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'Miracle on Ice' practice rink planning $1.6 million upgrade

Countless kids have walked into this arena with dreams of making it big. Some of them have.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn - Big dreams come easy at the Bloomington Ice Garden.

Countless kids have walked into the arena with dreams of playing in the NHL and the Olympics.

For a handful of them, those dreams became reality.

Current and former Wild players like Zach Parise and Mark Parrish have made stops at the arena over the years.

One player in particular, Ryan Stoa, is now taking his play international.

"He played here as a kid and is now on the Olympic team this year," Bloomington Amateur Hockey Association President Erling Ringquist says.

It's not the first time the rink has hosted players with Olympic dreams.

Back in 1980, the iconic "Miracle on Ice" team practiced at the Bloomington Ice Garden before shocking the world with a 4-3 victory against the Russians.

Fast forward 28 years, and it's not just the players with big dreams, but the parents as well.

"We've got a plan right now for about $1.6 million in improvements to the ice garden," Ringquist says.

It's a big dream, considering they only have $75,000 for the cause.

The money was given to them by Kraft Foods during the 2017 Hockeyville USA contest.

The Bloomington Ice Garden was runner-up in the competition and walked away with a $75,000 check, which is currently hanging in the rink lobby.

"That money certainly helps, but we've still got quite a bridge there to fill in," Ringquist says.

Hockey parents are hoping the city of Bloomington will step forward with some of the money.

They're hoping the rest of the money will come from a mixture of sponsorships, community partnerships and naming rights for the arena.

Several upgrades are in the works, including a major expansion of the front entryway.

The association is also planning several interior upgrades, which include breaking down walls to widen the rink's hallways.

"We're going to widen these corridors and push the walls out to the glass on the rink," Ringquist explains.

The project will also include better access for physically disabled fans, along with upgrades to about a half dozen locker rooms.

"When it was built 50 years ago, there really wasn't this popularity in girls' hockey and now there is," Ringuist says.

"We really need to bring these locker rooms into the 21st century and give separate areas for the girls and the boys."

The project will also feature a little bit of TLC, with new lights, fresh paint and better seating for fans.

Hockey organizers are hoping to start the project in the summer of 2019.

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