The fans came back to Enterprise Center, about 1,400 of them, the first paying fans the team has seen since March 9, almost 11 months ago.
They sat, mostly in pairs, occasionally in a group of four, spread around the Plaza Level, with some placed in the suites at the top of the level. (The upper level remained unused.) The players welcomed it as a sign of more normal days, even if the pumped-in ground noise overwhelmed most reactions from the actual humans.
“The chatter in the locker room is just about the excitement of having people back in the building,” defenseman Torey Krug said Tuesday morning. “I know as an opposing player coming in here how hard it is to play here. We want to continue that excitement and the roll that we’re on and give them something to cheer about. The guys are really pumped up.”
