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Cold War (ice hockey)
Encyclopedia
The Cold War was a college ice hockey
game played between U.S.
college rivals Michigan State University
and the University of Michigan
on Saturday, October 6, 2001. It set the world record for the largest crowd at an ice hockey game with 74,544, a record that was broken on May 7, 2010 when the opening game of the IIHF World Championship
between Germany
and the USA drew 77,803 to Veltins-Arena
in Gelsenkirchen
, Germany
. This record has since been broken again, by a rematch of the Cold War that was dubbed the 'Big Chill at the Big House' and was played at Michigan Stadium
, drawing 104,173 fans to attend.
Longtime rivals with the U of M
in hockey (and other sports), MSU
decided not to play this contest at East Lansing
's Munn Ice Arena
, but instead set up an ice rink in the middle of the much larger Spartan Stadium, which they filled to 103.4% of capacity. This meant that 74,544 packed the Big Ten
football
stadium (the home of the MSU football team
) to watch the MSU Spartans
and the U-M Wolverines
skate to a 3-3 tie. Two 300-piece marching band
s were present on field and the game was internationally televised. Country artist Shannon Brown
sang during the second intermission.
and Montreal Canadiens
dropped the puck on the Heritage Classic – the NHL's first regulation outdoor game. An NHL record crowd of 57,000 that braved -18 °C temperatures was also treated to Wayne Gretzky
and Mark Messier
returning as Oiler alumni in the preceding Alumni Game.
On February 11, 2006, Ohio State and Wisconsin attracted 40,890 fans to the Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic
at Lambeau Field
, home of the Green Bay Packers
. This was the second outdoor game involving US college teams, with others being played since then.
Since 2008
, the NHL has staged the Winter Classic annually on New Year's Day
. As of 2011, none of these games have passed the Cold War in attendance, although none have been held in a stadium matching Spartan Stadium's capacity.
The effects of this event were felt in Europe
as well, with professional outdoor games being staged in Switzerland, Sweden
, Austria
, and the Czech Republic
.
took place on May 7 at the retractable-roof Veltins-Arena, normally used by the soccer club Schalke 04
. On this occasion, the stadium's configuration allowed for a capacity of 75,976, which would ultimately be exceeded by almost 2,000, breaking the all-time attendance record.
On December 11, 2010, the two teams involved in the Cold War met again, this time with Michigan hosting the game at its football
venue, Michigan Stadium
. UM is billing the game as "The Big Chill at the Big House". When UM halted ticket sales to the general public on May 6, 2010, over 100,000 tickets had been sold. As of the 2010 football season
, Michigan Stadium has an official capacity of 109,901. The game ended with a 5-0 victory for the University of Michigan. The record was officially re-broken as 104,173 fans packed Michigan Stadium.
, Billy Jaffe
and Shireen Saski. John Keating
hosted a pregame show.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
game played between U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college rivals Michigan State University
Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey
The Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents Michigan State University . The team plays at the Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Michigan, on the MSU campus. The current head coach is Tom Anastos, who took over coaching duties on March 23, 2011,...
and the University of Michigan
Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey
The Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Earning varsity status in 1922, the program is competing in its 90th season...
on Saturday, October 6, 2001. It set the world record for the largest crowd at an ice hockey game with 74,544, a record that was broken on May 7, 2010 when the opening game of the IIHF World Championship
2010 IIHF World Championship
The 2010 IIHF World Championship was the 74th IIHF World Championship, an annual international ice hockey tournament. It took place between 7 and 23 May 2010 in Germany. The games were played in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, SAP Arena in Mannheim, and one game at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen...
between Germany
Germany men's national ice hockey team
The German men's national ice hockey team first participated in serious international competition at the 1911 European Hockey Championship. When Germany was split after World War II, a separate East German national ice hockey team existed until 1990...
and the USA drew 77,803 to Veltins-Arena
Veltins-Arena
Veltins-Arena is a football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It opened in 2001, as the new home ground for German Bundesliga club Schalke 04....
in Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. This record has since been broken again, by a rematch of the Cold War that was dubbed the 'Big Chill at the Big House' and was played at Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Before playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field...
, drawing 104,173 fans to attend.
Longtime rivals with the U of M
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in hockey (and other sports), MSU
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
decided not to play this contest at East Lansing
East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...
's Munn Ice Arena
Munn Ice Arena
Munn Ice Arena is a 6,470-seat hockey-only arena in East Lansing, Michigan on the campus of Michigan State University. It is home to the MSU's ice hockey team...
