It’s hard to believe it’s already been 15 years since the Metrodome infamously caved in after a blizzard that brought nearly a foot and a half of snow to the Twin Cities.
It created a logistical nightmare for the Vikings, as they had to postpone their scheduled home game against the New York Giants and move it to Ford Field in Detroit. Then, they hosted their final home game against the Chicago Bears at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus.
That primetime matchup between the Vikings and Bears on Monday Night Football the following week ended up being the the last time Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre ever put on the pads. A nasty hit from Bears defensive end Corey Wooten resulted in Favre’s head hitting the frozen playing surface. It left him unconscious for a few seconds and he never suited up again.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that no player on the current roster was actually on the Vikings when the Metrodome collapsed on Dec. 12, 2010. The only player even remotely close was veteran safety Harrison Smith, the longest tenured player, who was selected by the Vikings in the 2012 draft.
The only native Minnesotans on the current roster are fullback C.J. Ham and linebacker Blake Cashman. At the time of the Metrodome collapse exactly 15 years ago, Ham was a student at Duluth Denfeld High School, while Cashman hadn’t yet reached Eden Prairie High School.
“I remember sitting in the kitchen at my dad’s house and it being on the front page of the newspaper,” Cashman said. “We were talking about it and, of course, it led to some discussions about how the Vikings needed a new place anyways.”
A few years later, the Vikings hosted their final home game at the Metrodome, beating the Lions to make sure they went out in style. Not long after that, ground broke on U.S. Bank Stadium and the Vikings hosted their first home game there on Sept. 18, 2016.
Asked if he could imagine what it would be like if U.S. Bank Stadium collapsed, Ham shook his head and laughed at the thought of it.
“No I couldn’t,” Ham said. “Just being in the middle of the year and having it crumble would be catastrophic.”
Luckily for the Vikings, that should never been an issue at U.S. Bank Stadium, regardless of how many feet of snow future blizzards bring to the Twin Cities.
Not that Metrodome collapsing into itself could ever take away its charm.
“I spent a lot of time at the Metrodome growing up,” Cashman said with a smile. “I have a lot of good memories there.”
Briefly
The only players on the Vikings that showed up the injury report ahead of the primetime game against the Dallas Cowboys were running back Ty Chandler (knee) and left tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee). They are both listed as questionable.
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