ralph engelstad arena tour

University of North Dakota Athletics

Ralph Engelstad  Arena

Address: One Ralph Engelstad Arena Drive Grand Forks, ND 58203

Phone Number: (701)777-4167 Fax Number: (701)777-6643 R alph Engelstad Arena Website

Since opening its doors on Oct. 5, 2001, the new Ralph Engelstad Arena has become widely regarded as arguably the finest hockey facility in the world. The premiere home to college hockey, the Engelstad Arena has just about everything. As soon as fans enter the doors, they know they are in the Fighting Hawks hockey arena.

Fans are greeted in the lobby by a pro shop featuring souveniers of all kinds. Natural light from the two-story high ceiling atrium illuminates the lobby area. The lobby, also boasts a tribute to former Sioux greats. The NCAA championship trophies are on display, along with a historical photo selection and four video screens playing highlights from great Sioux seasons of hockey.

Throughout the arena are photos of the North Dakota All-Americans. Interspersed are great historical photos, which show the progression of Sioux hockey from 1929 when two games were played to September 1946, when student John C. "Jamie" Jamieson was hired to coach the team and led his 19-player squad to a 7-6 record. The photos lead the fans up to the present day coaches and players, including the 2016 Fighting Hawks NCAA championship.

When fans enter the arena, whether in the bowl or above the suite level, they find distinctive touches of luxury. There are no bleachers in this arena. Each seat is green leather and padded with cherry wood arms and a cup holder. Numerous refreshment and specialty stands also circle the main concourse and the upper level.

As fans look around the bowl, their eyes are attracted by the fascia ring, which is a television screen 900 feet long and three-feet high. It runs all the way around the arena, above the suite level, and can show fans anything from hockey footage to advertisements.

High above center ice, hanging from the rafters is a Daktronics scoreboard. The eight-screen video scoreboard shows game action and in-game information, among other things. The four top screens are 16 feet by 12 feet, the four bottom screens are 10 feet by 12 feet. The two million dollar scoreboard weighs in at 30,000 pounds.

Looking high into the rafters at the north and south ends of the arena, fans will see the symbols of what has created the incredible tradition of the Fighting Sioux hockey program. At the west end, the conference hampionship banners hang, and in the middle are UND's eight national championship banners. 

Getting around the arena couldn't be easier. Located inside of each of the four towers adjacent to the ice rink are staircases. On the north and south ends of the arena, escalators move fans from ove level to another. In addition, there are four passenger elevators, on in each corner, each with a 5,000-pound capacity.

The arena was built for fan enjoyment and spectacular views of the game. The boards surrounding the rink are seamless, tapered glass that can flex up to three inches upon impact. These are the same boards that are found in the Xcel Energy Center, home of the NHL's Minnesota Wild. Each seat in the rink has exellent site lines, with views of the scoreboard and the entire sheet of ice.

The main rink has a 200 foot by 85 foot surface with seating for approximately 11,500 fans. The practice rink is an olympic-sized rink measuring 200 feet by 100 feet. The adjacent practice rink has seating for 400-500 spectators.

Opposing teams enter the arena at the staging area. This area, located at ice level, between the practice rink and the main ice surface, allows up to four buses to enter and park at one time.

The training room, located directly across from the locker room, includes an exam room, where X-rays can be taken. An underwater treadmill is located inside the training room. It can be used for therapy after injury and includes underwater cameras, which can accomodate just about the entire team.

The weight room, one of the most talked about rooms in the arena, is the envy of just about any team, in any sport, in the nation. The 10,000 square foot world-class facility has 10 platforms with 10 power stations, 24 weight machines, 30 circuit machines, and 30 aerobic pieces (bikes, treadmills, and stair climbers). The room has 20,000 pounds of weights in it. Included in the room is an 1,800 square foot plyo floor, spring mounted for plyometric workouts. Eight television monitors are placed throughout the room to take athletes step-by-step through their workout programs.

