The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday -December 1, 1997-3B tK Former Michigan hockey up the Wolverines progran For many students, the big names fivm Michigan hockey tend to be the likes of ndan Morrison, Jason Botterill and John Madden. Those were the leaders of 'We Michigan team that won the CCHA and NCAA championships just two years x ~go. But one year before that team, Michigan also had a great season that tends to be forgotten in the shadow of the NCAA title. That year, senior Mike nuble led the Wolverines to a 22-4- season, capturing the CCHA title. g Knuble led the team in goals, netting 38 scores in only 34 games. After his four years at Michigan, Knuble has moved on. And even though he hasn't moved too far away from Anns Arbor, his game has come a long way. Hew is now in his rookie season in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings. Last year; as the Wings won the Stanley Cup, Knuble fent most of the year at the Wingsfarm system in Adirondack, missing his second championship by one year But you won't hear any complaints from Knuble. He is o working hard and proud to be where he is today - still in metro Detroit. The Daily's Jordan Field recently spoke with Knuble about making it to the NHL, the fans at Yost Ice Arena and his days as a student athlete. K: I'm definitely goi DAILY: I know that most of the guys on of the younger guys do his team, and in the NHL for that matter, year to see a game at Yo idn't go the college route that you took here would be really k to reach this league. What do you tell game and see what it's your teammates about your college expe- really highly of the gar rience at U of M? and they'd be intereste KNUBLE: They like to hear bits and still think they'd be in fo pieces about stuff. About the football they really see what it's games, just about life in college, like screaming swear word about the parties and stuff like that. They playing, it's a whole ot are all interested now in Michigan foot- stadium. ball, because I make them watch the D: What are you be ames. I know when Aaron (Ward) and I student-athlete at U ofN ook the cup to Michigan Stadium some K: Well, we only pla of the guys saw that on TV, so it's nice to a week during the seaso tell them about my experiences and to let best memories come f them know what it was like taking class- out with the guys that es and playing hockey for a top messing around in the University. stuff like that. I still ta D: It sounds like you've made some of once or twice a week. your teammates here Michigan fans. Is life-long friends and h that true? other's weddings. K: For sure. When Michigan wins D: How did you ben everyone will congratulate me and peo- ing college to play ho *le here will be pulling for my old teams playing juniors? too. But if they lose, then the guys are all K: As far as hocke over me asking questions like, 'what's really the best way for going on with your team?' Especially bloomer, and not really how the University has been in the media anything, so I needed th recently in kind of a negative light for the Had I gone to juniors allegations with the basketball program, may not have had the everyone was bugging me and asking me have finished my care about it. was 20. But at 20, I w D: What do you tell everyone about year of college and si he fans at Yost? develop in a great envir nuble player Mike Knuble talks about building n and playing for a Stanley Cup champion ng to bring some own with me this st. I think people excited to see a all about. I speak mes at Michigan, d to see it. But I r a surprise when all about. People ds and the band her world in that st memories as a M? yed maybe twice n, so most of my rom the hanging I lived with. Just house, and stupid lk to those guys We really made ave gone to each efit from attend- ckey rather than y went, that was me. I was a late a high recruit or e work on the ice. or something, I time, and could er by the time I as in my second till had time to onment. The way Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson runs things I had great opportunities to improve on the ice and as a person. We had tough conditioning and off season stuff, he wanted us to be champions and work hard like champions. Aside from hockey, I came to college so naive, I did- n't know anything. I was scared, but I came a long way being a student and grew a lot, especially socially. Michigan is a big school, and I really learned a lot. I wish I could do it again knowing what I know now. D: How has it benefited you to not only stay in the metro Detroit area after graduation, but to also have former Wolverine teammate, Aaron Ward, play- ing with you here on the Wings? K: Boy, it really is a small world. For all the teams we could have played for, I never would have thought we would be together again. We played together a lot even before Michigan. I played with him in the minors, then Michigan and now here. It's almost like he's my brother. It's almost like he's a part of the family. It's great playing with him and it would be really weird to play against him ever. And it is nice to stay here in Michigan. It's almost like I'm sheltered here. Growing up part of my life here, playing at Michigan and playing for the Wings, it's kind of a corny story, but it's been great and lucky for me. I couldn't imag- ine playing any place else. I went to a top college program and now a top profes- sional organization all in the same area. I've really been lucky. D: Do you still feel ties to Red Berenson and your former teammates at Michigan? K: Sure. I still see those guys, or speak to Red or the other coaches. But it's hard to stay in contact with that many people. I wish I could, but people are very busy. I'll watch for people in the paper, and look up their stats. or if I play against people, I'll always meet with them after the game to catch up on each other's lives. It's nice to ahvavs have that bond of the old memories together. Sometimes I'll go visit Red just to say 'hi' and he'll start talking hockey and picking apart my game. That's just the kind of guy Red is, he loves hockey. But he and I got along real well. He pushed me to work hard and always kept an eye out for us. D: The year after you graduated, Michigan hockey won the NCAA title, and last year you spent most of the sea- son with (the Red Wings farm system team in) Adirondack while the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup. Just a case of bad luck, missing two championship by one year? K: Well, I certainly would have liked to be in this position with the team last season. But, I guess it is just missing out on being in the right place at the right time. It took me