Official word is that the air will be let out of the Metrodome on Jan. 18, although the Vikings effectively accomplished that in early October. Then the roof goes flat and demolition soon follows.

My guess is that people will be able to buy personal space licenses, which would assure them of a guaranteed spot behind a festive purple rope from which they can witness the roof collapsing. Either that or the Wilfs will be hawking hot coffee at $2 a pop. There's got to be a buck to be made in there somewhere.

But mostly this will be a passionless event, just another step in the plan to build a new football palace. There likely will not be a lot of sentiment involved because everyone knew this was coming.

End of the Metrodome


After all, what transpired between the Wilfs and the state of Minnesota can best be described as consensual.

This is as opposed to the destruction of Met Center on Dec. 13, 1994. There were tears on that cold morning in Bloomington, when explosions rocked the hundreds of onlookers and smoke clouds climbed high. We were more naive back then, still stunned that the owner of a professional sports franchise would abandon a longtime fan base and head for greener pastures.

That was a sad day, although it also turned out to be a triumphant one thanks to an unexpected turn of events. But it was an especially frigid morning as former North Stars players, executives and fans came to witness the demolition. It was inevitable that the building would be razed, as it had mostly gone dark since the North Stars were moved to Dallas by Norm Green after the 1992-93 season. And the Mall of America needed new land to gobble.

We never really thought that move would happen. Clearly it was all a grand bluff. As it turned out, it resulted in a great loss of innocence for Minnesotans. And from that day forward, threats of moving by the likes of Carl Pohlad and, yes, Zygi Wilf always carried a bit more weight.

And just before that icy morning, former North Stars employees had photocopied the likeness of Green and installed his picture in almost every Met Center urinal. They considered it only fitting. Of course, there will be no images of Zygi Wilf clinging to the porcelain when the Metrodome goes down. People do not feel that enmity toward him. Not yet, anyway.

I'll never forget what transpired on Demolition Day 1994. In fact, I have a piece of wire that was connected to the detonator. It was lying on the ground, and I picked it up and put it in my pocket. The atmosphere was funereal, and standing close by was Walter Bush, a prominent figure in Minnesota hockey and one of the North Stars original owners.

When the designated moment arrived, there wasn't the one big explosion that we expected. Instead, there were a series of frightening blasts that resulted in palpitating hearts and involuntary flinches. Then there was a great wave of smoke and dust. We thought it might engulf us, even though we supposedly were being kept at a safe distance.

Following the last eruption, we squinted into that thick haze for a good five minutes waiting to see the final rubble and commit it to memory. Slowly, the smoke cleared. And when at last we got a clear look, we all were surprised at what we saw.

It was the Met Center, still standing there! Most of it was standing there, anyway. People roared and patted each other on the back.

"Helluva building," someone shouted to Walter Bush.

"It didn't want to fall," Bush said. "You got that sense."

Well, there was a round of applause and then eventually people drifted away. We were assured by the demolition company that the building was, in fact, dead. All that remained was to push in the walls. Still, a lot of North Stars fans left the parking lot that day feeling as though they had somehow won.

That really was an emotional event. When the Metrodome roof goes flat, there probably won't be any similar displays. The football team still is here and will play in the new venue. It will be just another day in the world of sports to be greeted by blank stares and dollar signs.

Tom Powers can be reached at