The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - October 20, 1997 - 3B
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F&A: Are crda C
Former 'M' icer reflects on life as a Cup champion
As a star student-athlete at Michigan,
aton Ward frequently brought his team-
rates with him to help different charita-
ble programs. One of the most rewarding
experiences for Ward was visiting sick
children at Motts Children's Hospital in
Ann Arbor Now a member of the Detroit
Red Wings, Ward again visited Mott's this
past summer This time he brought with
him the Stanley Cup - the most coveted
awardfor all hockeyfans, and the award
that now has his name on it.
In his second full season with the
Wings, Ward hasn'tforgotten his days at
the University. From the good memories
of winning the CCHA regular season, to
the frustrating days when he chose to
forego his senior year to play profession-
ally, Ward remembers it all. He can even
repeat most of the Yost Ice Arena cheers
verbatim.
The Daily's Jordan Field recently sat
down with Ward to talk about what he
W earned from the University, winning the
'tanlev Cup and, of course, those insane
Michigan hockey cheers.
DAILY: Could you have ever imagined
that you would be so fortunate to be a
part of a Stanley Cup championship so
early in your professional career?
WARD: Winning the Cup is something
I never could have foreseen happening. I
went through college three years and we
:aime so close those years to winning,
.ut after winning this championship you
iealize that it takes is so much more to
reach the level of play to win a champi-
onship. I am very fortunate to be a part
of this team, and to have experience what
we did last season.
D: What do you see as the biggest dif-
ferences between the college and the
professional game?
W: Well, first I guess you feel a little
more brave in college with the mask on.
You don't need to be as aware with a
mask protecting you. I went through col-
lege three years and you have to be more
responsible for your stick, your elbows
and aware of everyone else's. In the pros,
you need to understand there are big
guys out here that will make you pay for
things you've
done.
D: Other than
the basic rule
changes, what
else has changed f
for you now that
you are playing
hockey as a job,
rather than as a
student for your
University -
especially com-
paring the rowdy ;.
Michigan hock-y
ey fans to the Joe,
Louis Arena
fans?
W: It's so much of a different atmos-
phere in college. I still appreciate the
days I played for the U-M crowd because
we had a pep band, and fans that were so
involved. Here, I wouldn't want to deem
them the "true fans," but the fans that
pay their money to come and wear their
jersey, have their beer and yell until they
lose their voice tend to be a little higher
up in the stands. In college, we had those
type fans right on top of you - and it
was often the people that went to class
with you. Back in college, I could be in
the middle of the game and pick out
someone in the stands and think, "Hey, I
have Comm 101 with that guy," and he'd
be in his hockey jersey cheering at the
top of his lungs. I miss those days some-
times. I can still repeat all of the cheers.
D: I know that only a few people on
the team got to the NHL, through the
route you took, playing college hockey.
For your teammates today who spent
years in the OHL or WHL before mak-
ing the NHL, what do you tell them
about your experience?
W: I tell them all the time about my
experience. Basically, I try to pass on
some of the things I
have gone through.
You can see the
excitement in their
eyes when they hear
my stories. I tell them
that the fans in col-
r : lege really don't boo
at you, and there is
just such an incredi-
ble level of excite-
ment playing in front
of your classmates,
and the University. I
tell the guys the
cheers from U-M and
the favorite one for
everyone from the
OHL and the other junior leagues, is the
one. "that goalie, he's not a goalie; he's a
vacuum. He's not a vacuum; he's a black
hole..." Everyone seems to enjoy hearing
about college.
D: What were the most important
things you learned from going to college?
W: I think the biggest thing I learned
in college was to open up. When you
grow up playing hockey like I did I was
always around the same people, and we
were all pretty much the same. All of my
friends were hockey players then. But in
college I found that I was in an environ-
ment where there were so many different
people and so many different interests. I
really learned to appreciate that. I can
remember great experiences in the
dorms, and working in study groups,
where I learned a lot about the people I
was with.
D: How has that helped you now at
this stage in you life?
W: I think it has helped me after col-
lege, because when you get in an envi-
ronment playing professional hockey, if
you are smart enough and keen enough
and aware enough to recognize so many
opportunities that are present, you can
really capitalize from the people around
you. But, then again, I didn't learn
Russian or Swedish in the dorms to help
me here.
I'm just kidding. I definitely feel more
at case because of my experience in col-
lege. I wasn't the kind of guy who spent
his time only with his roommates, I went
out and met people.
D: You left Michigan after your junior
year. What kind of decision was it for
you to forgo your senior year?
