MINNEAPOLIS — It's been 20 years since the excitement of a national championship win for the Gopher's men's hockey team, lead to chaos in the streets of Dinkytown.
"It was property damage, light posts were broken, and just a lot of just destruction of private property and businesses," said Brian Peck, president of the Campus Safety Coalition.
One of those businesses was Tony's Diner, a staple in the heart of Dinkytown for the last twenty-one years.
"We were the only place open at that time and once the tear gas came, all the kids kind of sought refuge here at the diner," said owner Tony Nicklow.
That chaos was reason enough for public safety to be a priority for police and Peck.
"I did get the communication that the Minneapolis Police sent out that they're working with the University of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota Police on a proactive plan just to be ready for tomorrow night," said Peck.
“Throughout the holiday weekend, the Minneapolis Police Department has taken steps to significantly increase staffing to ensure additional resources are on-duty and readily available. Residents and visitors should expect to see a visible police presence of uniformed officers walking a beat, on bikes, in squad cars, and on horseback. And in partnership with our law enforcement partners, the MPD is implementing plans designed to keep all Minneapolis’ residents and visitors safe not only throughout this weekend’s events, but for those that will occur as the weather continues to get warmer.” -Brian O'Hara, Chief of the Minneapolis Police Department
It's a night, which for many is an opportunity to capitalize on extra foot traffic and a long-awaited warmup.
"We've been freezing our butts off for a long time and it's been a little slow because of it so this should be a real awesome weekend," said Nicklow.
In hopes of only the good kind of history repeating itself with another Gophers championship win.
"I know gopher hockey and this is one of the best teams I've ever seen," said Peck.
"I don't think it's going to be out of control, I think the kids want, everybody wants a fun night," said Nicklow.
Puck drop for the NCAA Men's Hockey National Championship game is at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN2.
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