The Michigan Daily - Orientation Edition 2002 - 33 JOE SMITH " Yost with the most: Fire, ice mix loudly at hockey haven The legendary brick building sits still now, sleeping for the summer. It's placed right in the heart of Michigan's South Campus. And for good reason, as for a few dozen nights in the dead of winter, it's the center of attention. Its mystique :.. the raucous fans that engulf it each winter ... the familiar, nearly small-town feel of the 79-year-old building ... all bring every hockey fan back year after year to what many call "the best college hockey venue in the United States." It also transforms, in a matter of a few nights, someone who may never have watched the sport before into a crazed fanatic. It's Yost Ice Arena, home of the storied Michi- gan hockey program and source of thousands of memories ever since the original "Yost Field- house" was created in 1923 to house wrestling, basketball, track, baseball and football (for prac- tice, with the high ceiling to accommodate punts). It's one of the only sports venues in the nation that has been labeled with such esteemed regard as a "cathedral," while at the same time being described as a bunker where "terrible people" torment and use language unsuitable for children. But the chants are no more bothersome than the lack of parking, choice at the concession stands and lumbar support (it's bleachers all around). And that's why it's a must-visit for you. It's hard not to see the cathedral parallels to the building: the high ceiling, the brass band blasting familiar tunes and fight songs you can hear from the street, the flashing police lights you pass as you walk in, the pack of fans donning the maize and blue, who all seem to know each other through this common bond. Several banners hang from the rafters, each having its own special Yost memory. Most play- ers on the 1998 national title team admitted that the underdog Wolverines may never have won the national crown had it not been for the jump and adrenaline absorbed from the frenzied fans in the NCAA Regional held at Yost - helping them come back to defeat top-seeded North Dakota after falling behind 3-1 and then riding the momentum into the "magical" Frozen Four run. "We've hosted recruits and taken them to football games and they are overwhelmed," Michigan coach Red Berenson has said. "Then they see a game at Yost and can't believe how much noisier it is." Note: Football games are played at "The Big House," which holds more than 110,000 people. Yost's capacity is just under 7,000. While the winning tradition of the Michigan hockey program and its record nine national titles keeps the fire burning in Yost, it's the fans that ignite the flame each night and create the Yost experience - and alot more memories. Where else will you find an animated band director receiving a larger ovation than players on the ice for his usual dance from the stands during a stoppage of play? Where else would you find a grown adult jumping flights of bleachers to take a swing at a Michigan student in the student section -just for directing the traditional chant of "Ugly girl- friend" at his daughter? Where else will you finda legendary coach like Michigan State's Ron Mason, the winningest coach in college hockey history, walking off the ice for the final time being bid adieu with the tra- ditional "Ohhhhhhhh Cya......" chant from the Yost faithful? Harsh? Maybe, but it's just the crowd follow- ing tradition, a kind of respect that says that no one is larger than Yost. And where else can you find chants of "Molly's easy" directed at a cheerleader for the St. Cloud State hockey team after she labeled Michigan hockey fans as "terrible people" ina local St. Cloud newspaper. The much-dismayed parents of Molly called The Michigan Daily the next day with a few choice words for publicizing her comments days before the teams faced each other in the 2002 NCAA West Regional. But that's all part of the Yost "experience" - one that cannot be replicated or topped. Cya... there. - Joe Smith can be reached at josephms@umich.edu Voted by Michigan Students One on One Athletic Club As Ann Arbor's 2875 Boardwalk Drive, Ann Arbor, MI (734)761-4440 Best Health Club Semester Memberships " Free Group Exercise, Spinning, Pilates &Yoga Classes " Area's Largest Selection of Equipment " Basketball, Racquetball, and Volleyball . 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