What This Place Actually Is
The NSC Super Rink is a powerhouse in Minnesota sports tourism, ranking second only to the Mall of America in annual visitors. This self-sustaining 501(c)(3) nonprofit drives $40 million in economic impact for the state, operating 18 hours a day to host over two million people each year.
In addition to anchoring five high school and two college programs, it is the home training site for the U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team.
The biggest challenge facing this facility is not the cooling plant or the budget. It is believing in itself. Everything else follows from that.
While the campus faces practical challenges, like a cooling plant entering its 28th year, its ultimate obstacle is internal. The facility's greatest growth opportunity lies in aligning its self-perception with its massive cultural and economic reality.
The People Making the Ice
Where This Crew Has Worked
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Gophers
PyeongChang Olympics
Four Outdoor NHL Games
Sanford Center
Grand Casino Arena
Tria Arena
Scheels Arena
Full-Time Ice Technicians
Four full-time ice technicians anchor the operation - collectively carrying experience from Olympic sheets, NHL games, collegiate programs, and regional facilities across the upper Midwest.
The Working Bench - 4 Full-Time Managers & 6 to 12 Part-Time Drivers
They cover the nights and the weekends - when most of the two million annual visitors are actually in the building. They clean the ice, the locker rooms, the bleachers. They are who the guests experience most. They make the place go.
What It Could Be
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Immersion Training Center There are 50+ arenas with 100+ sheets in the Twin Cities metro. Every one of them is producing new drivers through trial and error. The Super Rink has eight sheets, Olympic-credentialed staff, and a dormitory on site. Rotating training cohorts reduce payroll burden and create a pathway to higher wages for core staff over time.
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Brand Partnerships Lean into the Zamboni connection with a brand like Violent Gentlemen - wrap a resurfacer and collaborate on staff apparel that puts a credible hockey culture brand in front of two million annual visitors, center ice, under the lights. Waggle is already on the building, among other brands. The conversation is a natural one we're already having.
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Audience & Data There is currently no obvious, meaningful email capture pathway for two million annual visitors. QR code raffles, WiFi usage, and internal newsletter subscriptions all serve as opportunities to convert foot traffic into a list. That list is a commercial asset that compounds over time.
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National Visibility Let’s tell the Super Rink’s story - Olympic staff, world-class volume, chronic underrecognition - an episode of Spittin’ Chiclets waiting to happen, and one of many public avenues for storytelling this place hasn’t yet touched.