W: The hardest part about it was the
negative reaction I received from people
at the University who I felt were my
friends. I felt there was a negative back-
lash toward my decision. And it came
understandably, because I know people
thought my senior year was going to be
the year for me to step it up and play a
big role. But I felt that I needed to make
a decision, not selfishly, but in my best
interest. I actually just got myself back in
school, so that never stopped being a pri-
ority, but at the time hockey was what I
felt I had to do.
D: You returned to campus over the
summer for the hockey alumni game.
Was that the first time you've been back
to Yost since 1993?
W: It was the first time back since
Yost had been remodeled. I haven't spent
too much time in Ann Arbor since leav-
ing because my life has changed since
then. I'm married now, and, of course,
busy here. I'll never forget the times
there, but I've moved on with my life.
But I guess in many ways I'm the same,
because I still sit down every Saturday
that I can to watch the Michigan game. I
bought ESPN GamePlan so I can get
every game on TV, so I'm still pretty die-
hard.
D: It must have been nice to be able to
stay in general area after leaving Ann
Arbor to go play in Detroit. How has that
helped you?
W: It's funny because, I came to the
Wings and I wasn't a complete unknown
to the fans. Maybe some had seen me
play on PASS, or were Michigan fans, so
its been great being able to stay. It made
turning from college to pro just so much
easier because I know the area, the
media and the people. It was so much
easier than going somewhere like Dallas,
say that would have been new in every
capacity.
D: I know over the summer you
brought the Stanley Cup to Mott
Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor. Has it
always been important for you to help
children?
W: Absolutely, and it was something
that I learned at the University of
Michigan. Many of the athletes at school
were involved in charitable programs. I
made a trip to Mott's once when I was in
college. From my point of view, then I
was a college athlete who didn't receive
much notoriety, but to see so many
smiles and the happiness that we were
able to bring the children by visiting, it
was something I'll never forget. So I fig-
ured that now if there was something I
could give back to the University, I want-
ed it to be for something like this. It was
exciting for me to return to Mott's. My
wife had actually brought up the idea of
taking the Cup to a hospital, and I knew
I wanted to visit Mott's because I knew it
was a class operation, and it was affiliat-
ed with U-M.
D: Has it sunken in yet that your name
will forever be engraved on the Stanley
Cup?
W: The other day we had a pre-game
ceremony in which the Cup was there
and I kept looking at it. I think it has
sunken in that we won the Cup and that
is just the ultimate goal for any hockey
player. I know that my name will forever
be on it, but there have been a couple
times that I looked to see if my name was
still there, and it was right there in the
same spot. It's pretty unbelievable to
think what we accomplished. Plus, I'll be
pretty happy when I get that ring too.
ALAN
GOLDENBACH
The Bronx Bomber
Stars'reorton NCA A1
Us right on the 'money'
E arlier this month, the Kansas City Star ran a six-part series exposing
the bureaucracy that is the NCAA. The series was impressively and
extensively researched. It was such a magnificent compilation of
investigative journalism that the Pulitzer Prize will probably be in the Star's
future.
The six parts to the piece were Money, Perks, Enforcement, Safety,
Women and Classroom. Each piece attempted to expose inconsistencies in
the execution of basic principles that the NCAA is supposed to maintain,
oversee, protect and advocate.
The Star prefaced the series with the statement: "Ever since the NCAA
began in 1906, money and prestige have lured it from its mission - to
make amateur sports part of a college education. This fall, the sports
machine is revving louder than ever."
Quite a forceful message, to say the very least.
This week, the NCAA responded to the Star's series with a lengthy
2,300-word editorial in the Star.
The response was written by Samuel 11. Smith, chair of the NCAA exec-
utive committee (whatever that means) and president of Washington State,
and Cedric W. Dempsey, the NCAA's executive director, evidently the two
most powerful - if not influential people - in the organization.
Smith and Dempsey outlined their opposition to the report, confining
their qualms to three of the Star's main assertions:
e The NCAA does not adhere to its mission.
Money drives the association, such that its financial practices are
inconsistent with its nonprofit status, while the integrity of its investigation
and compliance functions are compromised.
The NCAA is insensitive to matters of student-athlete welfare, such as
health and safety, Title IX compliance and academic success.
Smith and Dempsey wrote that the mission is "to maintain intercollegiate
athletics as an integral part of the educational program and the athlete as an
integral part of the student body."
The Star is absolutely correct in asserting that the NCAA does not adhere
to its mission. low can anyone say with a straight face that intercollegiate
athletics are part of the educational program when several of the NCAA's
model institutions -- like Michigan - are keeping the athletic department
separate from the rest of the University's administration?
Athletic directors are no longer in the mold of Michigan legends like
Don Canham, Fritz Crisler or Bo Schembechler, people who had a back-
ground in athletics, people who knew about first downs and free throws,
rather than licensing deals and multi-million-dollar budgets. Today, athletic
directors are chosen on their organizational and business abilities rather
than their sports know-how.
