Gophers men's hockey ready to unveil renovated 3M Arena at Mariucci

As trends go, bigger equaled better in the 1980s. Think massive shoulder pads in power suits. Giant perms. Baggy parachute pants.

That hankering for the huge spread to college hockey, too, as Olympic-size ice surfaces — 200 feet long by 100 feet wide — came into vogue during the '80s. But like all trends, it ran its course. Which is why the Gophers removed the Olympic-size rink inside 3M Arena at Mariucci last spring, replacing it with a slimmer, 200x89 sheet as part of a $14 million renovation.

Fans will get their first look at the new ice surface, dasher boards, lighting system and additional seating Sunday, when the No. 3 Gophers face Bemidji State in an exhibition game. Players can't wait to put their refreshed stage into action.

"All the guys are excited to play on home ice,'' forward Jimmy Snuggerud said. "It will be really cool."

The arena's new ice sheet is a hybrid: skinnier than the Olympic size but wider than the NHL standard of 200x85. It replaces a rink built in 1993, after the 1980 "Miracle on Ice'' popularized the larger ice surfaces. Colleges began moving back to the smaller dimensions over the past 20 years, leaving only a handful of big sheets still in use.

Gophers coach Bob Motzko said the rink looks just the same when viewed from the concourse, exactly as he hoped. But he believes spectators will notice a difference when the puck drops.

"There's a reason [big rinks] are going away,'' he said. "It's a more physical game, a more offensive game on a smaller sheet. It's more fan-friendly, and you can recruit more versatile players.''

The new rink means the Gophers' NHL draft picks now have a home ice sheet that's closer to the size they will play on when they turn pro. Wild defenseman Brock Faber, who played for the Gophers from 2020-23, likes the downsizing — but he also doesn't expect it to dramatically change the Gophers' game.

"There are benefits to it, because the next level is played on the small sheet, and the guys are going to get used to that,'' he said. "But as much as people talked about the Gophers having the Olympic sheet, it's just a few feet different on both sides. Hockey is hockey. It's not a whole lot of difference.''

The 'Miracle' influence

When the U.S. won Olympic gold in 1980, fewer American college players moved on to the NHL. Colleges saw themselves as a development ground for Olympians, which led to the embrace of rinks at or near the Olympic size.

"Miracle on Ice'' coach Herb Brooks, who coached St. Cloud State for one season, influenced the decision to install one when the school's National Hockey Center was built in 1989. Minnesota State Mankato, Wisconsin, Alaska Anchorage and Colorado College were among other schools to build big rinks in the 1980s and '90s.

MSU Mankato downsized its ice sheet to 200x87 in 2013, while Alaska Anchorage and Colorado College were among schools that moved to different arenas with small rinks.

"There was a honeymoon after the Miracle on Ice, and it ended up being a long one,'' said Craig Flor, the longtime director of operations for 3M Arena at Mariucci and Ridder Arena. "Now, I don't think you can count on one hand how many are left in the collegiate ranks.''

Flor said former Gophers coach Don Lucia raised the idea of shrinking the Mariucci ice several years ago. Motzko, who became head coach in 2018, was on board. While he said the large ice sheet never cost him a top player, Motzko knew some rivals used it against the Gophers in recruiting.

It wasn't possible to simply move the side boards because of engineering issues and the fact that the refrigerated floor would still span the full 200x100 space. When the refrigeration system needed to be replaced, it provided an opportunity to reconstruct the arena floor and install smaller ice.

The change brings Mariucci in line with the standards of hockey governing bodies from high schools to the NHL. Current NCAA rules say rinks should meet the 200x85 dimensions "as nearly as possible.''

Faber said it was not a problem for the Gophers to play home games on big ice and road games on smaller surfaces, but there are some differences.

"On the smaller sheet, the game is a little more physical, and it comes at you a little faster,'' he said. "As a defenseman, battling in the corners, you're in better position, closer to your net. And any time you get the puck in the offensive zone, it's a scoring threat.''

Sunday reveal

In addition to the smaller ice surface, the new-look Mariucci has a fresh ring of dasher boards and updated lighting. The boards are topped with NHL-standard acrylic sheets, which are more flexible and safer for players than the old tempered glass.

The LED lighting system is brighter and directs the light toward the ice to create a more theatrical feel. The narrower rink also made room for additional seats, with two rows added to some sections and one row to others. For the high rollers, there are 17 rinkside "dream seats'' with spacious, cushy chairs.

Maintaining Mariucci's excellent sight lines was a priority, Flor said, one that required a bit of compromise on the rink size. The project lowered the arena floor by 16 inches; to accommodate an 85-foot width, it needed to be even deeper, but that was rejected because it would have altered the view from some seats.

While the renovations make Mariucci more modern, several Gophers said they don't expect to see a significant impact on their game.

"It's got a little bit different look to it,'' goaltender Justen Close said. "I don't really think much changes. The game, for the most part, is still played within the dots.''

Though Faber doesn't think the big ice had any effect on players' ability to reach the NHL, he does believe the Gophers will enjoy the downsizing. Motzko couldn't be happier to move on from a rink that came to feel as dated as acid-washed jeans.

"[Big rinks] were a fad,'' he said. "If they were a great thing, I think you'd see them all over the National Hockey League. And you don't see any.''