Michigan Hockey: The Journey

Michigan Hockey: The Journey

        As we get ready to faceoff against Cornell Friday, we get closer to the end of the chapter that is Michigan Hockey 2012. As careers end, legacies are forged and regrets are left on the ice. Players drift away and are forgotten, but long after their mark has faded from Yost Ice Arena the brotherhood shared can never be erased. Old men will tell stories to their grandchildren of how they skated with true Michigan men, telling of triumphs and sacrifice given to achieve greatness.

       The past has been written on the ice of Yost Ice Arena, legends have come and gone while others remain etched onto the white banners above above us. New players will arrive to start the next chapter, hearing their names called down from the stands while writing history for themselves. Starry eyed freshman will look up at the older players and dream of becoming the next champions to wear the Maize and Blue, hoping they can continue the Michigan legacy.

        For some the journey does not end here, as they will take their skills beyond the college game to the next level. For others it's time to say goodbye to everything we have ever known, every minute of our lives have been given to the game we love but the unknown quickly approaches. Our memories take us back to a time when the rink was a foreign place known only by our heroes as we watched on TV, while our fathers watched from the stands dreaming of the day when we would share the ice with the NHL greats. From the time we could skate to the moment when the horn sounds one final time, every drop of sweat and blood has been given to the ice to be a champion. Wherever the journey of life leads is unknown but one thing is certain, long after Yost has forgotten the names of the past the Wolverine will always remain inside.

“We know that hockey is where we live, where we can best meet and overcome pain and wrong and death. Life is just a place where we spend time between games.” -Fred Shero