MINNEAPOLIS -- Zygi Wilf beamed in the middle of the sharp-dressed group, a gold-painted shovel in his hands, a purple Vikings hard hat on his head and star running back Adrian Peterson by his side. Finally, the work on Minnesotas polarizing and long-sought new stadium was under way. After more than a decade of planning, dealing and pleading, the $1 billion project began Tuesday with a formal groundbreaking in downtown Minneapolis. About 600 people, including local politicians, business leaders and chanting fans, were in attendance as Wilf, Peterson, Gov. Mark Dayton and many others took turns flipping dirt and smiling for photos as fireworks exploded overhead. The grinning and digging took place in the parking lot next to the Metrodome, where the Vikings have played since 1982. Their last game there is Dec. 29, and a three-month demolition of the Teflon-topped stadium will start in mid-January. After two years outdoors at the University of Minnesota, the Vikings are scheduled to inaugurate the ship-shaped, glass-encased venue in time for the 2016 season. During a set of speeches in a nearby tent, Dayton joked that he felt just like Vikings coach Leslie Frazier after the teams 23-20 overtime victory Sunday over Chicago. "I cant believe its over, and I cant believe we won," Dayton said. State lawmakers enacted a bill last year to fund the stadium with the threat, real or perceived, of the 52-year-old franchise moving to Los Angeles hovering over the often-tense process. Many of the same hard-core, costumed fans who camped out at the state capitol to help lobby for a deal were at the event Tuesday, their presence recognized by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. "Sometimes democracy includes painting faces and wearing horns," Rybak said. The public is on the hook for roughly half the cost: $498 million. The NFL and Vikings are handling the rest, with much of the teams share coming from corporate naming rights and fees on season ticketholders, known as personal seat licenses. Many lawmakers and citizens have railed against the project since it was first raised as a possibility around the turn of the century when Red McCombs owned the team. Dayton was a driving force behind the legislation, but even he publicly criticized the Vikings for the proposed PSLs. The Vikings recently pledged to increase their contribution to more than $500 million to make sure the project has all the top-end amenities they want, like high-definition televisions in extra-wide concourses. "Whatever that took to get that done, we had to step up because our fans are what this is all about," Mark Wilf said in an interview after the event. He added: "When its actually here and you see the shovels out there beginning to dig, its exciting." Its also a nice respite from a challenging season. The Vikings have gone from a 10-6 playoff team in 2012 to a 3-8-1 mess this year. And the Wilfs, who built their fortune in a family real estate business, were ordered in September by a New Jersey court to pay $84.5 million to two former business partners the judge ruled they defrauded in a deal forged in the 1980s. So this event was a true highlight. "This is a positive, exciting and great project, and thats been our focus," Mark Wilf said. "I think as the project goes up, as people start seeing the frame go up, and the building become a reality over these next 2 1/2 years, and the jobs being created and the excitement being generated, I think its going to be something that all Minnesotans can appreciate." Mark Wilf declined to answer a question about the performance of Frazier and general manager Rick Spielman. "Were of course disappointed in our season. We didnt expect to be where we are," he said. "One of our goals was to get the stadium project built and have a great facility but our ultimate goal is to win championships and Super Bowls." Away from the festivities, a collection of conservative groups and lawmakers held a counter-event to try to keep focus on the stadiums heavy taxpayer subsidy. They described the financing as shaky, noting that a prior plan to pay for the $350 million state share through electronic gambling has fallen woefully short of projections. Lawmakers plugged the gap in a stadium account this year with a one-time diversion of tobacco taxes and for the future with a corporate tax. "Its a bad day for Minnesotans," said Republican state Sen. Roger Chamberlain. "Were talking about taxpayers paying for Zygi to walk away with hundreds of millions in his pocket if he sold the team, not to mention the increased annual profits. This is not about having football or no football, stadium or no stadium. We could have done this a better way." 