AMSOIL Arena

AMSOIL Arena
	AMSOIL Arena
Address	350 Harbor Drive; Duluth, MN 55802
Owner	Duluth Entertainment Convention Center
Operator	Duluth Entertainment Convention Center
Capacity	6,726 (Hockey) ; 9,264 (Concerts)
Record attendance	8,372
Surface	85' x 200' (Ice)
Construction
Broke ground	September 2008
Opened	December 30, 2010
Construction cost	$80 million; ($112 million in 2023 dollars)
Architect	Populous (formerly HOK Sport); SJA Architects
General contractor	Mortenson/Thor
Tenants
	UMD Bulldogs men's hockey (NCHC) (2010–present); UMD Bulldogs women's hockey (WCHA) (2011–present)
Website
	decc.org/venue/amsoil-arena/

AMSOIL Arena is a multipurpose arena in Duluth, Minnesota, home to the UMD Men's and UMD Women's hockey teams. It opened in 2010, replacing the DECC Arena on the waterfront near Duluth's landmark Aerial Lift Bridge.

Naming rights for 20 years were purchased by AMSOIL, a corporation based in Superior, Wisconsin, for $6 million, one-third up front.^[5]^[6]

The facility cost nearly $80 million; about half ($38 million) paid by the State of Minnesota through a 2008 bond bill, another 27% (about $21.6 million) by a voter-approved city food-and-beverage tax increase, 12% (about $9.6 million) by UMD, and the last 11% (about $8.8 million) by the DECC. Construction ran from September 2008 to December 2010, and included a 475-space parking garage with a skywalk connecting it to the arena.^[7]

The first event held at the arena was on December 30, 2010. UMD men's hockey team lost 0–5 to North Dakota before a crowd of 6,764, tied for the team's highest home attendance that season.

In their first season in the arena, the UMD men's hockey team won the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship. In 2012, the arena hosted the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey Tournament, in which Minnesota beat Wisconsin, 4–2.

The arena's attendance record was set on June 20, 2018, during a President Donald Trump rally, which drew 8,372 people.^[8] The attendance record for a sporting event was set on January 25, 2020, when UMD men's hockey team lost to their rival, North Dakota, 2–3 in front of 7,711 fans.

Comparison to DECC Arena

Characteristic	DECC Arena	AMSOIL Arena
Hockey seating	5,100	6,726
Concessions	28	35 + 6 portable
Club space	0 sq. ft.	2000 sq. ft.
Suites	0	16
Leg room between rows	31"	34" lower, 33" upper
Elevators	1	3
Scoreboard	10' x 12'	15' x 20'
Ice sheet	85' x 190'	85' x 200'

Arena Usage

Hockey

AMSOIL Arena is primarily used as a hockey arena home to the University of Minnesota-Duluth's men's and women's hockey teams. The arena hosted the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey Tournament and the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey Tournament.

AMSOIL Arena hosted the 2017 Ice Breaker Tournament, held October 6-7th 2017. Four teams participated in the tournament. Michigan Tech defeated Union College 6-3 and University of Minnesota Duluth defeated University of Minnesota 4–3 in overtime in the tournament's first round. In the final round, University of Minnesota Duluth fell to tournament champion Michigan Tech 4–3, while in the consolation game the University of Minnesota beat Union College 2–0.

Other hockey events include preseason practices for the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild-open to the public, Minnesota State High School League section 7A and 7AA tournament games, as well as a high-school all-star game.

Basketball

AMSOIL Arena hosted the Harlem Globetrotters in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, for which Minnesota Lynx's (WNBA) court has been brought up from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Events

AMSOIL Arena has held many different types of events, from comedians Jeff Dunham and Jim Gaffigan to Cirque du Soleil. The local AAD Shrine holds its annual AAD Shrine Circus fundraiser at the arena each April.^[9] The arena also hosts concerts. The Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra had the first non-sporting event held at the arena, "Cirque de la Symphonie on Ice", on December 31, 2010, a day after the facility opened. It can also be converted to host dinners and conventions. On June 20, 2018, President Donald Trump held a rally in the arena that saw a record breaking attendance of 8,372.

