B0 16B - The Michigan Daily - FACEOFF 2000 - Thursday, October 5, 2000 r EMMM w w w w The old barn - the tradition continues . e t . tgtt t ttY1 One hundr B Ryan C. Moloney Daily Sports Writer To look at Yost Ice Arena now, with convertibles cruising by on State Street and the occasional errant foul ball richocheting off its boarded win- dows, you get the impression that the gruff, stalwart exterior fits its atti- tude. "Hrump'h," it seems to say to the loosely dressed students and joggers who pass. "We'll just see where you are in a few months." Of course, there's no doubt as to where Yost will be by then - back in the center of the Michigan sports uni- verse. For a few dozen nights in the dead of winter, Yost reaches the pinnacle of its existence - and hockey fans reach the pinnacle of theirs. -% Whether you are a first-timer or a 20-year veteran, the thrill of the old barn coming into sight, shrouded by flashing police lights and the vapor of exhalation, feels incomparably reli- gious. Walk in and the senses go wild - the band threatens to blast you out of the arena, even if you walk in at the north entrance, over a football field away from the spine-tingling woods and brass. The smell of a tapestry of newly coated 'ice and popcorn nearly over- powers you as you mill through the fans - young and old but all faithful and all familiar after a few times. Weave through the maze of Maize and the glow of the lights reflecting off of the pond causes temporary blindness - and permanent awe. As Michigan coach Red Berenson says, "Yost is a cathedral." Some might call that blasphemy, but then they have probably never set foot inside the building that is widely considered to be "the best college hockey arena in the United States." Unlike many classic sports struc- tures, Yost wasn't built for hockey - in fact the marriage between the building and the sport wasn't forged until Yost Fieldhouse had turned 50. At the time, Michigan hockey lived in a cramped, unspectacular building called the Sports Colliseum. That little anonymous building on the corner of Fifth and Hill? Yes, that's the one. "The place held about 4,000 people and there weren't any seats behind one of the goals," Michigan hockey coaching great Al Renfrew said. "Either we needed to enlarge the place or move." Thankfully, the right decision was made. THE EARLY YEARS When Yost Arena was completed in 1923, hockey was about the only sport that wasn't invited to the party. Fielding H. Yost, perhaps Michigan's greatest and most influen- tial sports figure, designed the build- ing with the intention of housing the wrestling, track, basketball, baseball and football teams interchangeably throughout the school year. Part of the reason for the deafening noise coming from the bleachers each game, aside from the fans and band, sits up in the rafters of Yost's famous high ceiling. Contrary to popular belief, crowd noise was hardly the purpose of its design. "The baseball team used to practice in here and football used to practice their punting because of the high ceil- ing," building manager Craig Wotta said. "That's what's so unique about the building - it served so many pur- poses." And so many people. As Berenson points out, much of the fundraising for Yost's 1996 renova- tion came from alumni who played on teams, such as baseball and football, who only practiced within the brick walls. "When I was in school here, all the athletes used Yost at one time or another," the '62 graduate said. Women athletes, lacking teams and any way to represent Michigan sports at the time, enhanced their athletic pursuits at Yost as well - though with some agitation. "Francie Goodridge was one of our first woman athletes and she compet- ed in the Olympics in track," former football assistant coach Jerry Hanlon said. "She used to tell me about the times she would go into Yost to do her training and have to dodge base- balls and shot puts from inside the track. "She was one of the only wo men JEFF HURVITZ/Daily Across from sections 2,3 and 4 there is a faded marking on the old maize bricks - a lingering reminder of Yost's past glory. in there at the time." THE START OF AN ERA Berenson is a consummate throw- back in every aspect of his coaching and his relations with the media - you won't get a lot of emotion out of him, just cold concise analysis about hockey. So when his eyes start twinkling as he talks about Yost, there is little doubt of the building's aura. "Because of the noise, the fans, the tradition - it's a great place to take the family and let your kids run around and have fun." The noise, more than the old-fash- ioned deor, always seems to come up among those associated with Yost and no one appreciates it more than Berenson. "We've hosted recruits and taken them to football games and they are overwhelmed," Berenson said. "Then they see a game at Yost and can't believe how much noisier it is." Lost in the excitement generated by the fans is the faded history of a "quiet old building when the fans aren't around," as Berenson calls it. Past the colorful Deker signs and shiny steel beams supporting the press box, the faded maize and blue bricks line the arena perimeter. A closer look at the walls, and fossils are dug up - Random letters, "H" and "L" and other track symbols that outlived their usefulness. At the base to the stairway by the zamboni garage, the scrawl of Yost's former glory remains - "FINISH, 330 YARDS, 100 YARDS." Funny thing is, the conversion of hockey to Yost didn't extinguish its past, but gave the building a new and stronger vitality just when other buildings of its genre - fieldhouses - began to fade away. By comparison, Michigan State's Jenison Fieldhouse, once home to basketball stars such as Magic Johnson and Scott Skiles, now sits alone and bereaved. Dusty and cob- webbed, Jenison hosts an occasional wrestling match or volleyball meet, but will never again shake to its foun- dations with noise - except when the inevitable wrecking ball finally claims it. AN ENDURING AURA Dick Schapp once said, "if you are a fan of hockey, you don't like hock- ey - you love hockey." Undoubtedly, Michigan could play on the Huron River during the winter and still draw a great crowd. But without the aura of Yost Arena, it wouldn't be the Michigan hockey experience. The mystique, the raucous fans, the familial, almost small-town atmos- phere of the place is what brings everybody back for another year, then another, then a lifetime. It's also what makes someone who knows nothing about hockey turn rabid in a matter of weeks. That rings true with all the teams Yost has ever served and the stories are there to prove it. In the lobby of Yost, there is a bust commemorating the donation of the estate of Floydene and Douglass Brownlee towards the renovation. Tire two were sweethearts at Michigan during the 40's and always made a date out of basketball games at Yost. Obviously, the build- ing was more to them than brick and steel. "Yost if full of great stories like that," Berenson said with a smile.