(Old) Ralph Engelstad Arena/Winter Sports Center

Opening in 1972, University of North Dakota hockey fans were awed at the shiny plexiglass, alternating green and white seats, and bright illumination. Unlike its predecessor, The Barn, the (old) Ralph Engelstad Arena was a more ‘fan-friendly’ arena and offered fans warm surroundings, modern conveniences, and contemporary comforts. The 6,067-seat arena was home to the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey team for nearly three decades and hosted the 1983 Frozen Four tournament. Originally named the Winter Sports Center, it was renamed in 1988 to honor UND alumnus and former Sioux goalie Ralph Engelstad. After a successful 29-year tenure in the (old) Ralph, the UND hockey team moved to the new $104 million Ralph Engelstad Arena in 2001. The old Ralph was demolished in 2013.

On opening day in the fall of 1972, fans crowded outside the Ralph Engelstad Arena to see the new home of Sioux hockey. Numerous complaints about the original arena, The Barn, said it was too cold since the building had no insulation, and snow would flutter through the roof. On some nights, the crowd’s heat would melt the ice inside the roof and rain on fans and players. Athletics director Len Marti and UND faculty representative Thomas Clifford decided the school needed a new hockey facility after potential recruits began to avoid UND and opponent teams complained about having to play in The Barn. [1]

Construction for the Ralph Engelstad Arena started on July 22, 1971. UND played its first game there on November 10, 1972, simultaneously earning its first win in the new 6,067-seat facility. Once deeming a new arena necessary, University and community leaders set out to campaign for funding. Local businessman and UND alumnus John O’Keefe was the campaign chairman, while UND Athletic Director Len Marti and Alumni Association staff member Earl Strinden were responsible for organizing the campaign. [2] After dedicating almost a year of their time gratis, the campaign raised nearly $2 million in funding. Funding included: $800,000 in student bonds, $500,000 from the Edmond A. Hughes Estate, $240,000 from Alumni and special donations, and $460,000 from the local fund drive John O’Keefe led. [3] Ironically, the building’s cost was around 43 times more than the “Barn” and 43 times less than the (new) Ralph Engelstad Arena. [4]

Mark Foss, CEO of Foss Architecture, and Ralph Engelstad, were the lead planners and architects for the arena. Focusing on protecting fans from the outdoor elements, architects and engineers chose a high-strength weathering steel that eventually oxidized to a coffee-brown color, yet it never required upkeep. Even though ridiculing comments about the arena’s exterior and sardine-can shape were heard throughout the years, the interior gave Sioux fans every right to boast. [5] Over 3,000 fluorescent light tubes illuminated the arena and 85-by-200 feet ice sheet (produced by nearly ten miles of steel ice-making pipe in 3,500 cubic yards of concrete.) Shiny plexiglass protected fans as they sat in their alternating green and white backed seats while a modern, multi-sided scoreboard towered over the center ice.

Once word spread about the new arena's comfort, capacity, and class, the UND hockey program received increased support. People who had been oblivious to UND hockey beforehand joined the masses and quickly became devout fans. Hockey games became a beloved social event and exciting athletic contest and demands for more seating and space needed to be fulfilled. In 1983, the building grew nearly 15,000 feet after receiving a $750,000 donation from the UND Foundation, which had received a sizeable testamentary gift from 1906 Alumnus Kenneth Hyslop. [6] The addition included a UND Athletic Hall of Fame, Sioux hockey All-American wall, ticket booths, coaches' office, players' lounge, Sioux Club members' gathering area, and a three-story, 14,000-square-foot lobby.

As UND hockey continued to grow, so did respect for the program. In 1988, the Winter Sports Center was renamed after the 1954 UND graduate and Sioux goalie Ralph Engelstad, after he donated more than $5 million to his former hockey program [7]. In 1998, Engelstad gave UND its largest-ever single donation to construct the (current) Ralph Engelstad Arena.

During the 29 years the hockey team called the Old Ralph home, UND had an impressive .693 winning percentage on home ice and five NCAA titles (1980, 1982, 1987, 1997, and 2000). Former Western Collegiate Hockey Association players frequently mention the Old Ralph as one of their favorite places to play. Other former players stated it was a tough and intimidating setting to play in as a visiting team, thanks to dedicated and ride-or-die Sioux fans. [8]

In 2001, the arena closed, and the UND hockey team moved to the $104 million Ralph Engelstad Arena. The Old Ralph Engelstad was demolished in 2013 to begin construction of the UND Athletics High-Performance Center (renamed Fritz Pollard Athletic Center in 2021), an indoor training and competition facility for various UND sports teams.

[1] "Ralph Engelstad Arena/Winter Sports Center (1972-2001)" University of North Dakota Athletics, Accessed April 24, 2023, https://fightinghawks.com/sports/2018/6/6/20497345.aspx

[2] Jim Dahl, "The Old Ralph Engelstad Arena," Sioux Sports, Accessed April 24, 2023 https://siouxsports.com/hockey/history/oldengelstad.htm

[3] Brian Johnson, "Reflecting on the old 'Ralph,'" University of North Dakota Features, July 2013 https://www1.und.edu/features/2013/07/old-ralph-engelstad-arena.cfm

[4] Jim Dahl, "The Old Ralph Engelstad Arena," Sioux Sports, Accessed April 24, 2023 https://siouxsports.com/hockey/history/oldengelstad.htm

[5] Jim Dahl, "The Old Ralph Engelstad Arena," Sioux Sports, Accessed April 24, 2023 https://siouxsports.com/hockey/history/oldengelstad.htm

[6] Ralph Engelstad Arena, "Hockey History: The Old Ralph," Ralph Engelstad Arena, Accessed April 24, 2023 https://www.theralph.com/about-the-arena/hockey-history

[7] Brian Johnson, "Reflecting on the old 'Ralph,'" University of North Dakota Features, July 2013 https://www1.und.edu/features/2013/07/old-ralph-engelstad-arena.cfm

[8] Eric Burton, "UND Hockey: Remembering the 'Old Ralph' Engelstad Arena," The Hockey Writers, August 20th, 2013 https://thehockeywriters.com/und-hockey-remembering-the-old-ralph-engelstad-arena/.