Their team came up a winner on the field, but for many Vikings fans Sunday, there was hard luck on the snowy streets.
They left TCF Bank Stadium to find their vehicles had been towed during the first snow emergency of the season in Minneapolis.
At the impound lot, fans crowded into an overflow trailer. At the head of line, still waiting at 7 p.m., was Brian Wilken, 28, of Maple Grove.
He and his brother Thomas had parked on a Dinkytown street, as they typically do, he said, unaware that the city had declared a snow emergency. As they waited for a cab, they saw about 30 trucks pass by with vehicles in tow. Once at the lot, they were at least in familiar company.
"Half the trailer is Vikings jerseys," Brian Wilken said.
As of 5 p.m. Sunday, Minneapolis had towed 954 vehicles citywide and still had three hours plus another day to go. Last year's first snow emergency, declared on Dec. 4, saw 1,224 vehicles towed in Minneapolis.
On Sunday, there was no way of knowing how many vehicles were towed near TCF Stadium, but there was little doubt that fan noncompliance had become an issue, said Mike Kennedy, director of transportation maintenance and repair for Minneapolis Public Works.
"We do understand that there are going to be people who are not aware of the rules," he said. "But we cannot tell the difference when we're out plowing the streets."
