Michigan Hockey: Anticipation Nears For 'The Big Chill at The Big House'

(Note: This article was originally published in May. It has been edited to make it more current).

When most of us laced up our ice skates for the first time, we hoped for a chance to actually play with the big boys on the neighborhood pond.

Mom had armed us with a warm scarf and a cut-down Northland Pro hockey stick.

The Detroit Fire Department had carefully flooded a rink-sized area in the nearby park, and we were ready for action. 

Playing outdoors eventually became a thing of the past, as indoor rinks began to spring up throughout the upper Midwest, and of course the Northeast. 

By the late 70s, Americans began to succeed in what was once a Canadian-dominated sport.

Fans of the National Hockey League also embraced the college game. Crowds grew, rivalries blossomed, and new arenas were built.

Successful college tournaments were held at the old Detroit Olympia and Boston Garden. 

Then, on October 6, 2001, Michigan State and Michigan took the game to another level.

Instead of playing before their usual turn-away crowd at East Lansing’s Munn Ice Arena, a rink was set up in the middle of the football field.

The two arch-rivals engaged in what was affectionately known as the “Cold War,“ which fittingly ended in a 3-3 tie.

The 74,544 in attendance at Spartan Stadium was by far the largest crowd ever to witness a hockey game. The battle set off a series of outdoor hockey “events” over the next decade. 

The latest, scheduled for this December 11 in Ann Arbor, will shatter the current record crowd set recently at the World Hockey Championships.  (The USA national team dropped a 2-1 decision May 7 to host Germany before 77,803 at Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen.)

Close to 105,000 fans will attend the rematch between Cold War rivals Michigan and Michigan State in the “Big Chill at the Big House.“ Michigan fans have already marveled at the stadium's extensive renovations. A new permanent lighting system will also be completed in time for the opening faceoff, further creating an atmosphere we'll never forget. 

Public sales have been suspended at 100,098, giving students with football or hockey season tickets a chance to secure them (at no charge) this fall.

Students will also find two very competitive hockey teams.

The squads split their six games during the 2009-10 campaign, but the Wolverines knocked Michigan State out of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs.

The Wolverines, winners of a  record nine NCAA championship, finished the season with a bitter 3-2 overtime loss to Miami (Ohio) in the Midwest Regional Final.

Despite the recession—and issues with the football team both on and off the field—this could be a record year for Michigan Stadium itself. More than 1,000,000 spectators could enter the stadium during 2010.

Attendance at the spring game was 35,000; President Obama helped draw 85,000 to graduation, seven home games could bring in 777,000; and the “Big Chill” might put the figure over the top.

Some claim the name of the event comes from the popular 1983 cult classic film, “The Big Chill,” directed by Michigan’s own Lawrence Kasdan.

Who can forget stars Tom Berenger, Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, and William Hurt romping around in a dandy touch football game, while Michigan and Michigan State were scoring touchdowns on television.

In any case, odds are that it will be cold when the first puck is dropped at 3 pm. Average high during early December is 35, while the low is 22.