March 21st, 2010 at 12:35 AM ^
It's great for the "us against the world" mentality and also can get a neutral crowd cheering for you.
March 21st, 2010 at 12:38 AM ^
Not sure there has ever been a neutral crowd rooting for Michigan.
I don't think there's been a Michigan team I've ever followed in the 17-ish seasons I've followed Michigan hockey that's been as big of an underdog as this one. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, there's still a LOT of work to be done.
March 21st, 2010 at 11:26 AM ^
Legitimately, they are the Cleveland Indians (from Major League, the movie) of College Hockey.
Who are they using for the locker-room cardboard cutout with removable clothes?
March 21st, 2010 at 10:25 PM ^
Jim Tressel?
Or.... Mgohotgirl
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/ot-mgohotgirl
Either way... this is what they do in the locker room:
Fact!
Were we an underdog in '96? I know we were two years later.
Not really. 1998 was the year out of those three teams where there really was an underdog situation. 1996 was a strong team expected to compete after coming VERY close in the 1995 Frozen Four. 1997 was probably the best team Red ever had, IMO. 1998, expectations were low in comparison, yet it was still a very, very talented squad.
I know there's going to be comparisons to 1998, and I was making them earlier when I was thinking about it, but really... This is an entirely different universe.
March 21st, 2010 at 10:08 AM ^
There was no way we were going to beat B.U. in '96. Not with the Travis Roy incident motivating the Terriers, and Mike Greer being as dominant as he was.
That's what they said.
The Travis Roy incident and the wave of emotion it gave that team could only go so far going up against a Michigan team that stacked, Mike Greer or not. That '96 team was incredible.
Which reminds me, we really need to bring back the script-Michigan maize jerseys. Now.
I'm not sure. we were pretty high up that year also. the championship game was nearly a tossup. CC might have been the higher ranked team, but not by much.
We were underdogs against BU in the semifinals. I'm pretty sure they were consensus #1 and had been for most of the season, but we spanked them 4-0. In the finals, I think it was pretty close, we might have been slight favorites.
March 21st, 2010 at 11:53 AM ^
When the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
Highly recommend Bacon's book to even any casual fan of Michigan hockey. Hopefully the Terrier Curse has legs and we can pull off another upset, this one being the most unlikely. Hail yes, GO BLUE!
March 21st, 2010 at 10:11 AM ^
...at Yost or elsewhere that hasn't found some time to read Blue Ice should march down to WTKA or campus or wherever they can find Bacs and a) turn in their sweater, b) apologize, and c) get a copy and read it.
March 21st, 2010 at 11:34 PM ^
Shawn Hunwick is enough of an underdog story to get a neutral crowd going in Michigan's favor.
March 22nd, 2010 at 12:21 AM ^
Unfortunately, in an NCAA regional, you usually don't have much of a neutral crowd to bank on. In this regional, Miami and Michigan are going to be the only substantial fanbases. Miami fans are not going to cheer for Michigan. I'd also be very, very surprised if this one sells out, so it's going to be a sparse arena on top of things.
That being said, you're right, you can have a neutral-site crowd turn a game around if the conditions are right. Holy Cross' upset of #1 Minnesota in 2006 was in large part propelled by an arena full of North Dakota fans loudly cheering against the Gophers. This, though, isn't one of those situations.