North Stars are cited in Wilf's stadium push

MANKATO - In reiterating the need to act quickly on his stadium proposal, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf noted Thursday for the first time that Minnesota lost the NHL's North Stars because it didn't move quickly enough.

Wilf made the remark while speaking to reporters during a convention of the Minnesota State Building and Construction Trade Council. Asked if he saw any roadblocks to the $954 million project targeted for downtown Minneapolis, Wilf said he hoped state leaders will agree the facility is "in the best interests" of everyone.

Then, he added, "All I can tell you is that it's very, very important as we see the cost of materials going up that we make sure we get this done as quickly as possible."We don't want to have a situation where it gets too far out of our control and we can never get it done," Wilf added. "Time is of the essence, and the quicker we can come to an agreement, because we all agree that it has to get done, the better off we will be, and it won't cost much more later on.

"We've learned that lesson in the past, as it was involved in the Minnesota North Stars. You want to learn from those mistakes to make sure you get things accomplished sooner rather than later -- before we can't get it done."

The North Stars left for Dallas in 1993 after rejecting a proposal to move from the Met Center to the Target Center. Wilf has maintained throughout his two years of ownership that he had no plans to move the team if a new stadium ultimately is rejected.

"If we're stuck in the Metrodome," he said in June 2005, "we'll be stuck in the Metrodome."

The Vikings' Dome lease expires after the 2011 season. Under his current proposal, the team would move into the new stadium for the 2012 season.

For that timetable to occur, however, the Legislature would have to approve a yet-to-be determined financing package. Wilf, who would join the NFL in contributing about $250 million, said a plan will be forthcoming "quite shortly," although no announcement appears imminent.

Kevin Seifert • kseifert@startribune.com