The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 11, 2004 - 3B
Former
linemates
reunite
a tourney
By Gabe Edelson
Daily Sports Writer
DAYTON, Ohio - The pair stood
in a parking lot under a deep pink
and purple sky. One wore a blue
warm-up suit, the other a red one.
Two rumbling buses waited for them
just a few feet away.
Michigan junior Jeff Tambellini
- who was clad in blue - was
about to hop on his bus for the ride
back to Ann Arbor after the hockey
team's 7-2 win over Boston Univer-
sity in its final game at the Lefty
McFadden Invitational on Saturday.
His crimson counterpart - Terrier
junior forward David Van der Gulik
- had another night in an Ohio
hotel ahead of him before yester-
day's early-morning flight back to
Massachusetts.
But for just a moment, the two
took advantage of a rare opportunity
to catch up with one another.
Tambellini and Van der Gulik
- who hail from Port Moody, B.C.,
and Abbotsford, B.C., respectively
- have known each other since
they began playing together for the
Chilliwack Chiefs of the British
Columbia Hockey League in 2000.
In fact, they were linemates for
about a year before the two head-
ed off on their separate paths two
years ago.
"It's fun to come back and see
guys (you used to play with) and to
be able to play against them," Tam-
bellini said. "You see a different side
of the relationship, I guess."
Last weekend was just the second
time the two have faced each other
on the ice since their days of junior
league hockey. The first contest was
held on Dec. 29, 2002, in the Great
Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis
Arena in Detroit. Both Tambellini
and Van der Gulik scored game-
tying goals, but in the end, then-No.
10 Michigan was upset by then-No.
14 Boston University, 5-4. Saturday
night's game may have given Tam-
bellini some sense of retribution in
head-to-head competition against his
former teammate.
The quest for the Brown Jug
GENNARO FILICE
The SportsMonday Columnm
Early Monday morning one
week ago. it dawned on me
that I'd never seen college
football's oldest trophy in person.
The last time the Little Brown Jug
made a public appearance in Ann
Arbor was at the end of Michigan's
31-10 thumping of the Golden Gophers
in 2001. And, being a foolish, beer-
thirsty freshman, I had left the game
before the Jug's Big House cameo.
But why is this postgame celebra-
tion the only chance I've had to see
the Jug? Michigan's had it since
1988, so why hasn't it been more
prominently displayed during my
time here?
I was pretty sure that we were
going to win Saturday's game.
Regardless of the Golden Gophers'
insane skill at running back, I just
knew that, if they couldn't hold a
21-point fourth-quarter lead at home
last year, there was no way they were
going to leave the Big House with
the Jug on Saturday.
So, following this year's win, I
wanted to give the Jug a new home
where everyone could see it in per-
son - at my favorite Ann Arbor bar,
The Brown Jug. But, first things first,
I needed to locate the Jug and speak
to its keeper. Unfortunately, this was
much easier said than done.
. I e-mailed a member of the foot-
ball administrative staff, explaining
my grand scheme to give the Jug
a stage for the viewing pleasure of
Maize and Blue diehards and I asked
for directions to the keeper of the
Jug. His response was short and not
so sweet:
"The story that you e-mailed me
about is not one that the department
is interested in participating."
Shadiness in the Michigan foot-
ball program? Eh, this was noth-
ing new. So I stayed upbeat and
e-mailed a different member of the
administrative staff, hoping that he
could at least tell me where the Jug
is kept.
After receiving no response for a few
days, I began to investigate why the
athletic department seemed to have a
gag order on the subject of the Jug.
On page 363 of the football media
guide, I found my answer - it all
ties back to some Depression-age
tomfoolery:
"The trophy disappeared from the
trophy case of the Michigan Athletic
Administration building in 1930 and
was not found until 1934. Before the
actual jug was found behind a clump
of bushes by a gas station attendant
in Ann Arbor, a replica of the prize
was displayed in Michigan's trophy
case. The authenticity of the original
was confirmed by a flaw that could
not be duplicated. Since then, the
trophy has been carefully safe-
guarded."
Aha!
I knew then that the University
would provide minimal assistance
- taking matters into my own hands
was the only way I could get any-
where. So. I grabbed Shaggy, Scooby
and the rest of the gang (or one of
my friends with way too much time
on his hands), and headed down
to Michigan football's epicenter,
Schembechler Hall.
As we arrived at Schembechler,
the football team was on its way out.
I lowered my hat bill over my eyes
because I was pretty convinced that
one of the administrators I had bad-
gered would identify me and turn the
linebacking corps loose.
Pierre, Prescott, Shawn ... sic
'em!
Our first destination was the Mar-
garet Dow Towsley Museum in the
front of Schembechler. The museum
features Desmond Howard's and
Charles Woodson's Heisman Tro-
phies (both the player and the Uni-
versity receive a copy of the vaunted
hardware), many Big Ten champion-
ship trophies and even Bo's hat and
whistle. But, curator Paul Lowry
informed us that the Jug was not
present. He said its kept in a vault at
an undisclosed location.
Does this thing have nuclear
capabilities?
Paul led us to the Michigan vs.
Minnesota exhibit that featured a
replica of the Jug. As my friend and
I took pot shots at the University for
presenting a knock-off Jug to the
public, Michigan athletic director Bill
Martin walked by. I swear I saw him
do a double take out of the corner of
my eye, and I waited for hired goons
to strong-arm me out of the building.
