A shimmering hardwood floor separated into dozens of pieces waiting to be assembled has arrived at the Xcel Energy Center, the first tangible sign of the Lynx’s temporary move to St. Paul.
With the renovation of their Target Center home in Minneapolis continuing this summer, the Lynx are picking up everything — from their floor to the backboards of their basketball hoops — and moving to St. Paul for a one-season stay. The team hopes the temporary move will turn more east metro residents into WNBA fans.
“We’re going to grow our business, and we’re going to bring the east side back with us to Target Center in 2018,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. The Lynx begin play at the Xcel on May 5 with a preseason game against the Atlanta Dream.
The Lynx played two playoff games at the Xcel Energy Center last year, the first basketball games at the arena since the high school boys basketball tournament was played there in 2001. The Lynx open the 2017 regular season on May 14 with the first of 17 regular-season games at the Xcel this season.
“We were 2-0 there, so we feel good about that,” point guard Lindsay Whalen said. “I thought our staff did a tremendous job of making it really easy for us to go over there and play. To me, on video, it looked like Target Center with the shapes and colors and our court being there. They did a great job.”
WELCOMED WITH OPEN ARMS
St. Paul officials were more than happy to host the Lynx — who have won three of the past six WNBA championships and were runners-up twice during that span, including 2016.
“The Lynx are a powerhouse of a team and an amazing group of athletes to watch — and we hope fans from across the state enjoy doing so from the Capital City,” St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said when the temporary move was announced.
“It’s very exciting for us and the city of St. Paul to have the Lynx here,” said Jack Larson, general manager of Xcel Energy Center. “I know the city was very happy to get them to come over here … and expose more people to Lynx basketball. Hopefully it helps the Lynx, too, to get more people to see their game.”
ICE TO BE REMOVED MONDAY
The Minnesota Wild’s first-round exit in the NHL playoffs makes Larson’s job a bit easier.
His staff will remove the ice and boards from the hockey team’s home arena on Monday and will put down the Lynx’s basketball court on Tuesday. Then they’ll place fold-out seats courtside in preparation for the Lynx’s lone home preseason game.
“Basically, they’re just playing their basketball court set up in the hockey rink,” Larson said.
The Target Center is in the midst of a $140 million renovation that will change its exterior, adding a new glassy entrance, and improve seating, technology and access. The work is expected to be finished in time for the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 2017-18 NBA season.
BENEFITTING FROM ST. PAUL
As the Lynx searched for a home for summer 2017, they considered U.S. Bank Stadium and the University of Minnesota’s Mariucci Arena and Williams Arena before landing at the Xcel. The team feels the temporary St. Paul move could add fans to an organization that already has more season-ticket holders — roughly 3,600 — than any other WNBA team.
“I think the St. Paulites were terrific and came out (in the 2016 playoffs),” Reeve said. “We’re actually going to be one of the few teams in the league displaced from our home and having a second facility while also growing our business.
“A lot of the teams that go through this lose their business and have trouble getting their fans back when they do return. We’re going to grow our business.”
