Michigan Hockey Sweeps Minnesota For the First Time Since...

Submitted by stephenrjking on

Michigan swept Minnesota in Minneapolis in hockey this weekend. If it seems like it has been a while since they have done that, that's because it has been.

Michigan picks up monumental sweep at No. 9 Minnesota, sweeping in Minneapolis for the first time since 1977 and returning to the NCAA Tournament conversation.

Story: https://t.co/QRRJaG5KmC pic.twitter.com/dOUc60POKy

— Zach Shaw (@_ZachShaw) January 14, 2018

Michigan and Minnesota have been in separate conferences for much of this time and played single games instead of series, but it remains a remarkable stat. Consider, In 1977:

  • The prototype space shuttle Enterprise made its only gliding flights; the first orbit of a space shuttle was four years away.
  • Former president Barack Obama was in high school in Hawaii. Former president George W Bush married his wife Laura, and current president Donald Trump married his first wife, Ivana.
  • A loaf of bread cost 32 cents.
  • The Chevrolet Impala/Caprice overtook the Oldsmobile Cutlass to become the nation's top-selling car.
  • Apple Computer introduced the Apple II.
  • Of the top 13 companies in the Fortune 500, 10 were oil companies or American automobile manufacturers. IBM, at number 8, was the top tech company.
  • The Dow started the year at 1004.65 and finished at 831.17.
  • Red Berenson played 80 games for the St. Louis Blues and scored 38 points.

Most of us weren't born yet. It was a looooong time ago.

Wolverine Devotee

January 13th, 2018 at 11:51 PM ^

Mel was the first Michigan Hockey coach ever to win in their first attempt at Minnesota last night.

Every single one failed prior to him, including the two most decorated coaches Vic Heyliger and Red Berenson having ugly losses. Double digit goals allowed kind of losses.

 

Clarence Boddicker

January 14th, 2018 at 12:09 AM ^

I was 10!

Also in 1977: The New York City blackout. Son of Sam! Both terrible. But also... Reggie Jackson hit three home runs off three pitches to lead the Yankees to the first of the 7 World Series championships I celebrated as a Bronx native and lifelong fan! And a little movie called Star Wars was released. You may have heard of it.

Bambi

January 14th, 2018 at 12:22 AM ^

As someone who doesn't follow hockey in the slightest: what's our deal this year? Good? Bad? Mediocre? Bright future? Tourney team this year?

stephenrjking

January 14th, 2018 at 12:45 AM ^

Improving, bright future, just outside the tourney and looking in right now. I would be moderately surprised if we made it; I would be surprised if we didn't in any of the next 5-10 years.

The team is scrappy, and growing, but still loses its fair share of games and will continue to float around .500 or slightly above for the balance of the season. My guess is that they finish in the 18-20 range in the pairwise, good enough to smell the tournament but not good enough to make it or to think that "just one bounce" could've made the difference.

But I've been wrong before.

Mi Sooner

January 14th, 2018 at 6:33 AM ^

Michigan play Colorado college at Yost that year. I remember the student section being a Yost student section — where The refs feared to tread. The short glass along the sides was short, really short; so short that the students could reach over the glass...

My hair was dark; my beard, such as it was in jr high, was too; now I look like Santa with my winter beard. I was betting nuns on the annual OSU-Meechigan football game; I lived in Ohio and most of the nuns were from various farms in Ohio.

Grampy

January 14th, 2018 at 7:18 AM ^

Driving a 1969 Toyota Corona Deluxe (with 2-speed Toyoglide transmission), rusted out and with flames painted on the side. We would go down to Yost with large, home-made megaphones and torment the opposing goalies.

LSAClassOf2000

January 14th, 2018 at 8:52 AM ^

Also in 1977:

- Star Wars opened in theaters in late May

- The Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners played their first games

- The Apple II is introduced

- The first Chuck E. Cheese opens

- Atari is introduced in the US

- The pre-warning you see on most media about copyrights was adopted by INTERPOL.

k.o.k.Law

January 14th, 2018 at 7:38 AM ^

WCBN, the student radio station

10 watts

There was a cable channel with vertical colored bars.  We were the sound.

We were told to open the windows while broadcasting, to double the audience.

Dan Farrell took the team to the not yet known as Frozen Four at the Olympia in Detroit.

Team opened with a 7 to 6 win an UW, then lost the next night.

And got swept by the at home, one game we were down 9 to 3, but rallied to lose by a FG, 

11 to 8.

I think we finished 4th, UW first, lost two more to them in WCHA finals.

We had to beat Mike Liut and his BGSU team at Yost to join the Frozen Four.

All one goal games, I think UW beat UNH in OT Thursday, and we won by one goal Friday.

Obviously, before they changed the format so one team did not have an extra day's rest.

That was the days of the Red Wings, and the biggest hockey crowd at Olympia that year was for the Finals.

Large majority were Wisconsin fans.

We fell down 5 to 2 in the 3rd, rallied to tie to go OT, and quickly lost as UW got its first national title.

Yes, I am damn near as old as Craig Ross.

Alton

January 14th, 2018 at 8:40 AM ^

I had been going to games for several years, but that was the first season of really being into the sport, trying to keep track of the WCHA standings, being aware of who was good on each team, etc.

That series was late enough in the year that I probably rushed out to look at our Ann Arbor News on Saturday & Sunday morning to find the hockey results.  That's how you followed road series--no radio & obviously no television.

 

lmgoblue1

January 14th, 2018 at 10:30 AM ^

Chicago House rocked. John Olver, Gordie Hampson and Tim Manning were housemates and friends. Yes they were freshmen on the hockey team that last swept Minnesota. The salad days.

old98blue

January 14th, 2018 at 11:18 AM ^

Low glass no nets not the greatest lighting 3.00 general admission seating and had to wear your coat the whole game because it was a little cool inside. Man what a great place to watch a game as a kid. GO BLUE yesterday showed the quality of athletic dept we have

karma police

January 14th, 2018 at 11:29 AM ^

A good day for several Wolverine sports. Hockey, bball and track and field. '77 was quite a year. First sex in the backseat of an Oldsmobile Cutlass with a buxom blonde majorette named Patricia. She was skilled with the baton. All you had to do was put Led Zeppelin in the 8 track player, and she was ready to go.