Berenson-Mason Cup?
Ron Mason has been the head coach of three CCHA schools and is perhaps the greatest NCAA hockey coach ever. So much so, that the CCHA named its trophy after him before he even retired. I am not seriously suggesting that they should change the name of the tropy to the Berenson-Mason trophy, but I am saying that Berenson is every bit as good of a coach as Mason.
Berenson turned around a struggling UofM program and turned them into the most consistent program in NCAA history, finishing in 1st or 2nd place in 18 of the last 20 CCHA regular seasons.
It is hard to argue against his 23 straight winning seasons and his 20 straight NCAA playoff appearances, which is an all time historical NCAA record...and counting. Berenson also won the NHL coach of the year with the Saint Louis Blues in the 1980-81 season, proving that he can get the job done at all levels.
Head to Head comparisons:
Ron Mason > 36 seasons with 3 CCHA teams
Red Berenson > 26 seasons with 1 CCHA team
Ron Mason > 924 wins (25.6 a year)
Red Berenson > 698 wins (26.8 a year)
Ron Mason > 24 NCAA playoff appearances
Red Berenson > 20 NCAA playoff appearances
Ron Mason > 8 Frozen Four Appearances
Red Berenson > 10 Frozen Four Appearances
Ron Mason > 2 NCAA Titles
Red Berenson > 2 NCAA Titles
Ron Mason > Longest NCAA appearance streak: 9 seasons
Red Berenson > Longest NCAA appearance streak: 20 seasons
Ron Mason > Longest streak without a losing seaon: 13 (with LSSU and BGSU, 11 at MSU)
Red Berenson > Longest streak without a losing seaon: 23
Ron Mason > NCAA Hockey Coach of the year 1992
Red Berenson > NCAA Hockey Coach of the year 2008
EDIT: I failed with my table, so I just switched to this awkward format.
Berenson turned around a struggling UofM program and turned them into the most consistent program in NCAA history, finishing in 1st or 2nd place in 18 of the last 20 CCHA regular seasons.
It is hard to argue against his 23 straight winning seasons and his 20 straight NCAA playoff appearances, which is an all time historical NCAA record...and counting. Berenson also won the NHL coach of the year with the Saint Louis Blues in the 1980-81 season, proving that he can get the job done at all levels.
Head to Head comparisons:
Ron Mason > 36 seasons with 3 CCHA teams
Red Berenson > 26 seasons with 1 CCHA team
Ron Mason > 924 wins (25.6 a year)
Red Berenson > 698 wins (26.8 a year)
Ron Mason > 24 NCAA playoff appearances
Red Berenson > 20 NCAA playoff appearances
Ron Mason > 8 Frozen Four Appearances
Red Berenson > 10 Frozen Four Appearances
Ron Mason > 2 NCAA Titles
Red Berenson > 2 NCAA Titles
Ron Mason > Longest NCAA appearance streak: 9 seasons
Red Berenson > Longest NCAA appearance streak: 20 seasons
Ron Mason > Longest streak without a losing seaon: 13 (with LSSU and BGSU, 11 at MSU)
Red Berenson > Longest streak without a losing seaon: 23
Ron Mason > NCAA Hockey Coach of the year 1992
Red Berenson > NCAA Hockey Coach of the year 2008
EDIT: I failed with my table, so I just switched to this awkward format.
March 21st, 2010 at 12:34 PM ^
I don't like winning the "Mason" Cup. Love winning the CCHA but something about winning a trophy named after a Sparty Legend is irksome. Mason was a great coach and reportedly a great guy but you don't see the Big Ten naming the football trophy after Woody or Bo.
Football is not hockey. In hockey, it's customary for awards to be named after people... and unbiased eyes will see that Mason is clearly the most deserving of this honor.
Ie. Lord Stanley's Cup, just to name one notable.
I find a certain joy in winning the Mason Cup. Sparty has the trophy named for one of theirs, yet M is the one winning it. Seems like not only winning a championship, but slapping MSU in the face at the same time.
But hey, that's just my take.
The Mason Cup HAS spent a lot of time in A^2, because that is where it belongs right next to the NCAA Hockey NC plaque.
March 23rd, 2010 at 12:54 AM ^
Change the CCHA Hockey trophy to the "Berensen Cup".
Rationale - Mason already has his own award - the Mason Jar.
OSU did want the Big Ten Football trophy named after Hayes, but it was rejected by the AD's.
Rationale - No other team wanted a trophy called "the Woody"...
(just a little humor here... no major disrespect to Mason for his accomplishments)
March 21st, 2010 at 12:37 PM ^
meh. Mason was instrumental in developing and supporting the CCHA when it was created in 1980 or so. so it's more about his role in helping to create and sustain the league than anything else.
