Huck Olson Memorial Civic Center

The Huck Olson Memorial Civic Center located at 525 Brooks Ave in Thief River Falls was constructed in 1969-1970 and provided an excellent hockey experience, as well as room for a number of various events in Thief River Falls.  With a seating capacity of 3,450 spectators, the Huck Olson Arena accommodates numerous high school hockey games and tournaments as well as other events such as Rodeos, and even Circuses.  The Arena was dedicated on Thursday February 12, 1970 in a match-up between the Warroad Lakers and the U.S. National Team that was won by the Nationals 5-2.  The crowd began arriving early for the game and the arena was filled to capacity by 7:00 p.m., although the dedication ceremonies started at 7:30 p.m.  At the time, it was the largest crowd to ever watch a hockey game in Thief River.  The Arena, previously called the Thief River Falls Sports Arena, served as the home rink for the Prowlers storied hockey team from 1970-2002, until the adjacently built Ralph Engelstad Arena was erected following a generous $13.5 Million donation from the Engelstad family.  The two buildings are connected via a walkway and collectively provide Thief River Falls with over 140,000 square ft. for multi-sport activities, shows, events, concerts, etc.