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This would be her fourth Olympic appearance, having competed in Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 before retiring at age 24.MONTREAL -- It seems that New Jersey Devils veterans Jaromir Jagr and Martin Brodeur still have some good hockey left in their 41-year-old bodies. The future hall of famers stole the show at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night, with Jagr moving into seventh place in all-time goal scoring and Brodeur stopping 29 shots as the Devils downed the Montreal Canadiens 4-1. "We talk to each other a lot about certain things," Brodeur said. "I think we have a lot in common about what our careers brought us. "Its nice to relate to a guy. Its been a while since Ive been able to do that here in New Jersey because we had so many young guys. Its been fun to watch him play. Its pretty impressive what hes accomplished." Jagr tied the game at 17:23 of the first period with his first goal in 11 games and his 14th of the season. But more importantly, it was the 695th of a career that began in 1990 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. That moved him past Mark Messier into seventh place all-time in goals. It came days after he passed former Penguins teammate Mario Lemieux for seventh place in career points with 1,724. Brodeur, making his first start in four games, extended his NHL record for wins to 682, although a Max Pacioretty goal at the 7:00 mark of the first period kept his shutout record at 124. At the end, both were called onto the ice for an ovation from the 21,273 Bell Centre fans as Brodeur was named first star and Jagr got second star. "I didnt expect that in somebody elses building, but theres a little history here for me," said Brodeur, a Montreal native whose father Denis was once the Canadiens team photographer. "Its definitely nice of them to do that." Montreal had a 30-19 shot advantage, but the Devils (20-18-10) scored more than two goals for the first time in six outings and the second time in their last 11. Brodeur and some tenacious third-period checking did the rest as New Jersey stretched its points streak to five games. Canadiens coach Michel Therrien felt his team played with energy, but just couldnt score. "We competed," said Therrien. "We set the tempo, but the story of the game was Marty Brodeur. "He was phenomenal. We were the attacking team. We outshot them, but it was one of those nights when you run into a hot goaltender." Despite their age, neither Brodeur nor Jagr has decidedd on retirement just yet.dddddddddddd. The game was billed as possibly Brodeurs last visit to the Bell Centre, but hes not ready to concede that. "It might be my last one but it might not either," he said. "I just want to play well when I play. "It doesnt matter what situation Im in. Im there to win hockey games and thats it. Ill do that as long as they let me do it." Jagr, who was chosen to play for the Czech Republic at the Sochi Olympics next months, was even more adamant about continuing his career. "Ive said many times, Im not thinking about retiring yet," he said. "Im not counting my games yet, as long as I have fun." Goals early in the second frame from youngsters Eric Gelinas and Adam Henrique were the difference. Dainius Zubrus scored into an empty net, with an assist from Jagr, in the final minute. Brodeur said Paciorettys goal on a long wrist shot that flew past his glove caused him to bear down and try to keep the Devils in the game. "Our team, were kind of goal challenged, so its hard to give up the first goal," he said. "I havent played in a while and I thought this is not good. But I picked it up after that a little bit and we played a really solid hockey game." Montreal (26-16-5) was coming off one of its best games of the season in a 2-1 win over Chicago but could not duplicate that effort. The Canadiens went 0 for 3 with the man advantage, a fifth-straight game with no power-play goals. Pacioretty struck first with his 20th of the season, but Jagr got it back when he got around Josh Gorges and used his long reach to put the puck past Carey Price and in off the far post. Gelinas scored from the point on a power play 1:20 into the second period and Henrique got his sixth goal in the last 10 games from a scramble in the Montreal crease at 4:02. The crowd booed as what appeared to be a Brendan Gallagher goal was disallowed later by video review for inadvertently kicking the puck in late in the second. Notes: David Desharnais sat out with a flu and his spot on Montreals top line was taken by Lars Eller. Francis Bouillon moved in as a seventh defenceman. . . Ryan Clowe picked up two assists and has seven points in his last five games. . . It was the third and last meeting of the season between the teams. Montreal won the series 2-1-0. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '