Met Center imploded 30 years ago. Why the stadium is still so beloved.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Met Center’s implosion in December 1994 punctuated the end of the North Stars era in Minnesota. FOX 9 recently talked to fans, players and stadium employees about what made the stadium so special. 

Minnesota North Stars had the best ice

The Backstory: Built in Bloomington in 1967, The Metropolitan Center became the home of the Minnesota North Stars. The white building’s columns made it feel "like a cathedral" to some fans. The building, which held roughly 15,000 fans, offered great sightlines and quickly became known as one of the loudest venues in the National Hockey League. 

30 years later, players and fans still say it also had the best playing surface in the league. 

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What they’re saying: "The ice was the best," said Mark Baribeau.

Baribeau was one of the stadium rink rats. He grew up in nearby Richfield and started working at Met Center with his friends as a teenager. He later became the North Stars equipment manager.

Jack Larson also started working there as a young high school hockey player and later became the Director of Met Center.

"Many of us grew up in that building," Larson said.

Today, a group of former employees still gather for the annual Met Center Classic golf tournament every summer.

"We still see each other, we're still buddies," Baribeau said.