, but instead set up an ice rink in the middle of the much larger Spartan Stadium, which they filled to 103.4% of capacity. This meant that 74,544 packed the Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
stadium (the home of the MSU football team
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
) to watch the MSU Spartans
Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey
The Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents Michigan State University . The team plays at the Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Michigan, on the MSU campus. The current head coach is Tom Anastos, who took over coaching duties on March 23, 2011,...
and the U-M Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey
The Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Earning varsity status in 1922, the program is competing in its 90th season...
skate to a 3-3 tie. Two 300-piece marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
s were present on field and the game was internationally televised. Country artist Shannon Brown
Shannon Brown (musician)
Shannon Leigh Brown is an American country music singer from Spirit Lake, Iowa. Although she has recorded three albums on various labels, only one of these — 2006's Corn Fed — was released. In her career, she has charted four singles on the Billboard country charts, with her highest-charting...
sang during the second intermission.
Other outdoor hockey games
The Cold War set off a wave of outdoor ice hockey games in large stadiums. In November 2003, the Edmonton OilersEdmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
and Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
dropped the puck on the Heritage Classic – the NHL's first regulation outdoor game. An NHL record crowd of 57,000 that braved -18 °C temperatures was also treated to Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
and Mark Messier
Mark Messier
Mark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...
returning as Oiler alumni in the preceding Alumni Game.
On February 11, 2006, Ohio State and Wisconsin attracted 40,890 fans to the Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic
Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic
The Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic was a College ice hockey game played on a makeshift Ice rink covering the field at Lambeau Field. The game was the second outdoor game involving US college teams, the first being "The Cold War"....
at Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field...
, home of the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. This was the second outdoor game involving US college teams, with others being played since then.
Since 2008
2007-08 NHL season
The 2007–08 NHL season was the 91st season of operation of the National Hockey League . It began on September 29, 2007, with the regular season ending April 6, 2008...
, the NHL has staged the Winter Classic annually on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
. As of 2011, none of these games have passed the Cold War in attendance, although none have been held in a stadium matching Spartan Stadium's capacity.
The effects of this event were felt in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as well, with professional outdoor games being staged in Switzerland, Sweden
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
, Austria
Austrian Hockey League
The Austrian Hockey League , called the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level ice hockey league in Austria.-History:...
, and the Czech Republic
Czech Extraliga
The Czech Extraliga is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the third strongest league in Europe....
.
Record surpassed
The opening game of the 2010 IIHF World Championship2010 IIHF World Championship
The 2010 IIHF World Championship was the 74th IIHF World Championship, an annual international ice hockey tournament. It took place between 7 and 23 May 2010 in Germany. The games were played in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, SAP Arena in Mannheim, and one game at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen...
took place on May 7 at the retractable-roof Veltins-Arena, normally used by the soccer club Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
. On this occasion, the stadium's configuration allowed for a capacity of 75,976, which would ultimately be exceeded by almost 2,000, breaking the all-time attendance record.
On December 11, 2010, the two teams involved in the Cold War met again, this time with Michigan hosting the game at its football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
venue, Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Before playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field...
. UM is billing the game as "The Big Chill at the Big House". When UM halted ticket sales to the general public on May 6, 2010, over 100,000 tickets had been sold. As of the 2010 football season
2010 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2010 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Michigan played its home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan and competed in the Big Ten Conference. The season was the first since the renovation of...
, Michigan Stadium has an official capacity of 109,901. The game ended with a 5-0 victory for the University of Michigan. The record was officially re-broken as 104,173 fans packed Michigan Stadium.
Television
The game was broadcast by FSN Detroit, which made it available nationally. The announcers were Matt ShepardMatt Shepard (sports reporter)
Matt Shepard is an American sports radio and television broadcaster on WDFN, Fox Sports Detroit and the Detroit Lions Television Network covering professional, collegiate and high school sports in the Metro Detroit area since the 1990s.-Career:Shepard has served in a variety of roles since being...
, Billy Jaffe
Billy Jaffe
Billy Jaffe is the former color analyst for the New York Islanders on MSG Plus. He is a color analyst and reporter for nationally televised hockey games on Versus.-Playing career:...
and Shireen Saski. John Keating
John Keating (sportscaster)
John Keating is a Fox Sports Detroit host and reporter. He was born in Madison Heights, Michigan. He attended Grand Valley State University. Keating has won five Michigan Emmys during his time at FOX Sports Detroit.-Radio career:...
hosted a pregame show.