Photos by Dylan McLean, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.14
NSC Super Rink 1850 105th Ave NE Blaine, MN 55449
Year Opened: 1998 Capacity: N/A
Super Rink
In the 2000s, a change in recruiting practices swept across college hockey. This change saw the average age of NCAA Hockey playing freshmen shift from 18 to 19 or 20. With this shift came new opportunities for Junior hockey leagues, as the number of kids now needing to play a year or two of Junior hockey before moving on to the NCAA exploded.
More than any other league, the North American Hockey League (NAHL) recognized this opportunity and took advantage by adding multiple expansion teams and expanding the league’s footprint in the South and East particularly. The crown jewel in the NAHL’s annual schedule of events is the NAHL Showcase, which it
markets as the “Greatest Show on Ice.”
Each year in late September, the Showcase kicks off the new NAHL season by drawing hundreds of scouts, thousands of fans, and all 35 of the league’s franchises to the Super Rink in Blaine, MN, part of the National Sports Center athletic complex, with each team competing in 3 regular season games over 5 days.
In addition to all the Junior hockey games taking place there, the NAHL also utilizes this event to kick off the season for its dozens of affiliate clubs from around the country playing at the U16, U17, and U18 levels by bringing them to Blaine as well. With so many games happening in one location, it’s a hockey fan's dream.
What makes having this many teams and this many games even possible, is the unique facility that the NAHL utilizes year after year to host this showcase: the Super Rink and its eight sheets of ice, all housed under the same roof.
With 35 member clubs, the NAHL is the only Tier II Junior circuit in the USA, while the USHL and its 16 clubs are the only Tier 1 Junior circuit in the U.S. These two are the only Junior Hockey leagues in the U.S. that operate under a “free to play” model, meaning the players don’t pay any fees to play, and the club they play for covers all hockey-related expenses.
Naturally, it’s these two leagues that tend to get the majority of high-level prospects and end up sending the largest number of players on to the NCAA hockey each year, and for the NAHL, that year begins with their 5-day Showcase at the NSC Super Rink.
Food & Beverage 3
The Super Rink houses one large concession stand located in the main lobby near the rinks 1-4. The menu is made up of standard hockey arena fare, with some items priced at about what you’d expect and others that leave you asking what the extra few dollars were for. Candy and chips for $2 aren’t bad, Apple Cider, Hot Chocolate, or coffee will cost you $3, which is within reason.
If you want something closer to a meal, though, it’s going to cost you. Paying $6 for a standard hot dog, a slice of pizza for $6.50, or a cheeseburger for $7.50 may have you wishing that you’d made time for a pre or post-game meal at a restaurant instead. There is a decent selection of options, and if the upcharges on items that you’ll typically find for less elsewhere don’t bother you, then go for it.
After the thousands of dollars annually that hockey parents shell out each year for ice time, equipment costs, and travel, I’d guess most of them are fine going with old ice arena standards like coffee and popcorn and their prices.
Atmosphere 5
Simply being in a facility that holds eight sheets of ice is a unique experience, given that it’s the only one in North America and possibly the world. As a fan, being able to walk from one rink to the next, or the next, or the next, and watch different games is about as good as it gets. In that respect, the Super Rink offers an experience that you literally can’t get anywhere else.
When you consider the atmosphere at the NAHL Showcase, though, one must acknowledge the bigger picture, as the atmosphere is present throughout all eight ice sheets within the main lobby, even extending beyond the Super Rink’s frigid walls and spilling out to the arena’s exterior, primarily because of the facility’s unique location. The Super Rink is part of the larger National Sports Center complex in Blaine.
In addition to the Super Rink and its eight sheets of ice and full dryland training facility, the NSC includes a golf course, outdoor stadium, sports hall, sports expo building, seven artificial turf soccer fields, and over 40 grass soccer fields. The U.S. Women’s National Hockey team regularly uses the Super Rink as their home training facility, and if you were to exit their designated rink and take only a few steps, you’d run directly into the home training facility and practice fields of the Minnesota United Loons of Major League Soccer.