Awards

In 2013, Stadium Journey rated AMSOIL Arena as the best stadium experience in the United States and Canada.^[10] In 2014 and 2015, Stadium Journey rated AMSOIL Arena as the second best stadium experience in the United States and Canada, behind Oriole Park at Camden Yards home to Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles.^[11]^[12]

AMSOIL Arena was ranked the best college hockey arena by Stadium Journey in 2014 and 2015.^[13]^[14]

The Wall Street Journal named AMSOIL Arena one of its 10 "Golden Zamboni" winners for its uniqueness among the nation's college hockey venues.^[15]

References

^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
^ "AMSOIL Arena".
^ "AMSOIL Arena". Retrieved October 9, 2014.
^ Gustafson, C. "Amsoil Arena: Duluth's new hockey home". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
^ Kuchera, Steve (May 11, 2010). "For $6 million, it's Amsoil Arena". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
^ Hanson, Howie. "Naming rights for new Duluth arena; UMD names new chancellor". Star Tribune. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
^ url=http://umdbulldogs.com/sports/2013/8/30/Amsoil-Arena.aspx?path=general
^ Slater, Brady (20 June 2018). "Trump playful in Duluth". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
^ url=http://decc.org/event/71st-annual-aad-shrine-circus/ Archived 2017-02-20 at the Wayback Machine
^ Swaney, Paul (January 6, 2014). "Stadium Journey's Top 100 Stadium Experiences of 2013". Stadium Journey.
^ Swaney, Paul (January 8, 2015). "Stadium Journey's Top 100 Stadium Experiences of 2014". Stadium Journey.
^ Swaney, Paul (January 7, 2016). "Stadium Journey's Top 100 Stadium Experiences of 2015". Stadium Journey.
^ Baker, Paul (April 13, 2014). "College Hockey Arena Rankings". Stadium Journey.
^ Swaney, Paul (March 24, 2015). "College Hockey Arena Rankings". Stadium Journey.
^ "Why College Hockey Arenas Are the Cathedrals of Sports". Wall Street Journal. 11 February 2011.

Preceded by DECC Arena	Home of the UMD Bulldogs Men's Hockey 2010-present	Succeeded by Current
Preceded by DECC Arena	Home of the UMD Bulldogs Women's Hockey 2011-present	Succeeded by Current
Preceded by Erie Insurance Arena	Host of the NCAA Women's DI Ice Hockey Tournament 2012	Succeeded by Ridder Arena
Preceded by Pegula Ice Arena	Host of the NCAA Women's DI Ice Hockey Tournament 2023	Succeeded by Whittemore Center

46°46′53″N 92°05′53″W / 46.78139°N 92.09806°W / 46.78139; -92.09806

[inflation-US-1] 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.

[2] "AMSOIL Arena".

[3] "AMSOIL Arena". Retrieved October 9, 2014.

[4] Gustafson, C. "Amsoil Arena: Duluth's new hockey home". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved 20 February 2017.

[DNT11may2010-5] Kuchera, Steve (May 11, 2010). "For $6 million, it's Amsoil Arena". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved February 20, 2017.

[6] Hanson, Howie. "Naming rights for new Duluth arena; UMD names new chancellor". Star Tribune. Retrieved 20 February 2017.

[7] url=http://umdbulldogs.com/sports/2013/8/30/Amsoil-Arena.aspx?path=general

[8] Slater, Brady (20 June 2018). "Trump playful in Duluth". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved 21 June 2018.

[9] url=http://decc.org/event/71st-annual-aad-shrine-circus/ Archived 2017-02-20 at the Wayback Machine

[stadiumjourney2013-10] Swaney, Paul (January 6, 2014). "Stadium Journey's Top 100 Stadium Experiences of 2013". Stadium Journey.

[stadiumjourney2014-11] Swaney, Paul (January 8, 2015). "Stadium Journey's Top 100 Stadium Experiences of 2014". Stadium Journey.

[stadiumjourney2015-12] Swaney, Paul (January 7, 2016). "Stadium Journey's Top 100 Stadium Experiences of 2015". Stadium Journey.

[stadiumjourneyhockey2014-13] Baker, Paul (April 13, 2014). "College Hockey Arena Rankings". Stadium Journey.

[stadiumjourneyhockey2015-14] Swaney, Paul (March 24, 2015). "College Hockey Arena Rankings". Stadium Journey.

[15] "Why College Hockey Arenas Are the Cathedrals of Sports". Wall Street Journal. 11 February 2011.

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v t e Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs men's ice hockey
Playing venues	Duluth Amphitheater (1930–1932) Duluth Curling and Skating Club (1946–1966) DECC Arena (1966–2010) AMSOIL Arena (2010–present)
Head coaches	Frank Kovach (1930–32) Joe Oven (1946–47) Hank Jensen (1947–51) Gord Eddolls (1951–54) Bob Boyat (1954–55) Connie Pleban (1955–59) Ralph Romano (1959–68) Bill Selman (1968–70) Terry Shercliffe (1970–75) Gus Hendrickson (1975–82) Mike Sertich (1982–2000) Scott Sandelin (2000–present)
Seasons	1930–31 1931–32 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	MIAC (1946–1961) WCHA (1965–2013) NCHC (2013–present)
Rivalries	Minnesota
Culture & lore	North Star College Cup
All-time leaders	Statistical leaders Dan Lempe (222 Points) Thomas Milani (100 Goals) Hunter Shepard (76 Wins)
Retired numbers	9 Keith Christiansen 14 Bill Watson 29 Brett Hull
National championships	2011 2018 2019
Frozen Four appearances	1984 1985 2004 2011 2017 2018 2019 2021
NCAA Tournament appearances	1983 1984 1985 1993 2004 2009 2011 2012 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022
Conference Tournament titles	WCHA: 1984 1985 2009 NCHC: 2017 2019 2022
Hobey Baker winners	Tom Kurvers (1984) Bill Watson (1985) Chris Marinucci (1994) Junior Lessard (2004) Jack Connolly (2012) Scott Perunovich (2020)
University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN

v t e Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs women's ice hockey
Venues	DECC Arena (1999–2010) AMSOIL Arena (2010–present)
Coaches	Shannon Miller (1999–2015) Maura Crowell (2015–2024) Laura Schuler (2024–present)
National Championships	2001 2002 2003 2008 2010
Conference Championships	WCHA: 2000 2001 2002 2003 2008 2010
Seasons	1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Olympians	Jenni Asserholt Kassy Betinol Iya Gavrilova Jennifer Harß Elin Holmlöv Erika Holst Haley Irwin Satu Kiipeli Brigette Lacquette Michaela Lanzl Jocelyne Larocque Maria Lindh Michelle Löwenhielm Kim Martin Hasson Sidney Morin Kateřina Mrázová Eveliina Mäkinen Saara Niemi Caroline Ouellette Heidi Pelttari Kristina Petrovskaia Mariia Posa Tuula Puputti Maddie Rooney Maria Rooth Jenny Schmidgall-Potter Hanne Sikiö Emma Söderberg Lara Stalder Nora Tallus Alexandra Vafina Tea Villilä Pernilla Winberg Jessica Wong

v t e Western Collegiate Hockey Association women's ice hockey
Teams	Bemidji State Beavers Minnesota Golden Gophers Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs Minnesota State Mavericks Ohio State Buckeyes St. Cloud State Huskies St. Thomas Tommies Wisconsin Badgers
Venues	Sanford Center (Bemidji State) Ridder Arena (Minnesota) AMSOIL Arena (Minnesota Duluth) All Seasons Arena (Minnesota State) Ohio State University Ice Rink (Ohio State) Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (St. Cloud State) St. Thomas Ice Arena (St. Thomas) LaBahn Arena (Wisconsin)
Championships & awards	Awards & honors Champions
Seasons	1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e National Collegiate Hockey Conference
Current teams	Arizona State Sun Devils Colorado College Tigers Denver Pioneers Miami RedHawks Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs North Dakota Fighting Hawks Omaha Mavericks St. Cloud State Huskies Western Michigan Broncos
Future teams	St. Thomas Tommies (joining in 2026)
Venues	Mullett Arena (Arizona State) Ed Robson Arena (Colorado College) Magness Arena (Denver) Steve Cady Arena (Miami) AMSOIL Arena (Minnesota Duluth) Ralph Engelstad Arena (North Dakota) Baxter Arena (Omaha) Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (St. Cloud State) Lawson Arena (Western Michigan)
Future venues	Lee and Penny Anderson Arena (St. Thomas)
Seasons	2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Awards	Player of the Year Rookie of the Year Goaltender of the Year Herb Brooks Coach of the Year Forward of the Year Defensive Forward of the Year Defensive Defenseman of the Year Offensive Defenseman of the Year Scholar-Athlete of the Year Sportsmanship Award All-NCHC Teams

v t e Music venues of Minnesota
Outdoor	Bluestem Amphitheater CHS Field Minnesota State Fair Grandstand Target Field
Theaters and clubs	Bryant-Lake Bowl The Cedar Cultural Center Dakota Jazz Club First Avenue & 7th St Entry Fitzgerald Theater NorShor Theatre Orchestra Hall Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Orpheum Theatre Palace Theatre Palmer's Bar Pantages Theatre State Theatre Turf Club
Arenas	AMSOIL Arena Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Minneapolis Armory Mayo Civic Center Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center Northrop Auditorium Roy Wilkins Auditorium Target Center Huntington Bank Stadium U.S. Bank Stadium Xcel Energy Center
Festivals	Basilica Block Party Moondance Jam Rock the Garden Soundset Music Festival Twin Cities Summer Jam WE Fest Winstock Country Music Festival
Recording studios	Earthology Records Flowers Studio Kay Bank Studios Pachyderm Studios Paisley Park Studios Sound 80
Record stores	Electric Fetus
Historic venues	Artists' Quarter Jay's Longhorn Bar Oar Folkjokeopus Pence Opera House Prom Ballroom Triple Rock Social Club