This type of background knowledge is stressed in the hiring of depart-
mental officials and filters right down through the rest of the department's
administration. When all is said and done, the composition of every athletic
department shows that the emphasis of intercollegiate athletics is not on
giving the student-athletes with an extra-curricular supplement to their edu-
cation, but on the costs of operating this massively ostentatious revenue-
generating machine.
Whoosh - not Swoosh - out the window goes Smith and Dempse's
second counter-point - that money is not the driving force in the associa-
tion.
Finally, Smith and Dempsey contend that the NCAA does more than the
Star gives it credit for regarding its sensitivity to student-athlete welfare,
Title IX enforcement and success in the classroom.
As far as being concerned about the health of its student-athletes om the
field, there's only so much the NCAA can do. Most schools hire full-time
team doctors and training staffs to oversee the health of the student-athletes
both on the field and in the weight room. This is one claim for which Smith
and Dempsey have a legitimate backing.
But as far as Title IX compliance and supervising academics in the class-
room go, the Star is right on the money. Smith and Dempsey say that since
See GOLDENBACH, Page 6B
Soccer sweeps young conference foes
By Jacob R. Wheeler
Daily Sports Writer
Despite bone-chilling temperatures
during Friday afternoon's game, the
Michigan women's soccer team was on
fire. The inferno burned through the
weekend and the Wolverines engulfed
Illinois on Friday and Iowa on Sunday.
Michigan (6-1-1 Big Ten, 13-2-1 over-
all) shutout the Hawkeyes, 4-0, behind
*wo goals from senior forward Ruth
Poulin. Her second-half goals boosted
the Wolverines to their school-record
sixth conference victory, as junior goal-
tender Jessica Jones recorded her third
complete shutout.
Michigan would not have to count on
its goalkeeping Friday, however, when
Illinois came to town.
The Wolverines scored a team-record
nine goals, lighting up the young and
*nexperienced Fighting Illini like a pin-
ball machine, 9-1. This is Illinois' first
season as a varsity team, and it showed
the entire 90 minutes..
"We took advantage of their weak-
nesses and put the ball in the net,'
Michigan coach Debbie Belkin said.
"We've been working on different ways
to score. We were practicing getting to
the endline and finding people running
through the box."
* The Wolverines delivered one quality
centering pass after another from both
endlines. Michigan took 27 shots on goal
and converted one-third of them against
jllinois. Two Wolverines tallied record-
setting hat tricks enroute to Michigan's
I 0th-consecutive victory at home.
The Wolverines clinched a share of
second place in the Big Ten with their vic-
tory over Iowa, thanks to Penn State's 4-3
overtime loss at Minnesota, on Friday.
Michigan outshot Iowa, 18-4, and Jones
only had to make one save on the day.
"Every conference game is really
important right now because it could
affect our seeding," Belkin said.
Only Minnesota stands between
Michigan and a conference title. But the
Golden Gophers don't have a scorer as
prolific as Amber Berendowsky.
The Michigan forward staked her
claim as one of the best players in the
nation on Friday, tallying two goals and a
team-record three assists against Illinois.
The sophomore entered the weekend
third in the nation in scoring -
Berendowsky now has 14 goals and 15
assists on the season.
The supporting cast recorded some
big numbers of its own against Illinois.
Midfielder Kacy Beitel and super-sub
Poulin scored three goals each - a team
record. Poulin's five goals on the week-
end raise her season points total to 28,
tied for second on the team with Beitel.
Although Illinois' goal, scored off of a
penalty kick, stopped Michigan's con-
secutive shutout streak at three games, it
didn't keep the Wolverines down for
long. From the outset, the Illini were no
match for Michigan's powerful offense.
"As the score indicates, it's been pret-
ty tough for us this year," Illinois coach
Jillian Ellis said. "We're a first year pro-
gram that hasn't had a recruiting class."
Leading 6-1 in the first half, Michigan
racked up three more goals in the second
frame of play. Poulin, Beitel and
Berendowsky each scored another goal,
adding to their team-leading totals.
Berendowsky leads the team with 14
goals. But Poulin (13 goals) and Beitel
(12) aren't far behind.
Volunteers ages 18 years and up, who have
athlete's foot, are needed for a research study at
the University of Michigan Department of
Dermatology.
Eligible participants will be
compensated for their time and effort.
For more information, please call: (313) 936-4070
Monday-Friday, 8:00a.m. to 5:00p.m.
)(AUSTRALIA 0 CANADA 0 CHILE 0 CHINA 0 CZECH REPUBLIC 0
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