Michigan Hockey Documentary-"Blue Ice"

Submitted by VictorsValiant09 on

Hi all,

Exciting news!  I was contacted a few weeks ago by a producer for FSD and a fellow Michigan Alumna.  She had a found a post I had made on the Children of Yost Facebook group, and asked if I could round up about 15 hockey fans for a short scene they were shooting at Yost.  I contacted as many people as I could, and we trekked down to Yost this past Thursday wearing jerseys, shirts, anything Maize and Blue.  I'm actually a bigger hockey fan than a football fan, so to be asked to do this was incredible.  They needed people to go through all of the cheers and chants you regularly hear at Yost, so we basically went through all of the staples for about an hour while they filmed us.  The gist of it is, after many years, they're finally making a documentary based off of John Bacon's book about Michigan Hockey, "Blue Ice."  (If you haven't read it, do so now.)  It was also a great time for me, because, being a Film Major, I got to network with some cool people.

Anyway, they've already done about 40 interviews with former players, and have found extremely old game footage via TV networks, and even found some footage from the 50's (!!!) courtesy of the Bentley Library.  I don't know if it'll have a theatrical release, but I know it will air on FSD. 

Very cool stuff.  I'm extremely excited.  If I hear of any new developments on the project, I will let you all know.

Go Blue!

South Bend Wolverine

June 4th, 2011 at 12:15 PM ^

I was delighted to also be able to take part in the filming - it was a really great experience, preserving a bit of that Yost flavor for posterity!  I definitely second the Blue Ice book recommendation - it is a history not only of Michigan hockey, but of the University as a whole, and the development of collegiate sport, seen through the eyes of one program.

I can't wait for the doc to come out - if it is even half as good as the book, it will be well, well worth any price they put on it.

M Fanfare

June 4th, 2011 at 12:57 PM ^

"Blue Ice" is a fantastic book and will make a great documentary. Bacon is going to write/release a new edition either when Michigan wins a national title or Red retires, whichever comes first. I think the book currently ends around 2002 but he's been keeping notes and doing interviews so that the addendum could be written quickly.

HAIL 2 VICTORS

June 4th, 2011 at 7:07 PM ^

When I was in high school there was a casting call for the movie Wildcats with Goldie Hawn.  This would eventually turn out to be perhaps the worst football movie ever made.  In the middle of summer a couple thousand of us filled the stands of Lane Tech Stadium on Addison ave in Chicago near WGN TV (Gordon Technical HS was just down the block-all boys where I came from) and pretended we were watching a fall football game.  I am embarrassed to say that I was along the East sideline when this was filmed and a part of this horrendous movie.

Bando Calrissian

June 4th, 2011 at 2:01 PM ^

Heard Bacon talk about this a few years ago, and it seemed little more than an eventual hope/pipe dream type thing.  Glad he got it off the ground, it's going to be awesome.

Mr. Robot

June 4th, 2011 at 2:25 PM ^

Hopefully somebody records and uploads it after it airs. It'll probably be hard to come by otherwise, although I hope I'm wrong about that.