Ralph sights and sounds

A 60-some lady named Grace gave me and 40 others a tour of Ralph Engelstad Arena. Cheap enterainment for me, only $3. One rube actually said, "It's only three dollars."

Grace offered a little history of the Ralph. She said that in Dec. of 1998, Engelstad, a former UND alum who made millions in real estate and a Las Vegas casino, the Imperial Palace, pledged $100 million for a new arena. It took 21 months to build and he watched the progress.

He put cameras on top of the Medical Science Building about half a mile away. It cost $1 million for the bricks, $3.2 million for the brass inlay. It seats 11,640, has a $2 million scoreboard.

Each big Sioux head in the building costs $25,000. There are 2,200 Sioux logos throughout the building and 323 TVs. Twenty three is an important number, it was Engelstad's when he played for North Dakota and now hangs on a wall in the Ralph. It is the only number the school has retired.

The Sioux have won seven national titles and a record 14 WCHA titles, including the 2008-09 regular-season championship.

The Ralph came in only $4 million over budget and Engelstad covered that cost. It has two club rooms and to be able to watch games from the south club room, it costs $2,500 for a season ticket. Steep? There is a long waiting list. The club room has the longest free-standing bar, more than 100 feet long and a computerized organ that plays music. It is originally from Belgium.

There are 48 luxury suites in the Ralph which vary in size from 28 people to 18 to 10. An average cost for a suite is $32,000 per year, with that a buyer gets 20 individual tickets for every event at the Ralph.

As I was wondering in the bowels of the Ralph, I caught the Gophers teams loosening up by a bus. Maybe theirs. They were skipping and jumping, looking very serious. No smiles.

Later, as I walked out of the media meal, I saw Gophers goalie Alex Kangas. He was on his knees, wearing pads, and doing his pregame visualization. He was moving his arms in a strange manner, as if he hand the shakes. I almost felt like I was intruding, so I only stopped to watch a few seconds. I was startled to see him in a lobby, all by himself going through his pregame rituals that other teammates don't get to see.