The National Hockey and Event Center (NHEC) is a 5,763-seat hockey arena in St. Cloud, Minnesota. It is home to the St. Cloud State University Huskies men's & women's ice hockey teams, and the Saint John's University Johnnies ice hockey team. The main rink is now named for former SCSU President Brendan J. McDonald, who advocated the team's move to Division I hockey. The arena consists of a lower and upper deck on the sides the ice. The west end (near the entrance) features a few seats, while east contains no seating. The building is currently under renovations (Plans for the NHEC.) Contrary to some beliefs, the movie "Mighty Ducks" was not filmed here. Shots of the NHEC were used in a regional marketing campaign featuring the City of St. Cloud for the TEMPUR Cloud, a mattress by Tempur-Pedic.
Although it is recorded as having a 5,763 seating capacity, Husky hockey games often draw crowds of more than 6,000. It is also a concert venue, with a capacity of up to 7,763. Graduation ceremonies have also been held at the arena. After renovation, seating for hockey games will near the 7,500 mark.
The National Hockey and Event Center is often regarded, by visiting teams, as the most difficult place to play in the WCHA. The notorious "Dog Pound" (St. Cloud's Student Section) is one of the most intimidating in all of college hockey (Wisconsin's Connelly Discusses Playing in St. Cloud).
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