The Minnesota Wild Face An Arena Funding Challenge

The Minnesota Wild face not only the challenge of the upcoming 2025-26 season but also the challenge of another bid to secure funding for renovation of the Grand Casino Arena and surrounding area. Having been denied funding by the state of Minnesota in last year’s legislative session for a comprehensive revitalization of the arena, Roy Wilkins Auditorium, and RiverCentre convention center, the Wild and the city of St. Paul retooled their proposal to focus on the renovation of the Grand Casino Arena immediately.

Initially, the Wild and St. Paul proposed a $770 million plan that would have improved the existing arena complex, making it a top-of-the-line entertainment district and convention center. They have now trimmed that proposal down to $488 million, with the team providing $238 million, the city and its partners $200 million, and the state of Minnesota $50 million, down from a $395 million state contribution under the initial proposal.

The renovation plan now focuses on three main areas of improvement and upgrade for the facility: enhanced security for the northeast entrance and along the north side of the building by extending the north wall outward towards 5th Street, improved accessibility both inside and outside the building, and enhanced plumbing and bathroom facilities.

Eventually, the team and city would like to come back to completing its original plan and fund the upgrades for Roy Wilkins and RiverCentre to make it an updated complex with a full-sized arena facility for sports and concerts, a medium-sized venue for smaller events holding between four and six thousand people in Roy Wilkins, and a state-of-the-art convention center. A proposed hotel attached to the complex would give the city of St. Paul the ability to grow its economic base outward from this downtown hub.

Wild owner Craig Leipold has demonstrated exceptional leadership and vision in developing this plan, adapting it to the prevailing economic and political realities of the moment without complaint. 

Unlike some Minnesota sports franchise owners, Leipold has never taken his fans’ enthusiasm for granted and has done a solid job of branding St. Paul as the capital of the “State of Hockey.” Leipold’s investment in the city and state provides revenue for both in the form of liquor, sales, and income taxes, and is the most important revenue source for downtown St. Paul and its contribution to the state of Minnesota.

Downtown business owners appreciate Leipold’s commitment to downtown and his vision for its future. While the east side of downtown also draws customers from the many theaters downtown (Park Square, History, Ordway, Fitzgerald, Palace), the Landmark Center, and Rice Park, businesses along the West 7th Street corridor are much more dependent on Grand Casino Arena events to break even. 

Tim Mahoney, owner of Loon Cafe St. Paul and partner in pizza/hockey restaurant Zamboni’s on 7th, estimates arena events provide the Loon (on the arena’s east side) with 30 to 40% of its revenue, while at Zamboni’s (on the arena’s west side), they make up 60 to 70% of their total sales. He believes that not funding the original proposal was a mistake because construction costs will continue to rise, and having to fix the arena vicinity twice will affect foot traffic and exacerbate parking issues during both times of construction.

Mahoney views the completion of the Grand Casino Arena renovation as an opportunity to attract more people to downtown and stimulate business growth in the area. The Wild’s support in securing the World Junior Hockey championships this December-January provides the arena area with an opportunity to showcase the city of St. Paul to a worldwide audience, which would then allow the city to build upon that success with a newly renovated arena.

Leipold’s signing of young star players like Kirill Kaprizov, Brock Faber, Marco Rossi, Matt Boldy, and, most recently, goalie Filip Gustavsson to long-term, high-end contracts gives the Wild a solid core to build the team around. If he and the city of St. Paul can secure the final $50 million in funding from the state of Minnesota, they will have an arena that matches the team's success in securing a bright future for both the city and the team.

Cray McCally is a chef a French Meadow in St. Paul.