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Ralph Engelstad Arena - Thief River Falls

Ralph Engelstad during his playing days at the University of North Dakota

Ralph Engelstad was born on January 28, 1930 in Thief River Falls to Christian and Madeline Engelstad. He attended Northrop and St. Bernard’s Elementary Schools. Ralph’s life in Thief River Falls continued to revolve around his two main interests: work and hockey. He was an outstanding freshman goalie on the TRF team, which played in the first sanctioned State High School Hockey Tournament in 1945. Ralph graduated from Thief River Falls Lincoln High School in 1948. He went on to play goalie for the University of North Dakota graduating in 1954- the University of North Dakota also received a large contribution in the tune of $100 Million+ to build the main Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, ND.

Ralph married Betty Stocker of East Grand Forks in 1954, and their only child- daughter Kris- was born in 1958. After a half a dozen years as a contractor in Grand Forks, and attaining the millionaire status he aspired to reach, Ralph sold virtually all of his property and other holdings and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1959. Ralph became a very successful businessman in Las Vegas after building and selling hundreds of homes in housing developments. In 1971 Ralph purchased and remodeled the bankrupt Flamingo Capri Motel, was granted his Nevada Gaming License and a short time later began building the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino on the Flamingo Capri property. The Imperial Palace is ranked as the second largest sole proprietorship in the world with 2,700 rooms and 2,600 employees.

Ralph Engelstad sadly passed away on November 26, 2002 from a long battle with lung cancer. With Ralph Engelstad’s death at the age of 72, Thief River Falls lost its most well known native son as well as a major benefactor, but he left a legacy of loyalty and caring that exceeded his personal generosity. The traits Ralph treasured most among his friends and associates were loyalty, and he was fiercely loyal to his hometown and to the game of hockey that he loved. Throughout his memorable career, Ralph had two mottos for living that reflected his ambition and drive: “The harder I work, the luckier I get”, and “No dream comes true until you wake up and go to work”. His hometown can only say most sincerely the words, "Thanks, Ralph!"

• 2,800 Theatre-style seats.
• 281 Bar stools along the perimeter of the bowl.
• 2 concession stands.
• 8 Locker Rooms.
• Weight Room.
• Hall of Fame section, which includes a bronze statue of Ralph Engelstad from when he played high school hockey at Thief River Falls as a goaltender.
• Press Box/Suite
• Imperial Ball Room - (Weddings, Meetings, Banquets, Comedy and more...)

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Ralph Engelstadt Arena (University of North Dakota)

Ralph Engelstad Arena Quick Facts

• Brick and precast exterior shell
• Hockey seating capacity: 11,643
• Basketball seating capacity: 12,119
• Concert seating: 13,154
• Luxury Suites: 50 (48 full, 2 mini)
• Club Seats: 264
• 2,200 Logos
• 300+ TV’s
• 4,000 tons of Steel
• 3.2 Miles of Brass Accents on the floor
• 1.1 Million Bricks
• $110+ Million Dollar Facility with the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center

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Ralph Engelstad Arena Seating Chart

Ralph Engelstad Arena offers a maximum seat capacity of 11,643 across all levels of the facility. Standard seating is some of the most relaxing in the industry with cherry wood construction and leather upholstery that offers style and comfort not found in most similar arenas in the world, let alone in the country.

Accessibility seating is available throughout the venue as depicted in the attached photo. The photo does not depict every arrangement at REA but does feature those most commonly seen on the current production calendar.

Please call 701-777-4167 if you have any questions regarding seating.

NOTE: Different events may require different seating arrangements. When selecting your tickets double check the seating chart for the specific event layout.

You can reserve your ticket today and secure the best seats. Check out the Ralph Engelstad Arena schedule to see all upcoming events.

For all ticket policies and authenticity guarantees see the ticket information page.

Ralph Engelstad Arena

Venue information & seating charts.

Seating charts reflect the general layout for the venue at this time. For some events, the layout and specific seat locations may vary without notice.