Grand Casino Arena Removed Anti-ICE Signs Before PWHL Hockey Game

Grand Casino Arena was forced to take action against outspoken political attendees.

Staff at the arena is the home of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and Professional Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL) Minnesota Frost. Staff inside of the venue on Sunday confiscated fans’ signs criticizing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a fatal shooting in the state capital, Minneapolis.

The casino-branded arena is just about 10 miles away in Saint Paul from where a local resident was shot and killed by an ICE officer.

Staff confiscated fans’ signs

Sunday’s match between the Frost and the Seattle Torrent pit the now-second-place Frost against the joint-last-place Torrent.

The signs were first spotted before the puck dropped at center ice for the first time, signaling the beginning of the game.

Posters and handhelds were decorated with anti-ICE sentiments and verbiage. As mentioned, Grand Casino Arena is near where local resident Renee Good was fatally shot and killed by ICE officer Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7, 2026, in a controversial incident.

Video footage showed Good driving her vehicle away from Ross, who was standing in the road, after a confrontation. Controversy sparked over Good’s intent behind the wheel, and if Ross appropriately assessed the situation’s threat level. 

Signs that were confiscated included one that read “THE ONLY ICE WE LIKE” above a hand-drawn image of a hockey rink, and “GO FROST” below it.

Minnesota community still reeling

According to league sources referenced by The Hockey News, the removal of the signs was orchestrated by Grand Casino Arena, not PWHL or the Frost.

Meanwhile, the Frost held a moment of silence to honor Good – a Colorado-born American citizen and mother of three – before the game. 

The local Minnesota community is still dealing with the effects of last week’s incident. MPR News revealed that local public schools were forced to cancel classes “due to safety concerns.”

“Officials at Roosevelt High School said armed U.S. Border Patrol officers came on school property during dismissal Wednesday and began tackling people, handcuffed two staff members and released chemical weapons on bystanders.”

Grand Casino Arena, formerly Xcel Energy Center, changed its name on Sept. 3, 2025, after the Wild and Minnesota Sports & Entertainment agreed to a 14-year naming rights deal with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.