In addition to annually hosting the largest youth soccer tournament in North America, each Summer in the USA Cup, soccer, and hockey tournaments are happening at NSC nearly every weekend, and that was no different during the NAHL Showcase. When driving into the NSC complex and making your way toward the Super Rink, a definite buzz can be felt in the air, and action is all around as dozens of soccer games take place. As you pull into the already full Super Rink parking lot to begin the search for a
parking spot, several buses adorned with team logos are parked up front, loading and unloading hockey players. Players and fans mill about outside of the main entrance talking, getting something to eat at one of the onsite food trucks, or simply warming up in the late September sun after spending the past few hours inside of a cold hockey rink.
People flow in and out of the rink entrance while people in cars drive up and down the lanes of the parking lot, searching for that elusive open spot. The air is filled with the sound of whistles and the cheering of fans at the soccer games surrounding the complex. It is an incredibly unique and vibrant atmosphere, making it easy to see why the NAHL utilizes the Super Rink for this event year after year.
So far, we’ve only looked at the atmosphere outside of the rink, though. To truly experience the NAHL Showcase, you need to go inside, past the ticket takers, and up the stairs into the “heart” of the facility, where you will experience the other half of what creates the unique atmosphere found at the NAHL Showcase: the people.
The bulk of activity at the Showcase can be found within the Super Rink’s original main lobby housing rinks 1 through 4. Fans attending the Showcase certainly contribute to creating the overall atmosphere here, but since we’ll be covering them in their section further down, in this space, I want to address those whose presence truly
creates the atmosphere that is felt over the 5-day event, and those are the players on the teams participating that can found around every corner.
The players who make up the NAHL teams playing here are mostly all between the ages of 18 and 20, and they’re all dreaming of on-ice success that leads to a scholarship, allowing them to continue their hockey careers. With the Showcase occurring right at the start of a new season, many of these kids are new to Junior hockey and only recently earned their roster spot and became a part of their team.
With memories of all the other players who were cut from tryouts still fresh in their minds, they arrive in Blaine, bursting with energy, pride, and enthusiasm, ready to prove themselves again after successfully navigating the first big step on the path toward realizing their ultimate goal. Everywhere you look, both inside the facility and outside, teenage hockey players roam.
Players covered in post-game sweat and lugging a large bag of wet hockey gear on their shoulders spill out from locker rooms adorned in sweatshirts, hats, and various other team apparel and make their way toward the lobby to greet family and friends.
Other players can be seen decked out in suits and team jackets, strolling between the various rinks and checking out different games, socializing, or grabbing food at the snack bar. With over 700 Junior hockey players filtering in and out of the complex during the 5 days of the event, it would be nearly impossible not to feel the energy and excitement they emit.
Neighborhood 4
Blaine is a large suburb north of Minneapolis with nearly 80,000 residents. It’s pretty much what you’d expect, with large suburban homes, numerous chain restaurants, and endless options for shopping. The National Sports Center sits right in the middle of it all, taking up several acres of land and surrounded by heavily trafficked roads and highways on all sides.
Were it not for the presence of the NSC, Blaine might be indistinguishable from many other suburbs, and that’s not a bad thing. Due to the amount of real estate required, a complex of this size could never exist in the city, and with Blaine lying only a few burbs’ away from the downtown core, it’s an ideal location.
With strip malls and commerce of all types surrounding the NSC, there are multiple fast-food dining options available if you’re hoping to eat before or after your event. If you’re looking to meet up with other friends/parents for a pre or postgame drink or dinner, the selection is a bit thinner near the NSC.
Within the shadow of the NSC, there are only a few bar & grill-type places, with the two closest being Clive’s Roadhouse and Invictus Brewing Co. Clive’s is a standard bar and restaurant with several locations in the Twin Cities and is known for having great food. Invictus is a local example of the craft beer/brewhouse-type establishments that have proliferated across the county in recent years.
