Pieces of hockey history
Items on loan from the US Hockey HOF Museum are on display at the Red Baron Arena & Expo
MARSHALL — The Red Baron Arena and Expo was designed to give hockey fans a good experience. But what some visitors might not know is that the arena and expo facility has a little bit of hockey history too, said Marshall Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Darin Rahm.
Inside the Vast Club Room, up on the second floor of the arena and expo, is a display of hockey memorabilia on loan from the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum in Eveleth. In addition to reproductions of historic photos, the display includes a jacket from the opening ceremonies of the 1968 Winter Olympics, and a Mike Modano jersey from the 2004 NHL All-Star game in St. Paul.
“It really adds to the uniqueness of the club room,” Rahm said. The Xcel Energy Center is the only other hockey arena in Minnesota with a display from the Hall of Fame Museum, he said.
“We continue to be in great company,” Rahm said.
Rahm said the idea to approach the museum about having a temporary display came during the summer of 2015. Instead of a one-time display for an event, he said, the items from the Hall of Fame Museum will be at the Red Baron Arena for one year. A trophy case from the former Lockwood Motors Ice Arena was refurbished to hold the display in the club room, and the museum items arrived in September, in time for the arena’s grand opening.
The club room isn’t open to the general crowd of spectators at hockey games, but Rahm said it’s hosted several special events since the arena and expo opened. The museum display, along with artwork from private donors, add to the atmosphere in the room, he said. The club room should see plenty of use when the Red Baron Arena hosts the Bantam A and AA state tournament this spring, he said.
Rahm said having the display at the Red Baron Arena is also an opportunity to draw people’s attention to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum. Some of the publicity the Red Baron Arena has received this year has also included the memorabilia display, he said. For example, the display appeared in some of the footage shot by WCCO-TV, when the arena and expo was featured on WCCO’s “Best of Minnesota” segment.
“I think it’s very exciting,” Rahm said.