Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (1989)
A famous Minnesota hockey head coach and a desire to jump the men's hockey team to Division I from Division III hockey led to a quick and stunning funding by the state of Minnesota for the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
National Hockey Center, 1990
Herb Brooks
In May 1986, St. Cloud State hired St. Paul native Herb Brooks as the new men's head hockey coach. Brooks’ hockey pedigree was impressive, including head coach of the 1980 US men's Olympic hockey team that won a gold medal. In his only season at St. Cloud State, Brooks posted a 25-10-1 record and finished third in the NCAA Division III tournament. Brooks brought instant credibility to the program.
Need and Financing
Brooks and St. Cloud State desired to move the men's hockey program to Division I competition. A major component was a larger arena. In 1986, a decade-old proposal was submitted to the Minnesota state legislature for a hockey arena, football stadium, and a track. Eventually, the hockey arena part of the proposal was split off from the other athletic needs for legislators to consider separately.
Along with St. Cloud State president Brendan McDonald, administrator William Radovich, men's athletic director Morris Kurtz, and others, Brooks lobbied the 1987 Minnesota state legislature to fund a new campus arena.
Thought dead many times in legislative session, the proposed arena was eventually billed as a possible training site for Olympic athletes. In May 1987, the training site idea swayed lawmakers to appropriate $9.5 million to build the arena. Hockey was not going to be the sole focus of the arena. Other student activities, intramurals, and events such as commencement and music concerts were to held there. A new on-campus multi-purpose football stadium and track were not funded.
In June 1987, the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States designated the soon-to-be built arena as an official training center in which "high-level international games will be played” as well as “Olympic development youth hockey camps."
Construction and Groudbreaking
In July 1987, Ellerbe Associates was selected as the architect to design the arena. Work began immediately.
The St. Cloud Times March 24, 1988, edition reported cost overruns and the need to pare down the project. To stay within budget, possible cuts included reducing seating capacity, seating on just two sides of the arena, and eliminating a physical link to Halenbeck Hall to the north.
Architectural plans were completed by August 1988. According to the St. Cloud Times August 3, 1988, edition, the building's name was revealed as National Hockey Center (NHC). The main Olympic ice sheet (200 feet long by 100 feet wide) was to be oriented east to west, while the second ice sheet sat to the east of the main rink and oriented north to south. Due to costs, the main ice sheet had seating on only two sides, with standing room at each end, reducing seating capacity to 6,000.
Ground was broken for the National Hockey Center on September 23, 1988 and construction began in early October. Donlar Construction submitted the lowest (and winning) bid of $6.9 million to build the arena.
When completed in late 1989, the National Hockey Center contained 138,000 square feet of space. The building hosted its first collegiate hockey game on December 16, 1989 in front of 3680 fans. St. Cloud State defeated Northern Michigan University 5-4.
Construction, 1988-1989
Dedication, WCHA Admittance, and Ice Rink Naming
The National Hockey Center was officially dedicated January 20, 1990. With 4,026 fans in attendance, St. Cloud State defeated Michigan Tech 5-0.
As a result of the jump to Division I hockey for the 1987/88 season and the construction of a new arena, St. Cloud State was admitted to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) in April 1988 (and finalized a year later) to begin conference play in the 1990/91 season. For three seasons, St. Cloud State played as an independent.
On March 5, 1994, the main ice sheet was named the “Brendan J. McDonald Ice Rink” to honor Brendan McDonald, who served as St. Cloud State’s president from 1982 to 1992. McDonald played a major role in bringing Division I hockey and funding for a new arena to St. Cloud State.
2013 Building Addition
By the late 2000s, efforts to remodel and add on to the National Hockey Center began. To better describe the building, at least by early 2009, the name was temporarily changed to the National Hockey and Event Center (NHEC). Front row Marketing Services from Philadelphia was hired to help secure sponsorship and naming rights of the building after a planned $14.7 million renovation.
The state of Minnesota provided $6.5 million for the addition. The remainder of the $14.7 million of the 2013 renovation/addition was fundraised from the private sources.
In March 2009, JLG Architects was hired to design the renovation - and later included Hagemeister Architects. Work finally started by Donlar Construction after a groundbreaking ceremony on March 2, 2012. Central to the renovation was a four story, 50,000 square foot glass atrium on the building’s southside. In all, 61,000 square feet was added. The four-story addition included a main floor lobby and ticketing area with elevators to the atrium’s upper floors. The now second floor concourse was widened and featured two new concession stands and bathrooms, as well as the Husky Den. The fourth floor included luxury suites and working space for support services. The home men’s and women’s locker and training rooms were renovated as well. A team store and, later, a bar, was added to the west side of the arena in a space that had served as the ticket office. The main rink interior was painted and graphic design elements celebrated St. Cloud State’s long hockey history.
Renaming
Renamed the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in the spring of 2013, a grand reopening celebration was held on September 28, 2013. Brooks’ son, Dan, spoke at the celebration.
Herb Brooks Statue
On October 26, 2019, a statue of Herb Brooks was unveiled near the south entrance of the building. Generously and fully supported by Brooks’ younger brother Dave, the statue was created by Brodin Studios in Kimball, MN. Brodin Studios used the same mold for the Brooks statue that stands near the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Brendan McDonald (center) and others at groundbreaking, September 23, 1988
Hockey game, 1991
Herb Brooks coaches a St. Cloud State hockey game, 1986-1987
2013 addition, July 2018
Additional sources:
- Press release, July 10, 1987
- St. Cloud Times, October 22, 1987
- Groundbreaking program, September 23, 1988
- St. Cloud Times, September 24, 1988
- St. Cloud Times, October 8, 1988
- St. Cloud Times, August 30, 1989
- St. Cloud Times, special section, December 15, 1989
- St. Cloud Times, special section, January 18, 1990
- Press release, February 23, 1994
- McDonald rink naming invitation, March 5, 1994
- Press release, March 9, 2009
- St. Cloud Times, January 10, 2010
- Press release, March 3, 2012
- St. Cloud Times, January 14, 2013
- Press release, April 17, 2013
- St. Cloud Times, September 29, 2013