a little while there in the minors to really be ready for this level, and unfortunately I was just one year behind. But things worked out in the end and I worked my way up here. Things are going well now, so even though I missed out on the Cup, I really have no com- plaints. At Michigan it was just to bad we couldn't win it while I was there, because we were so close. I knew it was just a matter of time for that team. I was sorry to miss out on it, but I just couldn't have been happier for everyone there. It was big for the program because we were right there on the edge for so many years and then we finally crossed over. D: You were in a small group of peo- ple whose names were left off the Stanley Cup last year. Was that a major disappointment for you? K: Well, it was pretty expected. I knew I didn't make the qualifications to be on the cup. Sure I really do wish my name could be on the Stanley Cup with everyone else, because that is something you can really be proud of, but I under- stand. Now I just need to come up with a good story why I have the ring, but my name's not on the cup. I guess it's extra incentive to want it this year. Everyone else in this lockerroom would love to repeat, but that's something I have over the other guys. JOHN\\ LEROI Out of Bounds Huskers just keep look/ig worse, ndother ,4thoughts n this crazy season of college football where Notre Dame loses more often than Purdue, and Washington State gets a Rose Bowl invitation for the first time in more than 60 years, Michigan has some thank yous to pass around. The Wolverines are already indebted to Missouri for taking previously top-ranked Nebraska to overtime before succumbing to the Cornhuskers. Add to that list the Florida Gators who dished Florida State its first loss of the sea- son two Saturday's ago; and the Colorado Butfaloes, who nearly pulled off one of the greatest comebacks since Kordell Stewart stepped into Michigan Stadium. Alas, Nebraska remains unbeaten, and even though the Wolverines' lead in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll is widening with every Nebraska turnover, there will sure- ly be hell to pay if both the Wolverines and Cornhuskers finish the season undefeated. In that case, add Michigan State to Michigan's thank you list for beating then-No. 4 Penn State and Vanderbilt for almost doing the same to No. 3 Tennessee. No offense to the Nittany Lions and Volunteers, but neither stands a chance against Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. The Seminoles are the best bet to knock off Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. So, if Auburn beats the Volunteers in the SEC championship game on Saturday, Florida State will be heading to Miami. Might as well address another one of those thank you cards to Terry Bowden. Of course considering Nebraska has performed so poorly the past few weeks, it is not out of the realm of possibility for Texas A & M to upset the Cornhuskers in the Big 12 championship game. Okay, better buy one more thark you card for the Aggies just in case. And, why, pray tell, should we thank Vanderbilt. Not only did the Commodores bring Tennessee down to Earth, they also rattled Peyton Manning almost as much as Florida did, diminishing his chances of winning the Heisman Trophy. Michigan All-everything Charles Woodson will be announced as the Walter Camp College Football Player of the Year at a press conference in Schembechler Hall today, and a poll of ESPN Sportszone readers has Woodson as the favorite to win the Heisman. Manning still may win it, but Woodson is looking better every Saturday, even when he isn't playing. Will coach for money After taking the Longhorns to bowl games in every season but his first in Austin, John Makovic was fired as Texas' coach a day after losing to Texas A & M. Likewise, Arkansas let go of Danny Ford after an uneventful season in Little Rock. In this day of parity in college football, losing seasons at large schools simply are not tolerated, thanks in part to the recent success of Northwestern, Kansas State and Washington State. That prompted Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue and Illinois to give their coaches the ax last season, which has paid dividends to the Boilermakers, whose new head man, Joe Tiller, has Purdue, at 8-3, in the Alamo Bowl but deserving better. Spartans say Aloha It may sound stupid, but when Michigan State and Penn State play, you can throw the records out the window. The Spartans whipped the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions, 49-14, in Spartan Stadium in what has been a long-anticipated victory. The Spartans, at 7-4 and Aloha Bowl bound, are actually a better team than they are given credit. Remember, the Spartans are just two field goals away from being 9-2. Historically, Michigan State has played its best game of the season against Penn State for the last four years, but has lost each time before Saturday's victory. The worst letdown was a 20-point Spartan lead that was erased by four Bobby Engram touch- down receptions in 1993. Michigan State was a big reason the Nittany Lions decided to join the Big Ten, when former Spartan coach George Perles and Penn State coach Joe Patemo agreed to face off to end every season. Paterno, whose Nittany Lions lost out on an Alliance Bowl bid with the loss, might be rethinking that decision. --John Leroi can be reached via e-mail atjrleroi@umich.edu. Spartans win Classic on Klein *putback EAST LANSING (AP) - ronzaga coach Dan Monson wasn't surprised that it was a putback at the buzzer by Michigan State's Jason Klein that beat his team in the cham- pionship game of the Spartan Classic. "It was an unfortunate basket to ose on, but it was probably poetic justice that it would end on a ,rebound," Monson said Saturday after the host Spartans pulled out a 70-68 victory. ,,Gonzaga's Bakari Hendrix blocked ,Mateen Cleaves driving layup, but the ball went to Klein, who laid it in from the left side of the basket. "The ball went through a couple of hands and I just scooped it and it vent in," Klein said. It was the first loss of the season for Gonzaga (5-1), which won the T6p of the World tournament last Sunday with a victory over No. 5 Clemson. Freshman Andre Hutson led Michigan State (3-1) with a season- .high 13 points. David Thomas, Cleaves, Morris Peterson and Klein each scored 10 points. Cleaves had a career-high I1 assists, while Thomas grabbed 10 rebounds to help the Spartans gain a 41-22 edge on the boards. "The biggest key to the game was giving them so many extra opportuni- ties," Monson said. "They're so quick to the ball and stronger than we are and they made all the plays." I I Itlp'..