FWIW, an equitable comparison b/t mason and red would be to take Mason's time in EL only vs Red in A2.
mason started as a HC at St Lawrence when he was like 28. red started in A2 at age 44 or so.
March 22nd, 2010 at 12:29 PM ^
While Mason was posting wins in college coaching, Red was busy playing in the NHL, coaching in the NHL and winning an NHL Coach of the Year award. Then he came to Michigan.
March 21st, 2010 at 12:46 PM ^
Isn't Red at 699 wins? That's what the announcers said at the end of last night's broadcast.
That's correct--I'm excited for #703 in a couple weeks (please).
March 21st, 2010 at 12:52 PM ^
Getting rid of the Mason Cup is just more incentive to bring hockey to the Big Ten.
Red's definitely an icon but, although certainly widely known and respected and obviously extremely successful, I believe his direct influence is more limited to one team (us) and so it's not likely nor necessarily fitting for his name to be added to the trophy. Now, if they wanted to rename the NCAA tournament in honor of the guy who's been in it for 20 years straight, that might be more appropriate.
Red has never gotten the respect that he deserves in this conference. It's an indictment of the CCHA that the only 3 time Coach of the Year award winners are Ron Mason and Enrico Blasi. In the 25 years that Red has coached Michigan, he has turned us into the most consistent program in the conference and has won Coach of Year...only twice (1994 & 2007). Blasi has been coach at Miami 10 years and won 3 times? Blasi has proved himself to be a great coach and built himself a solid program, but that is ridiculous.
I never had that much respect for Mason as a coach. Certainly he was instrumental in getting the CCHA off the ground, but his glory years in the 80s came when the rest of the league was struggling. The moment programs like Michigan, LSSU, ND, and Miami began to emerge, MSU suddenly became an also-ran.
Red's problem is that he has a big ego and speaks his mind. I don't think it's ever sat well with the conference leadership, particularly when Mason was a conference insider and Red would never pay him any kind of obeisance to him.
I think Red's bigger problem is that his teams are always more talented and picked int eh top 2 in the preseason. thus, expectations set the bar so high that coach of the year awards are essentially out of reach. whatever.
I admit that could be a plausible explanation, except that logic doesn't track for other teams within the CCHA. For instance, by this reasoning, Blasi should not have earned his 3rd Coach of the Year award since his team this season has pretty much met every expectation.
definitely deserves something named after him. I don't know how the CCHA/NCAA manages it, but the guy is a legend and has been instrumental in the growth and maintenance of college hockey, with his consistent insistence in the value of an education and not leaving until you are ready. How many coaches that have the respect and NHL credentials that Red does even exist? Just having him coaching NCAA is a huge weapon in college hockey's arsenal. I would assume there's more he's done that we/I don't know about too, but all those important type people talk about everything he's done for the sport, so I think he deserves every bit the honor Mason does. Mason was an incredible coach, but so is Red and they've both made huge contributions. I think it would a travesty to let him just pass into retirement with nothing. Make it one of the individual awards, make it the regular season championship (he's certainly won enough of those), create a new one, but the guy deserves something. He deserves something in-house too. You can't rename Yost obviously, but some sort of team award, scholarship, something.
How refreshing. Actual diary content. +1 on all accounts.
MSU has been an also-ran the last three seasons, too.
Whenever we've won the 'Mason Cup,' (henceforth referred to correctly as the CCHA Championship), I notice that we also tape over Mason with "Berenson." :)
The real telling sign would be total number of CCHA regular season and/or tournament championships, wouldn't it?
all 9 of Michigan's Tournament play-off championships and has won 10 conference regular season championships. I don't know about Mason personally, but MSU has 11 CCHA conference tournament championships and 10 of them are Mason's. Mason had 7 regular season conference championships. So I think it would be very fitting to give Mason the Tournament championship and Red the regular season championship. Personally, I think the regular season is more impressive, though this year I definitely prefer the tournament championship :-p
Does the regular-season trophy have a name? If not, there's an opening.
it doesn't. I think it's time that changes.
March 22nd, 2010 at 10:02 PM ^
I just wanted to comment on the post of Mason being a good guy. I grew up in the Lansing area and Mason's reputation is less then respectable. I have not personally seen him in a couple years but I hear when he is not fishing (which is most of the year) he is at the bar and is pretty much an alcoholic. While he was coaching he was know as quite the womanizer. I don't care personally about this stuff, but just stating he is not know as a great guy or anything in the Lansing area.
Comments