16 -The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, May 24, 1995 B ue 4 -1 JONATHAN LURIE/Daily By Nicholas J. Cotsonika Daily Sports Editor ETROIT - Mike Knuble collapses into a folding chair in the bowels of Joe Louis Arena, tears off his brand new red gloves and beams. He doesn't have ae locker yet, or a number, and likely won't even play this season. But as he sits there, sweating and smiling, wearing the winged wheel, he knows he's made it. Knuble is with the big boys now. Last week, the former Michigan forward joined his new team - the Detroit Red Wings - less than two months after leading the Wolverines to college hockey's final four. The Red Wings are his fourth team in eight weeks, and Knuble could hardly have it any better. In the time most college seniors use to celebrate their graduation, Knuble has played for the NCAA Championship with Michigan, the Calder Cup (the American Hockey League's championship trophy) with the Adirondack Red Wings and the World Junior Championship with Team USA in Stockholm, Sweden. Now, his team is playing for the most coveted prize in all of hockey. The Stanley Cup. "It's a fast life I guess," Knuble says. "This has all been just a great experience. I'm just working hard and showing what I can do. I'm along for the ride, but it's a fun one." The ride is supposed to be fun. The Red Wings planned it that way. Detroit's Assistant General Manager Ken Holland says that the Wings want Knuble to feel comfortable in his new surroundings, especially in the playoff pressure cooker. The Wings are currently in the midst of a second-round series with San Jose, and Detroit wants Knuble to see it all. Adjusting to the pro game is a tough task, and for Knuble to do his best in training camp this fall, he needs to taste the demands of the big time. Barring injuries to Detroit's right wings, Knuble's chances of playing in a playoff game are slim to none. Yet, the experience of simply practicing with the best will do wonders for his skills and his confidence. The NHL game is a new frontier for young players, especially former collegians. It's fast. It's hard. It's grueling. It is the best hockey on the planet, literally leagues away from the CCHA. "In the NHL, you play a game every 2.2 days," Holland says. "For eight months, you're playing a game every other day. In college, you get five days off. You play two. Five days off. You play two. It makes it a difficult transition for guys like Mike." A harder one, in fact, than most others face. Most NHL players come out of juniors, play in the minors and then make the jump to the top. The junior and minor leagues play rigorous schedules, designed to get their troops to the next level. Junior teams can play as many as 110 games - more than most pro teams play - giving their players a feel for war. College hockey, however, has concentrated more on battles. It had traditionally been a sanctuary for those players who were good, but not quite good enough. That has changed. Since American hockey got a lift from the 1980 Olympic "Miracle on Ice," colleges .ave gotten better, and the level of play has skyrocketed. "Years ago, when I played juniors, very few guys who played 4 : e Knuble jump, o i Detroit Red Wi- college hockey made it to the pros," Red Wings veteran defenseman Mark Howe says. "They didn't even look at them. If you wanted to play professional hockey you had to play juniors. "When the U.S. beat the Soviets (in 1980), people started to reevaluate who they were looking at and good players started going to college." Players like Knuble, for instance. He was Detroit's fourth-round pick - the 76th player taken overall - in the 1991 NHL Draft and went to Michigan to hone his skills. He did not disappoint. Knuble racked up accolade after accolade during his college career and helped the Wolverines to the final four three times. He led the team in goals and finished second in scoring his senior year, netting 38 goals and 22 assists for 60 points. He is tied for fifth on the Wolverines' all-time list in goals scored with 103. He was also All-CCHA first team and Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA West Regional in Madison, among other things. Yet, his college career ended in heartbreak. He had an outstanding playoff, averaging 2.5 goals per game. He recorded a hat trick in each of Michigan's first-round CCHA playoff victories over Ohio State and then scored a seemingly impossible game-tying goal against Lake Superior State with just 0.4 seconds on the clock. Then, he scored two goals against Wisconsin in the West Regional, including the game winner, leading th Wolverines into a final four match-u with Maine. But he wasn't even on the ice when his college caree came to an exhausted close. Knuble had netted a goal to put Michigan into overtime against the Black Bears. But in the third overtime, Maine's Dan Shermerhom scored just 28 seconds into the period. Knuble was on the bench. He was done as a Wolverine. Yet, he had much hockey to play. From there he was on to Adirondack, Stockholm and Detroit. He didn't even have time to mourn. "It's like when somebody dies, if you keep busy and you don't really sit down and think about it," Knuble says. "I've been busy playing other hockey. So, I've sort of put that behind me and now@ have to move on." That level-headedness, when coupled with his talent and amiabl< personality, is what the Red Wings feel will propel him over the hurdles of adjusting to the pro game. The players are nothing less than impressed with him. "He looks good ... really good," Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman says. "He's a big guy, a strong skater, and he's got a good shot. I think he's doing really well." Howe was as happy with Knuble's persona as his playing. "He's a nice kid, and I think that's important," Howe says. "Some guys come in here with big heads and act cocky and the 0 players don't like that. Mike hasn't done that. He's come in and worked hard and that will get him far." Holland hopes so. He sees Knuble as a potential impact player for Detroit and is keeping a close eye on him as he acclimates himself to the team. Knuble's skills, Holland says, are up to the task, and if he continues to improve, he may find himself in Detroit after the exhibition season ends in September. "If all goes well, with a couple of years of experience, there is no reason why he can't do what he did in college in the NHL," Holland says. "If he comes in and plays well this fall, he'll earn a spot. If he comes in and plays OK, he'll play with Adirondack (Detroit's fare club). Time will tell." In the meantime, Knuble says he will just try to show the Wings' brass that he'll be a force next season. But he still has a bit of the collegian in him. Knuble is still trying to finish his school work fror winter term and lives in Ann Arbor. In fact, last Wednesday, he had a test in developmental psychology in the morning. Afterwards, he had to drive down M-14 across I-275, up I-696, then down the Lodge Freeway, just to get to his tough, two-hour practice in the afternoon. He doesn't mind the commute, however. The Red Wings are favored to win the Stanley Cup and he will be there, skating, sweatin listening, learning, growing and loving every minute. It was hard to to off thenmaize and blue for the last time, but as Knuble looks down at his new red and white gear, he can't help but smile. Mike Knuble has hit the big time. BEN ERIKSSON/Swedish Amercan News Mike Knuble played for Team USA in Stockholm, Sweden last month at the World Junior Championships.