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But the Blues finally are getting their new practice facility and the St. Louis area is getting much-needed rink space to grow amateur and college hockey in the region.

The proof was in the tent, earth-movers, hard hats, and specially designed hockey sticks — with a blade on one end and a shovel on the other — on display Thursday morning in Maryland Heights.

With several hundred spectators crammed under the tent, official groundbreaking ceremonies took place for the $78 million St. Louis Community Ice Center. In the shadow of the Hollywood Casino, the complex will feature three indoor ice rinks, one covered outdoor rink, retail and restaurant space, plus space for Mercy health care sports medicine services.

“It’s a little bit of a pinch-yourself moment,� Blues chairman Tom Stillman said. “There were a lot of obstacles. There were a lot of people trying to say ‘no,’ and these guys just kept at it and got it done.�

By “these guys,� Stillman was referring to Patrick Quinn of the St. Louis Legacy Ice Foundation and Blues president and CEO of business operations Chris Zimmerman.

The Legacy Foundation will manage the complex; the city of Maryland Heights will own it once the project is complete.

Perhaps Quinn put it best in terms of the long road traveled before the complex became a reality.

“David Perron was on the Blues when we started this project,� Quinn said. “But then he played for Edmonton, Pittsburgh and Anaheim before he was on the Blues again. So I figured that out, and I looked back and saw that Ellie’s had three baby elephants at St. Louis Zoo since then — at 22 months gestation. So it’s been a while.�

The Blues and Legacy Foundation turned to the Hollywood Casino site after plans for the complex in Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park fell through in controversy a year ago. There were charges that the bulldozing of land there took place without needed approval from the National Park Service, and ultimately the Park Service blocked construction on the site.

Thursday’s groundbreaking at the new site was more ceremonial than usual for such events, because digging began in late June — even before all the financing was completed on the 25-acre, 277,000-square-foot project. As proof, there were acres of holes, hills and graded dirt behind Thursday’s ceremony.

The goal, which seems ambitious, is to have the project completed by September 2019.

Besides being the practice home of the Blues, the facility also will be used by Lindenwood University, the St. Louis AAA Blues and St. Louis Lady Cyclones hockey programs, as well as the St. Louis Blues Alumni Association

According to a preliminary “official statement� on the project, dated July 13, 2018, the Blues will pay annual rent of $312,000 and also make a capital commitment of about $2.7 million. Lindenwood will pay $275,000 in annual rent and make a capital contribution of $1.5 million.

The main rink will seat 2,500 spectators, with the other three rinks (two indoor, one outdoor) seating between 350 and 750 spectators. Other features in the official statement are a 1,500-square-foot retail space to sell St. Louis Blues and other team merchandise, a 2,000-square-foot restaurant plus outdoor patio dining, and a 12,700-square-foot St. Louis Ice ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Hall of Fame.

The outdoor rink and adjacent plaza can be converted to a 4,000-4,500 capacity venue for concerts, festivals, markets and other events in the spring and summer.

The project is being funded by $54 million in bonds by the Maryland Heights Industrial Development Authority, $6.5 million in cash contributions from the city of Maryland Heights, and $18 million more in contributions, grants and a community improvement sales tax.

Mike Moeller, the mayor of Maryland Heights, said the complex will draw 1 million visitors, result in 16,000 hotel room stays and bring an annual economic impact of $20 million.

“I think we will be able to attract tournaments, and tournaments of all sizes,� Zimmerman said. “National tournaments. All of these things play a big role in filling hotel rooms, in getting people into restaurants, and really just continuing to show people all of the opportunities in our region.�

So the purpose of the complex is two-fold: providing a showcase facility for youth and amateur hockey, and give the Blues a first-class practice facility.

In the official project statement, it was pointed out that Pittsburgh, a similar-sized market, has 44 ice rinks in its metropolitan area, to 20 for St. Louis.

“Quite honestly, it’s ice time,� Zimmerman said. “By creating more sheets of ice, we’re gonna have better (practice) times. We won’t have as many kids playing in those horrible 6 a.m. practices that have become so legendary. People won’t be driving as far. And part of it really is an opportunity for us to quite honestly improve the lives of hockey families.�

Current Blue and former Oakville High player Patrick Maroon spoke firsthand Thursday about how the dearth of ice rinks affected young players and their families. He joined Moeller, Quinn, Stillman and Zimmerman on a makeshift stage, along with Blues Hall of Famers Brett Hull and Bernie Federko.

Maroon said some of his earliest hockey practice memories included: “Waking up at 5 in the morning fully dressed. I’m still sleeping on the bench, I’m so cold, and my dad’s tying my skates.�

Later, when he was playing AAA hockey, he made the nearly hourlong trek — one-way — from Oakville to Wentzville for practices that began at 9:30 p.m. at night.

“We were 14 years old, 15 years old,â€� Maroon said. “Our parents were driving us, all the South County boys. One parent would carpool every day. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ were fighting — they didn’t want to drive that far.â€�

Underscoring the Blues’ commitment to youth hockey, the team announced a contribution of $100,000 in new rink development funds for a Chesterfield rink project as well as a donation of $10,000 annually to youth hockey organizations throughout the area.

For the Blues themselves, the complex gives the team a state-of-the-art facility which is a far cry from their current practice setup at the nearly deserted Mills in Hazelwood.

“Our guys are at the rink a lot,� Zimmerman said. “This is their job. This is their office. ... We want to be top-tier in how we support our players, and this is another piece of that.