It was loud. If you ever stood on the concrete concourse of the Met Center Bloomington MN during a North Stars playoff run, you didn't just hear the crowd—you felt them in your teeth. The building was basically a giant tin can designed to trap noise and spit it back at the opposition.
People talk about modern arenas like they’re cathedrals of luxury. They have sushi bars and cushioned armchairs. But the Met Center? It was a hockey shed. A glorious, green-seated, sightline-perfect shed that sat in the middle of a literal field.
Most folks know it as the place that used to be where IKEA and the Mall of America overflow parking sit now. But that’s a tragedy. To understand Minnesota sports, you have to understand why this specific pile of bricks mattered so much more than the Target Center or even the Xcel Energy Center ever could.
The Architecture of an Intimate Nightmare
The Metropolitan Sports Center—its formal name that nobody actually used—opened in 1967. It cost about $7 million to build. In today’s money, that’s a rounding error for a stadium locker room renovation. But here’s the thing: they got it right the first time.
Architects nowadays obsess over "fan experience," which usually means "how can we make people spend money while not watching the game." The Met Center was obsessed with the ice. There wasn't a bad seat in the house. Seriously. Because the building was designed specifically for hockey rather than being a multi-purpose oval, the stands were steep. You felt like you were hanging over the glass.
Lou Nanne, the face of the North Stars for decades, famously remarked that the sightlines were the best in the NHL. He wasn't lying. Even in the top row, you could see the play develop with a clarity that modern "bowl" designs often lose. It only sat about 15,000 people, which made it small by modern standards, but that intimacy was a weapon.
When the Met Center Bloomington MN Became the Center of the Universe
It wasn't just about the North Stars. For a brief window in the late 70s and 80s, this patch of Bloomington was the coolest place in the Midwest.
The 1981 Stanley Cup Finals saw the North Stars take on the powerhouse New York Islanders. The building was vibrating. Fans were literally banging on the low-hanging ceilings of the concourses. It was blue-collar, beer-soaked, and intensely loud.
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But then there were the concerts.
Elvis Presley played there. Think about that. The King of Rock 'n' Roll in a Bloomington hockey rink. He performed at the Met Center in 1971, 1974, and 1976. In '77, he was scheduled to play there again, but he passed away just months before the date.
The Grateful Dead rolled through. Prince, our local royalty, filmed parts of the "Purple Rain" tour rehearsals and played legendary sets there. It was the premier stop for every major touring act because the acoustics—despite being a concrete box—were surprisingly punchy.
The Norm Green Era and the Beginning of the End
We have to talk about Norm Green. In Minnesota, that name is still a four-letter word to most hockey fans.
By the early 90s, the Met Center was starting to show its age. The paint was peeling. The locker rooms were cramped. The NHL was entering an era of luxury suites and "premium seating," and the Met Center just didn't have the footprint for it. Green wanted a new arena. He wanted public money.
The city of Minneapolis was focused on the brand-new Target Center. St. Paul wasn't ready to commit to a hockey-first venue yet. Green felt squeezed.
There were rumors. There was drama. There were sexual harassment lawsuits involving Green that further soured the relationship between the team and the community.
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Then came 1993.
The North Stars played their final game at the Met Center on April 13, 1993, against the Chicago Blackhawks. They lost 3-2. It was a funeral. People were literally ripping seats out of the floor to take home. They knew something was dying. When the team moved to Dallas to become the Stars, a hole opened up in the Minnesota sports psyche that didn't heal until the Wild arrived in 2000.
The Demolition: A Slow Death
The building didn't just vanish. It sat there for a while, a hollowed-out shell in a sea of asphalt.
Demolition finally happened in 1994. They used 400 pounds of dynamite. It took about 15 seconds for the roof to cave in and the walls to pancake. I remember watching the footage on the local news; it felt wrong. Like watching someone knock down a childhood home to build a strip mall.
Actually, that’s exactly what happened.
For years, the site was just an overflow lot for the Mall of America. You’d park your car on the spot where Bobby Smith once scored a hat trick and go buy a pair of jeans. It was depressing. Eventually, IKEA moved in. Now, you go there for Swedish meatballs and flat-pack bookshelves, standing on the literal ground where the "Minnesota Miracle" of hockey culture was solidified.
Why It Still Matters in 2026
You might wonder why we're still talking about a demolished building in Bloomington.
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It’s because the Met Center Bloomington MN represented a specific era of Minnesota life. It was a time before sports became a "corporate activation." It was accessible. You could decide on a Tuesday night to drive down to Bloomington, grab a ticket for a few bucks, and be ten feet away from some of the greatest athletes on earth.
The loss of the Met Center was the catalyst for the Xcel Energy Center’s design. If you look at the X, you see the Met’s DNA. The steep seating chart? That’s a tribute to the Met. The focus on hockey-first sightlines? That’s a lesson learned from Bloomington.
But you can't replicate the soul. You can't replicate the smell of stale popcorn and cheap ice resurfacer chemicals that permeated those old hallways.
Common Misconceptions
People often confuse the Met Center with Metropolitan Stadium. They were neighbors, but they were different beasts. "The Met" (Stadium) was the outdoor home of the Vikings and Twins. The Met Center was the indoor arena.
Another myth: that the building was falling apart. Honestly? It was structurally sound. It was "obsolete" only in the sense that it didn't have enough places to sell $15 cocktails and $200 jerseys. It was killed by economics, not decay.
How to Connect with the History Today
If you want to touch the history of the Met Center, you have to look closely.
- The IKEA Parking Lot: There is a small plaque near the IKEA entrance. Most people walk right past it. It marks the spot. Go stand there. It’s a weird feeling.
- The Minnesota Historical Society: They hold various artifacts, including those famous bright green seats.
- The Xcel Energy Center: Visit the "Minnesota Hockey History" displays on the concourse. They have jerseys and photos that capture the Met in its prime.
- Local Dive Bars: Head to some of the older spots in Bloomington or Richfield. You'll find old-timers who can tell you exactly where they were when the North Stars beat the Canadiens in '81.
The Met Center wasn't just a building. It was a loud, chaotic, imperfect home for a state that identifies with ice. It reminds us that sometimes, the "best" venue isn't the one with the most bells and whistles—it's the one that brings you closest to the game.
Actionable Legacy Steps
- Audit your local history: Next time you’re at the Mall of America or IKEA, take five minutes to find the commemorative markers.
- Support the archives: Digital archives like the North Stars Historical Foundation keep the memory of the Met Center alive through digitized game programs and photos.
- Value Intimacy: If you're a sports fan, appreciate the smaller, older venues while they still exist. Once they're replaced by "entertainment districts," that raw energy is almost impossible to get back.
The Met Center is gone, but the echo of "Let's Go North Stars" still bounces around that corner of Bloomington if you listen closely enough. Don't let the IKEA furniture fool you; this was once the loudest spot in the State of Hockey.