Do you remember where you were? I caught the final minutes of regulation and the OT winner at Scorekeepers.
We were in West Quad. We somehow ended up watching the game with a couple of the guys on the basketball and track teams in a “triple” room filled with about 15 people. Room exploded at that moment. People fell out of rooms across the floor cheering and screaming. One of those forever memories.
Tommy Brann's in Wyoming, MI.
Place went nuts!!!🏒🏒🏒
March 31st, 2023 at 12:33 PM ^
Was The Huge there?
Watched it at my grandparent's house. No one in my family was really a hockey fan, but my dad was a Michigan fan and alumni so we turned it on after playing cards. My early childhood was during the late 90s. Great Michigan era to grow up during.
I was in my dorm room in South Quad with my roommate and a buddy who worked at Yost. We kept going from room to room trying to figure out which room was good luck. Man, that was a wild couple of weekends, between the Legg goal and that championship game.
Watched in the house I rented in while in Law School. One of my housemates went to UCLA and thought it was hilarious how much I cared about college hockey.
March 30th, 2023 at 11:00 PM ^
Row 5 other end of the rink. Glorious.
March 31st, 2023 at 12:42 AM ^
We watched every playoff game at Touchdown's that year. I absolutely remember standing near the upstairs bar there when Mike Legg made that lacrosse-style, "The Michigan" goal. We were trying to watch on the modest TVs above the bar. It was hard to tell what the F we just saw.
We were in the same spot for this game as well.
One of the first nights the team was back after this win we heard that they were having a party at the hockey house which was I think on White Street between State and Packard. A buddy and I went to check it out. Pouring rain and there's one guy just hammered dancing in the rain. It was Morrison without a care in the world, after winning the Hobey Baker and NCAA title.
We walked into the house party and we were pretty much the only guys not wearing hockey jerseys, and they all had a girl on their laps. We didn't stick around very long.
2 hockey and a football national championship was a nice way to end my time as a student.
In Cincy at the game, sitting right in front of the band. The play unfolded like it was in slow motion. The rebound was just sitting there and you could see that if Morrison got there in time, it was over. Thankfully he did. After 5 years of traveling to the Regionals and Final Four, it was glorious.
Two years later, we watched the final game at Scorekeepers. We decided we should only spend money on one big trip that year and chose the Rose Bowl to see us win the football national championship. The place just exploded when that goal went in.
We'll be in Tampa next week for the next championship win.
At my central campus shithole of a rental house (333 John Street). Immediately made the pilgrimmage to the diag to celebrate with the rest of the faithful. Great memory.
March 31st, 2023 at 10:33 AM ^
I was there! Amazing time.
March 31st, 2023 at 10:40 AM ^
Happened right in front of me from about the 5th row. My son and I went crazy.
March 31st, 2023 at 11:27 AM ^
I was in the Navy on my ship the USS Belleau Wood in Sasebo Japan working nights and tuned on the TV and for some reason they had the game on. As we had no internet at the time had no idea Michigan was even playing that night.
i was there
Time for another one.
Considering how the hockey gods have repeatedly crapped on us over the past 25 years, we're overdue.
I would be very happy to not have another OT hockey game until next season.
I would be very happy to not have another hockey game loss until next season.
Fixed it.
I would be very happy to not have another OT playoff hockey game ever.
Fixed it again.
My epiphany after this happened was that Michigan won its long-elusive national championships in its three major sports in the most un-Michigan way:
Three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust Michigan Football won the 1997 National Championship - on three long TD passes,
Free throw-challenged Michigan Basketball won the 1989 National Championship - on free throws,
and Michigan Hockey who could never overcome OT in tournaments won the 1996 National Championship - in OT.
I was always impressed by that resilience, to be able to win at a championship level in a way you are not necessarily comfortable with.
Brian Griese to Tai Streets (twice) and Jerame Tuman for the win. I was sitting in section 2 wearing my blue #2 jersey 🏈👍.
March 31st, 2023 at 12:56 PM ^
Free throw-challenged Michigan Basketball won the 1989 National Championship - on free throws
The team as a whole was solid (73.5%), although Rumeal Robinson was a bit worse (65.6%), and he had missed two FTs at the end of an earlier game that year, against Wisconsin.
