Voices From the Past
12/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 11, 2010
This week, the Spartan hockey program will prepare for the Big Chill at the Big House, a showdown with archrival Michigan at Michigan Stadium which is expected to draw a world-record crowd of nearly 110,000 spectators. Nearly a decade ago, the Michigan State athletic department staged the first modern outdoor game, and it has grown from novelty to a now-annual event in the National Hockey League. Michigan State successfully hosting this event was the genesis for no fewer than 20 outdoor events executed or planned for the 2010-11 season since MSU put on the first one on Oct. 6, 2001.
Come back to www.msuspartans.com every day this week to revisit that inaugural event through the recollections of current and former Spartan players, staff, and administrators who helped give birth to one of the beloved now-annual events of a hockey season.
PREVIOUS STORIES:
MONDAY: Hockey Pioneers
TUESDAY: Hockey in the Shadows of Tragedy
WEDNESDAY: Fresh-Faced Hero
THURSDAY: Beloved Memories Reside in Game's Roots
FRIDAY: Palmisano Has Fine Role Model
When this year's Spartan hockey team takes the ice at Michigan Stadium today, they will be battling the Wolverines, the weather, and the emotions of an once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The members of the Spartans' 2001 team dealt with the same situation when they hosted their rival from Ann Arbor in the Cold War at Spartan Stadium. Former goaltender Ryan Miller said that it was hard to ignore "how much hype there was" leading up to the first regular-season hockey game to be played outdoors.
"As a college player, it was the first real chance to play in front of certainly a large amount of people," said Miller, the 2001 Hobey Baker winner. "I think the most we were playing in front of was packed crowds at Joe Louis Arena and stuff like that, so to have that kind of hype, and attention paid to college hockey - ESPN was following it, Sports Illustrated was doing a big thing on it - for the event to be the first of it's kind, it was cool to be a part of.
"But it was a hockey game, it was Michigan vs. Michigan State, and obviously it was a lot of fun getting pumped up for that rivalry."
Jim Slater, who scored the tying goal for MSU during the historic game in East Lansing, said he couldn't imagine playing in front of more than the 74,554 fans who filled Spartan Stadium.
"When I played in it, it was unbelievable," said Slater, who now plays for the Atlanta Thrashers. "I can't imagine what these guys are thinking about going to Michigan and playing in front of 110,000 people. It was honestly one of the best hockey experiences that I've ever had, and I've had a lot of great ones. I look at that one as one of my all-time favorites for sure. It's a great feeling going out in front of those fans."
The MSU football team traveled to Michigan Stadium in October, where they beat the Wolverines 34-17. Former defenseman John-Michael Liles said that the hockey team will have a better understanding of what their football counterparts felt like when they participate in the Big Chill.
"You know what, [the Cold War] was a fantastic experience, something I'll definitely remember for a long, long time," Liles, now a member of the Colorado Avalanche, said. "It was well put together, everything about it - the on-ice activity, the game, the off-ice activities - it was just extremely special. To go out there in front of 70,000 people, it was just pretty incredible, imagining being a football player and doing that every week, I can't even imagine doing that. It was something I'll always remember very fondly."
Adam Hall, who served as captain for the Spartans during the Cold War, said it was hard to ignore how many fans were watching that day.
"You can tell," said Hall, now a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. "You walk out of the tunnel, and the crowd noise and the roar that you heard, and then you walk out of the tunnel, you just look up and it gets bigger and bigger. Just playing outdoors like that, there's just so much too take in at once, it's pretty overwhelming.
However, the noise levels may surprise the players this Saturday, and not in a way most people would expect. Troy Ferguson, who played center for the Spartans during the Cold War game, said that he was surprised to realize how quiet it was once he stepped on the ice.
"The way we had it set up, the walk from the dressing room that the football team uses to the arena was probably one of the best parts, because that's when you could really hear the crowd, and hear the immensity of the moment," said Ferguson, who is now a doctor practicing in the East Lansing area. "It was so loud, and they had some pyrotechnics and some fireworks, and the place was going crazy.
"But the really interesting thing was that once we stepped on the ice, the glass around the arena made it very insulated, so actually on the ice, it was quite quiet, and with no roof on the building, the noise kind of goes up. It was actually probably quite a bit quieter than we ever played in, even though there were 75,000 people there."
Andrew Hutchinson, who currently plays for the Wilkes-Barre Penguins of the AHL (the Pittsburgh Penguins' affiliate), said it was strange to not have fans along the boards during the Cold War.
"It's different because the fans are so far off the arena; you're used to them right behind the glass," Hutchinson said. "All the yelling and screaming in a smaller venue, but when you get out there on a football field, you see what they feel like during a football game, where there are people roaring, but you don't hear it for a couple of seconds, it's almost like an echo of cheers."
The Spartans will also battle the elements during the unique game.
"There were a few different things about playing outdoors vs. indoors," Slater recalled. "You'd be skating around and if you had one hand on the stick the wind would take your stick away from you. Obviously it was much, much colder, and every once in a while you'd get a face-full of snow through your cage, but other than that, it was pretty nice."
Drew Palmisano may be the coldest person on the ice, because as goaltender, he will have to stand for periods of time with no game action around him. Miller, who also played in the inaugural NHL Winter Classic as a member of the Buffalo Sabres, said Palmisano will need to try to enjoy the moment - even through snow or wind gusts.
"It was a little chilly when the wind was coming down, but it wasn't too bad," Miller said. "For the most part, being goalie, you're tense, you're moving every couple minutes at least, even if you're just coming out to play the puck. But you kind of just buy into the nostalgia of it, playing outside, and enjoy the moment of it, and taking the weather of it for what it is - it's just part of the game. I thought it was especially cool in Buffalo when it snowed through the whole first period, that just added a whole other element to it."
Miller also revealed that he had a little help with keeping warm during the outdoor game in Buffalo.
"It was little bit colder in Buffalo, obviously, during the New Year's Day game, so it was just making sure to keep insulated," the Vezina Trophy winner said. "Changing shirts in between periods so you're not too sweaty, and I had those hunting insoles in my skates so I would stay warm."
But more than anything else, the former Spartans want this year's team to enjoy the experience, because like many of them said, the week will be hectic and short.
"Just enjoy it," Liles said. "Soak up everything, because it's not something that happens every year. Just enjoy each and every thing."
"[The Cold War] was just so surreal, it was such a blur," Ferguson said. "You wish you could go back and relive it, because some of the memories are such a blur. There was so much excitement around it that sometimes it's tough to remember."
"I think you want to be able to take every second of it in, because it's something you will remember for the rest of your life," Hall said. "But it's also that you have to balance that with all the hype surrounding it. You have to think that it is still a game. It counts in the league standings. You know that at the end of the year every point matters, and it makes a big difference, so it's tough, you have to balance that. You want to participate and have fun with the event, but at the same time you're trying to ignore the hype and prepare to play the game the best you can. It's tough to balance those two sometimes."
"Just enjoy the time," Slater said. "This doesn't happen to everyone that plays hockey. It's a great rivalry that you're playing against Michigan in an atmosphere like that; it's something that you will take with you for a long time. So just enjoy the whole experience about it, what it brings, and obviously win the hockey game.
