The ultimate checkmark on your Minnesota bucket list: a hockey game. For your holiday party or upcoming celebration, grab your gaggle and post up in a premium suite at a Minnesota Wild game (call it the ice on the cake). From exclusive menu offerings to custom merch, Xcel Energy Center boasts spacious suites to make every fest the best. All that’s missing is you in a green jersey and an Instagram photo captioned “goals.” Read on for reasons to go *wild* this snowy season.

Lotsa Leg Room

Think of the suites at Minnesota Wild games as your own private viewing party—complete with food, beverages, and even merch. The private suite level is exclusively for suite ticketholders. Each suite can hold 12 to 50 people—groups of up to 100 can utilize two adjacent suites—and added privacy quiets the thunder of the crowded stadium. “There’s nothing like being on the suite level,” says Erica McKenzie, director of ticket sales and service for the Minnesota Wild. “There’s not a bad view from any suite; you’re right above the lower level, and this arena was built for hockey, so you have a great vantage point.”

Rubbing shoulders with the crowd, twelve lower-level suites on the main concourse level give views akin to rows 23 through 26. “You’re in the crowd with everyone in the lower bowl—that’s where all the energy is,” says Ralph Kratochvil, Minnesota Wild’s premium partnerships account executive. “You don’t have to leave your suite for anything: your restroom and all your food and beverage are right there—and you’re in the action of the lower level.”

Rather than squeezing through rows of seated strangers (call them new friends—cause we all high-five beers when the home team scores!), a suite gives you space to spread out with family, friends, or coworkers. “When the team scores a goal, you can jump up and hug your friends—you have that open space where you can move around,” Kratochvil says. “The kids can run around, you can close the door, and there’s space for your family to actually hang out. It’s just you and the Minnesota Wild.”

Custom >> Concessions

The two menu options for in-suites snacking offer something for every palate. The classic package includes typical game day staples: hot dogs, hamburgers, beer, wine, and soda. While the elevated package goes beyond fan fare, including indulgent dishes such as shrimp and lobster or braised short ribs. “And if you don’t like either of those, we have a 15-page menu that offer anything from steak to popcorn,” Kratochvil says. In past years, holiday season sips like a hot cocoa bar or a spiked cider bar have also been included (that means no surprise fees for extra marshmallows, friends!).

While you might associate the game time buzzer with suds sloshing in a commemorative cup, cocktails complement chef-designed menus (hello elote flatbread and porketta sandwich) at Xcel’s premium restaurants, Flynt and Kindle on the RBC Wealth Management Club Level and The Reserve on the Bremer Bank Suite Level. Psst, for the hungry at heart, all-inclusive food and beverage packages are available through Flynt and Kindle.

White Glove Service

The Wild’s A team goes above and beyond to make every game night a great Minnesota get together in the premium suites. “We’re very fan focused,” Kratochvil says. “If you want to send in specific items, our team will hand-place them in your suite; it you need an escort from a restaurant nearby, we have done that in the past. We go above and beyond for these fans because they’re here for one night, and it’s maybe the biggest event that they’ve purchased,” he says. New in recent seasons, suite-ees can preorder merchandise to be ready in the suite for the puck drop.

Whether coworkers or clients are cheers-ing to a fruitful year or family and friends are ringing in a milestone (or going for unwrappable gifts), McKenzie says, “there’s nothing better than to all be together and feel that electricity through the Xcel Energy Center.” (Pun intended!) She continues: “We want them to be like, ‘wow, this was so cool,’ or ‘we have to do this again!’”

Xcel Energy Center, 199 Kellogg. Blvd. W., St. Paul, nhl.com/wild/premium

October 14, 2024

12:00 AM