Watch out Detroit -- Happy Valley is now HockeyTown!

It's an historic day here at Only in State College.  For the first time, there's a crossover with my other blog, The Itinerant Professor.  All you puckheads in Detroit, Boston, or Pittsburgh have to watch out -- Happy Valley is about to become the center of the hockey universe.  Penn State announced yesterday the largest gift in the university's history, $88 million, for the building of a hockey arena and to move the university's men's and women's hockey teams from club status to Division 1.  Woo hoo!!!

So Penn State - long known for being a cow town, or the home of The Creamery, or most notably, a football school - is going to become known as HockeyTown.  Here's how the Centre Daily Times covered the story.

Family gives $88 million | Arena to seat at least 5,000 | NHL games possible

Gift brings hockey to PSU

Gordon Brunskill

September 18, 2010 8:10am EDT

UNIVERSITY PARK — Ice hockey is returning to Penn State. After more than a half-century of waiting, and the last four decades as a club sport, the university announced Friday it would be bringing back varsity men’s and women’s programs.

CDT/Christopher Weddle

Kim and Terry Pegula, center, receive hockey jerseys and sticks from Joe Battista, left, Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and PSU president Graham Spanier after a news conference announced the university's plans to begin NCAA division I men and women's hockey at the Nittany Lion Inn on Friday, September 17,

The return comes thanks to the largest single private gift in the university’s history, $88 million from Terrence M. and Kim Pegula to fund a multi-purpose arena and establish men’s and women’s varsity programs on campus.

“It’s a new turning point for Penn State, made possible by an unprecedented act of philanthropy,” university President Graham Spanier said during a press conference at the Nittany Lion Inn. “... The Pegula’s unparalleled generosity will make it possible for Penn State to serve our region and our student athletes in exciting new ways.” 

The arena, which does not yet have a name and is expected to have 5,000-6,000 seats, will have two sheets of ice and will not only be home to Nittany Lion hockey, but also figure skating programs, public skating sessions, youth camps, high school games and recreation leagues. The university also hopes the arena will play host to NHL and AHL exhibition games.

Click to read the rest of the story.