That team averaged 91.7 points per game. Different era.
April 4 will be the 25th anniversary of the next one. Watched that one on my 27” Zenith tube tv in my shared one bedroom apartment with about 12 other friends because, believe it or not, that was the biggest tv anyone had that i knew in A2. Crazy times. The 90s. What a time. A basketball NC (off by 8 months), 2 additional finals, 1st BTTC ever, several rose bowl wins including the NC, and 2 hockey NC. Might just play some stone temple pilots to celebrate
That one was OT as well. Damn Michigan in the Frozen 4 knows how to give heart attacks
I thought the 97 team was better than the other two. Should have won three in a row 🏆🏆🏆.
Fraternity formal, Top o’ the Ponch. They wheeled at TV out on the dance floor for us. Remember Kosick tying it and not much else
I was 14 and just beginning to be a Red Wings fan thanks to my brother so I was not a fan of Michigan hockey yet.
I've never been a fan of Michigan hockey and fully witnessed a championship, just the heartbreak. I'm tired of the heartbreak.
I was at that game. Got to go to all three games at the frozen four that year. Really enjoyed missing school on Thursday to get to go to the semifinals. One of my favorite moments as a Michigan fan. Turco was fantastic
"Number One, Mom!" Brings a tear to my eye.
I was at that game in Cinci, had 4th row seats, and might be at the final in Tampa if we make it.
You must be in Tampa—you’re obviously good juju for Michigan.
March 30th, 2023 at 10:44 PM ^
Yah, I arrive on Friday so won't be able to make the semifinal, but I will try to make the final if we make it.
Had a transfer English class (Miss Byrd) with Billy Muckalt. Nicest kid ever. Invited the whole class to his dorm to watch a movie that was assigned in class to watch.
We had to peer review each other’s essays. I remember he wrote about the Red Wings and he kept spelling Fedorov wrong throughout the essay (Federov). He didn’t believe me when I pointed it out. Lol. Then he’s playing against him 2 years later.
2 Natties for Billy. Just a beast of a college hockey player (and a mediocre writer) ;)
Too young and wasnt raised a Michigan fan anyway. Jealous of you guys who got 2x hockey titles and a football title in 3 years. What a dream
One day one of our big 3 will break through again
Basketball title too if you go a few more years back. And too many Big Ten Championships in all sports to count.
It was glorious.
Having seen all of that, I gotta say it feels like its coming around again . . .
In the semifinal, the Wolverines beat defending NCAA champion Boston University 4-0. BU's current head coach Jay Pandolfo played on that BU team.
On a sad note, ESPN's play-by-play announcer for the Frozen Four in 1996 was Tom Mees who'd been a big supporter of college hockey at ESPN. In August that year, Mees drowned in a swimming pool accident.
I was going to post the same about Tom Mees it's hard to believe just months after this broadcast he would be gone RIP
And look how young Rich Eisen looks! He was only a few years removed from his time in Ann Arbor.
I didn't even know that was him!
So wonderful
I was at a house near Central Campus. Pretty sure the cheering and screaming made the place vibrate.
I was at the game, five rows back on the center line. We had traded our student tickets plus some cash to a scalper for 5th row seats. Morrison's goal was down our sight line of that end of the rink.
What a game and what a goal!
I hope Morrison hasn't had to buy a beer in Ann Arbor since then.
In-laws asked me to drive them to a church event. They noticed I was checking the TV and offered to change their plans. Being open to superstition and karma, I elected to go to church. I don't regret it. I feel that I did my part to secure the win.
March 31st, 2023 at 12:25 PM ^
So you’re saying the Holy Father is a Michigan fan. I’ll take it.
Hmmm - 27 years. That's not anything "squared" - like A2. But, it is "three cubed"...
Let's watch history repeat.
It's a week away ... Frozen Four... Go Blue!
Great moment to get the monkey off Red’s back. The ‘97 team was even better and didn’t win it. Then the ‘98 team won it even though they had about 10 freshmen and none of them were Adam Fantilli-level guys.