It's those pesky Daily kids, who
are trying to uncover the Jug's
location. Security breach! Security
Breach!
But Martin passed without inci-
dent and we continued to badmouth
the athletic department. Then a bad
situation got horribly worse. Two
college-aged men with cameras
spotted the Michigan vs. Minne-
sota exhibit and simultaneously
exclaimed, "There's the Little Brown
Jug. Wow!" The duo then informed
a third guy of the supposed Jug. I
didn't have the heart to tell them that
they were being duped by the athlet-
ic department (I never saw anything
that stated the Jug was a replica).
My friend and I decided to exit
the museum and try to get some info
from the people who worked the side
entrance to Schembechler. As we
ascended the stairs outside Schem-
bechler's north end, we were harshly
eyeballed by a short, stout man with
glasses stood with his face pressed
up against the double doors. When
we got to the doors, he slightly
cracked one open and asked how he
could assist us.
I inquired about the location of the
Little Brown Jug. He said he didn't
know. I asked him whether he'd ever
seen it, and he said "only on TV."
But then he expressed that he
thought he could help us and began
to lead us through Schembechler.
Whoa! Here we go. I've finally
cracked into the system! The man
can't hold me down!
But, he led us back to familiar ter-
ritory, the front of the museum.
"There's a replica of the Jug
around the corner."
We left Schembechler dejected,
as we'd failed to gain any informa-
tion on the Jug or its whereabouts.
I decided to call The Brown Jug, to
make sure the relocation attempt was
worth my effort.
I explained to the restaurant's
assistant manager, Francisco Gomez
that the University could splurge for
a top-notch security system to keep
the Jug in his restaurant - seri-
ously, where does my $34,000 yearly
tuition really go? After Francisco
figured out what I was talking about
(think I sprung it on him a little
quick) and verified that, yes, I was
serious, he seemed pretty into my
plan. I don't know whether he desires
the extra dough the authentic Jug
would bring to his place of business
or he just loves early 20th century
water receptacles; either way, he said
the bar would "definitely" be inter-
ested in acquiring the Jug.
On Saturday, I saw the Jug in the
hands of Matt Lentz just 10 feet
away from me, and this sighting
fueled my fire to make the Jug more
accessible to the student body.
The trophy's origins go back to
Michigan's famed "Point-A-Minute"
teams of the early 1900s. It's a piece
of Michigan history that needs to be
on display.
But Francisco and I need support
and we need it soon. 'Cause before
you know it, Minnesota's going to
actually hold a fourth-quarter lead.
Gennaro Filice can be reached at
gfilice@umich.edu.
TONY DING/Daily
Michigan forward Jeff Tambellini and Boston University forward David Van der Gulik
got to reminisce after Michigan's 7-2 win on Saturday.
"I guess (Michigan) evened up
the score," Van der Gulik said with
a smile.
From an individual standpoint,
Tambellini was far more impressive
than Van der Gulik in the second
showdown. The Michigan forward
and alternate captain chalked up
three assists - including a helper
on Michael Woodford's game-win-
ning goal in the first period - and
accumulated a plus-three rating,
while Van der Gulik had just two
penalty minutes to show for on the
stat sheet. But neither player's per-
formance prevented the duo from
joking around before saying their
temporary goodbyes.
"I wouldn't want to play him all
the time because I would beat up on
him too much," Van der Gulik said
as the two broke into laughter. "I
could have lined him up there, but I
didn't. I kind of took it easy on him
a little."
Despite their conflicting sched-
ules, Tambellini and Van der Gulik
make time for each other during the
year and in the off-season.
"We talk throughout the year to
see how each other is doing," Tam-
bellini said. "We went golfing this
summer. It's definitely fun to keep
in touch."
Having known each other since
Tambellini was 15 and Van der
Gulik was 16, it's hard for the for-
mer Chiefs to forget that hockey
isn't a life-or-death matter. As
the one-time linemates and long-
time friends prepared to split up
yet again, friendship seemed more
important than wins and losses,
goals and assists.
"In the back of your mind, you
remember that it's still a game," Van
der Gulik said. "You're not going out
there to kill each other."
TERRIERS
Continued from page 1B
thing it didn't do Friday.
"We were getting back to pucks faster and making
plays," Hunwick said. "We tried to hit that first guy
quick and get the puck out of our zone. Not mess around
with it."
Freshman Peter MacArthur was the only Terrier able
to beat Montoya, putting two pucks past the Wolverine
goaltender in the third period. His second goal - a
slapshot from the right point that beat Montoya over his
glove shoulder - came from the same exact spot that
Northeastern's Danny Grover used to put Michigan away
on Friday.
Nothing seemed to be clicking for the Wolverines
against the Huskies. The defense found itself trapped
pinching on offense, yielding a lot of chances for North-
eastern.
About the only good thing that can be salvaged
from Friday's loss is that the No. I target - and the
overconfidence - is now gone. Junior Jeff Tam-
bellini said the team was too confident coming
into the opener and it showed in its performance.
"Everyone tells you how good you are when you haven't
even played a game yet, but this was a real game," Beren-
son said. "We can forget about the No. 1 ranking. That'll
be gone and that's fine. We don't deserve it anyway."
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