 The arena opened November 20, 1998 in what was considered a "soft opening", and following the completion of minor work, the arena was supposed to have a grand opening in January or February 1999.But in December 1998 allegations of a scandal involving SLOC members, and members of the International Olympic Committee concerning the 2002 Olympic bid surfaced, pushing back the grand opening.The Grand Opening was held September 29, 1999, and the venue hosted its first event, a hockey game between the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs and the University of Calgary Oval Extremes, two days later.