University of North Dakota‘s Ralph Engelstad Arena will soon add college hockey’s largest centerhung videoboard, with plans to complete installation this summer. The new Ralph Engelstad Arena centerhung videoboard will be installed by Daktronics.
“We are constantly searching for ways to enhance the fan experience,” said Jody Hodgson, general manager of Ralph Engelstad Arena. “Our new centerhung video board will be the biggest and best in all of college hockey. It will provide approximately four times the amount of video space compared with our current display. Consistent with Mr. Engelstad’s original wishes, every fan, in every seat, will have the same viewing experience because of the square dimensions and rounded corners selected for our new video board.
“We’re not going to stop with a new video board. Our goal is to create the most digitally advanced hockey arena in the country. The new fascia, new entrance displays, new control room, new cameras and new lighting system are going to be fantastic improvements for our fans.”
The new centerhung display will measure approximately 15.5 feet high by 135 feet wide to bring a massive viewing experience totaling 2,100 square feet for Fighting Hawks hockey fans and special event goers. It will feature 6-millimeter line spacing to bring high-resolution imagery to every seat in the arena.
This display is capable of variable content zoning allowing it to show one large image or be divided into multiple zones to show any combination of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics, animations and sponsorship messages.
“We are excited to continue our long-standing partnership with Ralph Engelstad Arena,” said Matt Warnke, Daktronics sales representative. “Since the building opened, we have been trusted with enhancing an already great game-day environment and this new display system will entertain and impact the game-day atmosphere even more. This system, which includes the largest centerhung in collegiate hockey, will provide a digital canvas in a variety of areas within the arena offering many opportunities to inform and entertain fans. We are excited to see this new system in operation this upcoming summer and next season.”
The centerhung configuration will also include an upper ring measuring 145.5 feet in circumference and a lower ring measuring 129 feet in circumference, both rings measuring 3 feet high. Two underbelly displays will each measure 9.5 feet high by 11.5 feet wide to appeal to those seated closer to the ice. All centerhung displays will feature 6-millimeter line spacing.
A new ribbon display mounted to the seating fascia will be added to the venue along with 34 LED vomitory displays above entrances to the seating areas. The ribbon will measure 2.5 feet high by 889 feet wide while each vomitory display will measure 2 feet high by 6 feet wide. These displays will feature 10-millimeter line spacing and allow for the opportunity to provide supplemental information to the main displays as well as highlight sponsors throughout events.
“We’re very happy to help fund this project,” said Kris McGarry of the Engelstad Foundation. “The fan experience is extremely important to my family. We remain committed to the UND hockey team and to the fans that are the lifeblood of the hockey program. We also know that time stands still for no one. We share the vision of the arena’s management team to make sure that Ralph Engelstad Arena remains one of the most technologically advanced arenas in the country.”
The total project cost is estimated at $6 million, according to UND. Funding will include $4 million from the The Engelstad Foundation, with the remaining costs covered by the arena’s long-term repair and replacement reserve fund.
Rendering courtesy Daktronics.
