Hibbing has intimate arena
HIBBING -- It's not a bad place to play basketball considering it's a hockey arena.
The Hibbing Memorial Arena, site of the Section 7, Class 2A boys' basketball tournament, is a 68-year-old barn-like structure that's a more intimate version of Williams Arena but has just as much of an athletic tradition.
Approximate 10-foot by 20-foot pictures of nine famous Hibbing athletes hang in glass frames in the lobby. The subjects includes:
Golfer Vern Novak, hockey players Bob Collyard, Gary Gambucci, Scott Sandelin, Pat Micheletti, Mike Polich and Edward Miller and basketball greats Kevin McHale and Dick Garmaker.
Written near each basket on the portable wood floor is, "Home of Kevin McHale," the former University of Minnesota and Boston Celtics great, now general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The arena has served as home ice for numerous Hibbing High School boys' and girls' championship hockey teams and for many titles won by the Hibbing Community College men's hockey team.
The multipurpose venue also hosted the 2001 World Horseshoe Pitching tournament.