Vintage Minnesota Hockey - History

Augsburg Ice Arena is located on the Augsburg campus near downtown Minneapolis, directly off of Highway 94 at 2323 Riverside Ave.  The arena was completed and opened in 1974 and is unique among Division III colleges in Minnesota - and the nation - in that it is a two-rink facility with year-round ice. It is also one of only three on-campus ice arenas in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  The Augsburg Ice Arena complex is used extensively, not only by the college's men's and women's ice hockey teams, but also by the Twin Cities community as well.  Community groups, youth and recreational sports teams, figure skating clubs, and recreational skaters use the two-rink facility virtually every day of the year.  The arena is also used often as a site for commercial, TV and movie filming.  Perhaps the most famous use of the Augsburg Ice Arena came when Walt Disney Pictures used the arena as one of several Twin Cities rink locations for filming of the 1992 movie "The Mighty Ducks," starring Emilio Estevez.

When the facility opened in 1974, it was originally destined to be the home of three MIAC college hockey programs -- Augsburg, Hamline and Macalester. However, Hamline moved to a different arena, and Macalester dropped its hockey program soon after.  The Twin Cities Vulcans additionally played a portion of their games within rink #1 during the early 1990's too.      

The outdoor plaza outside of the Augsburg Ice Arena was dedicated in September 2004 as "JC's Place," named in honor of James "JC" Carey, who served as the college's athletic facilities director for 30 years until his death at age 54 on Sept. 13, 2003.  The plaza features attractive landscaping and areas for people to sit outside the arena, including a table and chairs.      

There are two memorial plaques along the arena wall in the plaza dedicated to Carey.  One notes his long and distinguished tenure to the college, and another is a favorite quote of his from William Penn.  Carey was an Augsburg employee for 30 years, managing the college's athletic facilities.  Carey worked extensively with Augsburg intercollegiate and intramural sports programs, in addition to the Twin Cities sporting community through rentals of Augsburg athletic facilities.  He was active in the Minnesota hockey community as a referee, coach (he served as an assistant coach of the Augsburg's men's hockey team in the late 1970s) and as one of the key people in the development of women's hockey at Augsburg in 1995.      

The main lobby of the Augsburg Ice Arena is an area for fans to gather before games at the two-rink facility, the only two-rink ice sheet among colleges in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  The lobby provides entrances to both rinks; the small "Rink B" on the left, the large Ed Saugestad Rink ("Rink A") on the right.  The centerpiece of the lobby area are the trophy cases.  One features the eight decades of excellence of Augsburg's men's hockey program; the other features the recent excellence of Augsburg's women's hockey team, the first women's varsity hockey program in Minnesota.  To the left in the lobby is Augsburg's Athletic Facilities offices, which oversees the day-to-day operations of all Augsburg athletic facilities.  To the right is a hallway that contains offices for members of the Augsburg athletic staff, as well as a meeting room. 

The larger of the two rinks at Augsburg Ice Arena, Ed Saugestad Rink ("Rink A"), is the main competition rink for the Augsburg men's and women's hockey teams.  It is one of only three on-campus ice rinks for colleges in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; and one of only three on-campus ice facilities among all colleges and universities in the Twin Cities area (the other two are at the University of Minnesota).  Ed Saugestad Rink, like Si Melby Hall, was the subject of extensive work during the 2000 athletic facilities renovation project.  The main focus of the renovation was the construction of new bleachers.  The bleachers are fully compliant with current safety and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.  A ramp takes you up to the bleachers, and there are several "cutouts" for our patrons using wheelchairs.    

The ice sheet measures 200-feet long by 85-feet wide, the "NHL" standard for ice hockey ("Olympic" ice sheets are 200-by-100).  The dasher boards and glass were replaced during the 2000 renovation project with new, NHL-standard boards and safety plexiglass.  In 2010, with the rededication of the rink in honor of Ed Saugestad, new graphics were installed throughout the rink, showcasing Saugestad's contributions to Augsburg, as well as the college's men's and women's hockey history.  

In 2010, the rink was rededicated in honor of Ed Saugestad '59, the coach who built the school's men's hockey program to national prominence.  A 1959 Augsburg alumnus, Saugestad began his coaching career during his senior year, 1958, and coached the Auggies until 1996, compiling a 503-354-21 record.  His Auggies won Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles six straight years (1977-82), qualified for national tournament play 10 times and won the NAIA national championship in 1978, 1981 and 1982.  He coached 22 All-Americans during his Augsburg career.  Saugestad was named NAIA National Coach of the Year three times and MIAC Coach of the Year six times.  Saugestad was awarded the American Hockey Coaches Association's John MacInnes Award in 2002 to honor his contributions in the growth of amateur hockey in the United States, and was named as the Hobey Baker Legends of Hockey honoree in 2007.  The MIAC christened its playoff championship trophy as the Ed Saugestad Trophy in 1998.  He was inducted into Augsburg's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978.

In addition to his hockey coaching duties, Saugestad also served on the Augsburg football coaching staff from 1959-84, including two years (1970-71) as head coach.  Now recognized as a Faculty Emeriti, Saugestad taught in the Health and Physical Education department throughout his career, and served as the college's men's athletic director from 1981-87.  The Augsburg athletic department has named its academic awards for male student-athletes as the Ed Saugestad Academic Award.    

There are three large murals on the north end of the arena depicting the rich history of Augsburg's men's and women's hockey programs, along with Ed Saugestad's history during his storied career at Augsburg.  Historic photos were acquired from Augsburg archives, and the murals were created by Stephen Geffre of the Augsburg Marketing and Communication department.  Like Si Melby Hall, Ed Saugestad Rink features two new Daktronics scoreboards, purchased and installed with assistance from the Pepsi-Cola corporation.  The south-end scoreboard also has a two-line message board for in-event messaging.  There are two locker rooms for use by visiting teams and game officials in the main arena.  The Augsburg squads have separate locker rooms outside of the arena.    

The smaller of the two rinks at Augsburg Ice Arena, "Rink B," measures 200-feet by 70-feet, ideal for youth hockey.  The small rink is the primary home of the Figure Skating Club of Minneapolis, one of the largest figure skating clubs in Minnesota.  The club uses the small rink for practices year-round, and holds several of its competitions and special programs on the main "Rink A" rink, as well as "Rink B." T he FSCM office is in the small rink.  The small rink is also home to numerous community and college sporting events, including Augsburg intramurals in broomball and youth hockey.  Both rinks also feature "open ice" hours for free use by Augsburg students, faculty and staff.  There is also a locker room inside the small rink.  A new Daktronics scoreboard, purchased with assistance of the Pepsi-Cola corporation, is in the south end of "Rink B."  Both rinks are served by an electric-powered, energy-efficient Zamboni ice resurfacer.  Outside the main rink at the Augsburg Ice Arena is the men's hockey team's locker room, which was renovated and updated by the team a few years ago.  It provides a comfortable home for the Augsburg men's hockey team.  Large, spacious lockers are available for each player, and there is a video and audio system set up for players and coaches to use in training.  Photos of Augsburg's three national championship teams and All-American certificates are on the walls.

Source in part: Athletics.augsburg.edu