RALPH ENGELSTAD ARENA

''For the arena with the same name in Thief River Falls, Minnesota see Ralph Engelstad Arena (Minnesota).''
''For the pre-2001 arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota see Ralph Engelstad Arena (old).''
'Ralph Engelstad Arena' ('REA') is an indoor arena located in the University Village development on the campus of the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The arena is used primarily for ice sports, such as hockey and was built by UND alumnus Ralph Engelstad. Some people refer to the arena as simply "'The Ralph'".

Contents

Facility

Controversy

Competition

Notable events

Notes

External links

Facility

The arena, which seats 11,500, was opened in 2001 and is located on the UND campus. It is used by the University's men's and women's Fighting Sioux hockey teams. The arena also hosts many non-athletic events including concerts and a yearly circus. No expense was spared in the construction of this arena which totaled over $100 million. The entire arena is decked out in granite flooring, leather seating for all spectators, escalators, full-color LCDs and advanced lighting and electronics. A second indoor sheet of ice (this one being "Olympic" size) lies adjacent to the main arena. The arena is considered to be one of the top arenas in the entire world. Famous hockey player Wayne Gretzky has called the structure "one of the most beautiful buildings we have in North America."^[1] An addition to the main arena was completed in 2004 and is now the home of the University's basketball and volleyball teams. This addition is known as The Betty Engelstad Sioux Center (or simply "The Betty").
In 2006, Ralph Engelstad Arena celebrated its fifth anniversary. Since opening, more than 2 million visitors have passed through the arena's doors.

Controversy

Midway during its construction, Engelstad threatened to withdraw his funding if the sports teams were renamed in deference to political pressures. In an effort to make the prospect of removal a prohibitively costly measure, the Fighting Sioux logo was strategically placed in thousands of instances in the arena, including a deeply inlaid marble logo in the main concourse. After the National Collegiate Athletic Association barred several universities that use Native American imagery from hosting post-season tournaments or wear such imagery in post-season play, UND sued the NCAA. The case is still pending, but a preliminary injunction currently allows the Fighting Sioux to both host post-season events and wear their reglar uniforms.

Competition

Grand Forks is unique because it is a relatively small market with two major event centers that often bid on the same events: the Ralph Engelstad Arena and the Alerus Center. To a lesser extent, the Chester Fritz Auditorium in Grand Forks also sometimes competes for these same events as well.

Notable events

★ US Hockey Hall of Fame Game and the Ralph's inaugural game was on October 5, 2001 with the Fighting Sioux versus the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Although Minnesota won 7-5, the Sioux had a commanding lead for much of the game.

★ The arena played host to the 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships with over 195,000 tickets sold.

★ It also played host to the West Regional in the 2006 NCAA Hockey Tournament on March 24 and 25 with seeds Minnesota Golden Gophers, North Dakota, Michigan Wolverines, and Holy Cross Crusaders. On the 24th, #4 seeded Holy Cross defeated #1 seeded Minnesota 4-3 in overtime, currently the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history. North Dakota, the host, would sweep advancing to the Frozen Four.

★ The Grand Forks facility will host the 2008 Ford World Men's Curling Championship.

Notes

1. Wayne Gretzky's comments about Ralph Engelstad Areana

External links

★ Ralph Engelstad Arena website

★