About
Mariucci Arena:
The home of the University of Minnesota Golden
Gophers Men’s Hockey Team, Mariucci Arena
breathes of the great tradition of Minnesota hockey.
 Inside the arena pictures of past great Golden
Gopher teams are plastered on the walls, trophy
cases are filled with awards of teams past and
maroon and gold banners proudly display the conquests
of those teams.
Mariucci Arena is named for the legendary Hall
of Famer, John Mariucci. Mariucci was a native
of Eveleth, Minnesota and a stand-out University
of Minnesota hockey player. For over 40 years
he helped Minnesota grow into a strong “State
of Hockey.” His many accomplishments include
helping his squad win the NCAA national championship
in 1940, playing five NHL seasons with the Chicago
Black Hawks, coaching the University of Minnesota
hockey team and advocating the development of
local home grown Minnesota talent. He coached
the US Olympic team to silver in 1956 and in 1967
he returned to the NHL with the Minnesota North
Stars as the assistant to general manager, a position
he held until his death in 1987. Mariucci arena
is appropriately named in his honor.
 In 1993 the old Mariucci
Arena, located in front of Williams Arena, took
on a whole new face when it relocated just north
of its old home. The new Mariucci Arena brought
a brand new look to Golden Gopher hockey. The
arena was made with 256,580 bricks; 2,000 of which
came from Memorial Stadium. Row 12 in the arena
is 18 feet above the ice; in the old arena fans
in the same row were only eight feet above ice
level. With the capability to have ice year-round,
the arena brings a truly state-of-the-art facility
to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus.
The crowd capacity for Mariucci
increased from 9,305 its first three seasons to
9,700 prior to the 1996-97 season. The Olympic
size ice sheet makes for a fast-pace, wide open
style of hockey that the Golden Gophers are known
for. The building does not have even one obstructed
view seat, which is another reason that Golden
Gopher hockey is one of the hottest tickets in
town. With the best possible sight lines from
every seat, no Golden Gopher fan is ever disappointed
with the view of the fastest game in town.
Last season, the Golden Gophers
had 242,781 fans enter Mariucci Arena, the third
consecutive year Minnesota surpassed the 200,000
mark. With a list capacity of 9,700, Minnesota
averages 9,711 people per home game. The attendance
figure is second in the WCHA behind Wisconsin,
who averages 11,870 fans in the 14,385-seat Kohl
Center. The record for the largest crowd in Mariucci
arena was set on Feb. 15, 1997, when 9,886 people
watched Minnesota defeat Minnesota-Duluth, 7-1.
Minnesota is consistently ranked in the top five
in attendance in the country.
Nothing can beat the atmosphere
that Mariucci can produce on game night. From
the roar of the crowd when the Golden Gophers
take the ice, to the roar of the band as they
blare out the Minnesota Rouser, Mariucci Arena
boasts deep hockey appreciation and tradition.
Fans and players alike still are amazed by the
breathtaking beauty of a sold-out Mariucci arena
and the atmosphere it provides. On game nights,
tradition simply boils over and turns the arena
into one of the finest venues to experience a
college hockey game in the country. It is truly
an experience to remember.
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