City planners deserve plaudits for the way downtown Champaign has exploded on summer weekends.
That festive atmosphere will be expanded into 25 wintry weekends if $50-plus million can be raised to support Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman's plan for a multi-purpose hockey structure.
Imagine the November excitement surrounding a 5,000-seat arena hosting volleyball on a Friday night, Big Ten hockey on Saturday and Illini wrestling on Sunday. That's the dream as Whitman spearheads a serious drive toward bringing it to reality.
Varsity hockey here, bolstered by thousands of Chicago area students, would soon rocket into the UI's third-most-attended sport behind football and men's basketball.