It’s an ideal meeting place for either before or after your event, where you can sample a few of the local brews or have a full meal. Many people were doing just that when I stopped in at each during the Showcase, as both were full of fans either heading to or coming from games at the Super Rink.
Fans 5
With the Showcase starting on a Wednesday and running through Sunday, I was afforded plenty of time to fit in a few trips out to the Super Rink over those 5 days. One thing that remained constant during each of my visits was the significant number of fans in attendance.
The main lobby was filled pretty much all of the time, but most impressive was how many fans filled the seating area in each rink. Most of the games that I spent time watching had full seating areas, leaving anyone who arrived late to seek a spot down near the glass to watch. Among those watching in the stands, a decent number were certainly either parents or family members of players on the ice, but quite a few general hockey fans were making up those in attendance.
Everyone that I encountered was well-behaved, knowledgeable about the game, and engaged in the action. It did not take much to see that the fans attending the NAHL Showcase were there either because they loved hockey or someone was on the ice. You cannot ask for more than that.
Access 4
There are plenty of roads that will take you to the Super Rink, but the time of day you go will dictate whether it feels like a Sunday drive or an invitation to road rage. The highways that encompass the NSC are packed with commuters heading into Minneapolis or St. Paul on weekday mornings and back into Blaine and beyond in the
afternoons.
Highway 65 from Minneapolis will take you right into Blaine, then you take a right-hand turn on 105th Ave, and you’ll see the NSC complex and Super Rink on the right-hand side about half a mile down. This is the most commonly used route and has maddening traffic during rush hours. Another option if coming from the east is to take I-35 North to the exit for 95th Ave. Turn right at the top of the exit on 95th Ave., which turns into Radisson Rd. NE. Stay on Radisson until you reach 105th Ave. NE and turn left. The Super Rink will be visible on your left.
Return on Investment 4
Depending on how much hockey you’re interested in seeing will dictate the best ticket option for you. Passes that give access to the entire tournament are available for $75 for Adults and $35 for Students, Military, Seniors, and First Responders. Children 8 and are free. If you’re only going for a single game, the Daily Pass is the way to go.
The cost of a Daily Pass for Adults is $30, $15 for Students, Military, Seniors, and First Responders, and no charge for kids aged eight and under. Considering that it provides you access to 5 days of unlimited hockey games day and night, the full Tournament pass can be justified at $75. $30 is a significant amount if you’re only attending a single game, but you have the option to watch as many games as you want on that day, so a
case can be made to justify the price. If you are a hockey fan, though, it is a minimal price to pay to have access to all the hockey games you could want.
Extras 4
Interesting fact: In addition to the Showcase, the NAHL holds several other events at various locations each season, like their Top Prospects Tournament and Prospects Challenge. Their two biggest events, though, are the Showcase and Robertson Cup Championships are both held in Blaine, but at different venues. While the Showcase is held at the NSC Super Rink, for the past few years, the NAHL has crowned its champion at Fogarty Arena, which is only about a mile away on the other side of Hwy 65.
Final Thoughts
They’re easy to identify with their clipboards in hand and usually sporting a shirt or sweatshirt with their organization’s logo on it. The NAHL Showcase has become somewhat of a kickoff point for the upcoming scouting season, often leading to NHL Draft rankings and college scholarships.
The kids who play in this Showcase know that among the eyes watching them could be those of a scout who likes what he sees and, thus, begins a conversation that very well may lead to a dream fulfilled. Many unique and interesting aspects come together to make the NAHL Showcase the spectacle it has become, but the opportunity it provides for the players has to be the coolest, in my opinion.
With so many scouts in attendance, the on-ice performances put on by some of these players could be the catalyst that leads to an entirely new journey in their lives. When you add this on top of the incredible atmosphere, the uniqueness of the facility that’s able to accommodate this event, and the fact that you can choose from among dozens of games per day to watch and never have to leave the same building, it’s fair to wonder if maybe the NAHL’s marketing team wasn’t exaggerating when they branded the
Showcase as the “Greatest Show on Ice.”
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