On this day in 1923 give a hearty cheers to the unofficial birth of the Michigan ice hockey program. As beautifully chronicled in John U. Bacon’s Blue Ice, the long road for fans of the sport on campus culminated on this day 91 years ago as Michigan took on Wisconsin at The Coliseum. U-M’s Eddie Kahn netted the first goal in team history, and it was Robert Anderson who tallied the game winner in overtime for the 2-1 victory. Sharing a few quotes from Blue Ice that Bacs pulled from the Michigan Daily: “Hockey is a game that nine-tenths of the students have never seen, and could not be persuaded to attend,” one student wrote, in a piece that is almost as accurate today as it was when the anonymous student wrote it eight decades ago. “There are many others, however, who will turn out for the first game. This last class will be the one that will furnish the hockey following, for few people who have ever seen a game have failed to become confirmed enthusiasts. It is a sport that combines the science of football, the combination demands of basketball and the individual skill of baseball, with a speed that belongs to hockey alone.” “Above all other attributes of the game itself, the greatest reason why the Coliseum…
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Ice Evolution
On Monday Red Berenson taught Sam Webb and the rest of the media a little bit about ice. Here’s what he said (thanks to Ira at WTKA for the clip): [display_podcast] Building on Red’s description of the surface for Saturday’s game, I thought it’d be cool to take a look at how the ice has evolved over the years. Where did I find a lot of this info? John U. Bacon’s outstanding book Blue Ice of course, get yours if you don’t. “Outdoor/Outdoor” Ice (1900-1916): Michigan hockey, or at least something like it, started after the turn of the century as students formed ‘The Huron Hockey Club’—a group of students that played the game on the Huron River and its “outdoor/outdoor” ice. According to Blue Ice, in those early days instead of sweaters they wore bowler hats, coats and ties. In lieu of pucks they used things “tin cans, wood blocks, frozen fruit and even packed horse manure.” I’m guessing you could also find a little bit of “maize ice” near the woods back in those days. For years the group lobbied the athletic department unsuccessfully for funding and more importantly, for its place amongst the other varsity sports. “Indoor/Outdoor” Ice (1916-1927): The sport (and ice skating in general) was growing in popularity as the years went on. Eventually the…