic sized. And the hockey played on it is some of the purest hockey a fan could ever witness that's not outdoors played by highly skilled amateurs. I've been to a few Stanley cup playoff games, both in Minnesota and in Colorado. I put c in the Gophers play at Mariucci up there on that level...