Stories/Impressions from the Big House 5-0 Big Chill Victory

I got the Down in Front folks.  The passive aggressive kind.  They were sitting right behind me and making snide comments about "proper stadium etiquette" (direct quote, I swear) and "this isn't a football game."  The deal was the woman never actually had the guts to say anything to anyone though.  She just sat there and made comments to her kids about "poor manners" and shit like that.  Designed of course so we'd over hear them.  

At one point I was tempted to turn around and point out that the 50 rows in front of me are standing, thus I'm standing because I want to see the damn game.  So if she wants me to sit she should go down to Row 1 and work her way up.  However when I started to turn I caught sight of her husband sitting there with an "I wish I was dead" expression on his face (or alternatively "I wish I'd left the bitch at home" look).  Figured I didn't want to make his day any worse so I kept my mouth shut, squared my shoulders and spend the first period standing right in front of the woman.  She left at the end of the first period and was never seen again.  The husband then stood, perked up, cheered and even high fived us all after the goals.  

Our concession to human decency was to arrange it so the short girls were standing in front of the kid so the kid could see over them.  Ms. Proper Stadium Etiquette got the two six foot tall guys parked right in front of her.  

Awesome atmosphere, great game, and incredible experience.  We did it bigger and better than anyone else and the hockey team just seemed to have a great time with it too.  I had season hockey tickets when I was at U of M, so it's great to see other fans get to enjoy the best hockey experience and team in the country.

I think the highlight of the game for me was right before the fourth goal... In Yost, the hockey crowd spells words and asks what they mean, etc.  So during the power play in the 3rd period, someone started spelling F-O-R-E-P-L-A-Y and asked what it ment.  Obviously it ment We're gunna score and literally two seconds latter, Michigan scored.   Did anyone else have the same experience I had?  This happened near the front of second 27.

I was so proud of the win, of the event, of the turnout and of the stadium.  What an awesome night!  Also, on the way out I saw Lloyd Brady and (creepily) got a picture.  (I also posted this in the infamous Lloyd Brady photoshop thread.)

Today I was PROUD to be A Michigan Wolverine...Folks here in Atlanta were 

talking about it....The Publicity and the Impression of Michigan was amazing!!!

GO BLUE!!!!!!

I have to say, as much as I see people poo pooing the announced attendance, there weren't THAT many gaps in the crowd. I think there were one or two spots along the outer edges and that was it. Maybe 5,000 less than capacity AT MOST. Student section was packed too.

Best of all, there were almost no sparties :)

Agree on the advertising being a bit of "testing the waters" so to speak. Though, I recall an interview with Brandon from back when he was first hired, and he specifically stated something about how they've done market research on the fan base and the main thing that was most important to the fans was "no advertising in the Big House." We'll see how it shakes out but I think he appreciates that sentiment -- he's at least aware of it. Choice events like this, with the whole larger-than-life and world-is-watching feel to it, the marketing fits in pretty seamlessly. Anyway, you gotta pay for the rink and fireworks! But I don't think it would be as palatable for a regular-season football game.

As for my personal stories, I gotta say I was impressed by the turnout and the good view. I was up in the club seats -- sipping rarefied air with the aristocracy for a change, looking down upon the plebeians who were inevitably having a more raucous fun-fest than we -- and had an excellent view of the rink. A bit of improvement could be made to amplify the rink-level noise, as the lack of sounds from skates and sticks and so on diminished the engagement in the game itself, but the four corner mics did pick up some quality noises. The biggest disappointment was that Palmisano never took off his mask... I was really itching to do the "Ugly Goalie" chant. Clearly, he did not want 110,000 negative appraisals of his looks.

Hearing so many people do the chants was just plain frickin awesome. I got to teach the people around me some of the more ... polite hockey chants (I omitted the litany of profanity in CYA), and young and old alike had a lot of fun joining in, yelling at the goalie, and asking how much time is left. I would be interested to know how well the chants could be heard on TV. Major props, also, to the band for the most epic Blues Brothers dance eva!

B2 bomber was amazing. Surreal, really, the way it glides through the air. Reminded me of a manta ray. And so quiet on the approach. Certainly a far cry from the old B-52s I used to see in air shows.

Overall: A+, big win for M hockey and Dave Brandon, and all who got to see it.

I know everyone will have their opinions on this aspect, but I know one good thing that came from it. While tailgating at Pioneer, they had an Arbys truck handing out free roast beef sandwiches as well as Famous Dave's giving sausage and shredded beef. I was stuffed and didn't have to pay a dime for food. Also echoing everyone's comments, my whole experience at the game was awesome. Had some State fans getting bitter towards the end saying things about the football team. Think their something all of the sudden...man do I hate those guys!

Froze my ass off. So worth it!

 the MOST ATTENDED HOCKEY GAME/MICHIGAN STADIUM EVENT in history.

Not just that - it was the most-attended non-racing sporting event in U.S. history. 

Today's weather came a day early?

Plus side:

1.  Michigan win.

2.  Fly over was cool.

3.  Fireworks.

4.  Lights.

5.  Organization was excellent.

Minus side:

1.  Advertising

2.  See 1 above.

I didn't think the advertising was too bad. The Arby's Big Arby's Chill and the Arby's Big House (ARBYS!) was a bit much, but the random ads on the LED boards seemed fine. Nothing permanent, but cycle thru a few ads.

I was kind of surprized they let the Casino ads in tho

One word: Awsome, I have absolutely nothing new to add than what others have said. 

Just that it was a perfect weekend and if this type of "night game" experience is what we have to look forward to for ND next year, wow have we been missing out. 

This is probably my 8th or 9th partaking of a Michigan sport. All previous others were for football as a 3 hour drive is hard to do for a 2 hour basketball game or hockey game. It was by far though the most fun we have ever had at a sporting event. Everything was done perfectly and they should be darn proud of themselves for putting this on. Even if they had it every year it probably would never come close to being as awesome as the original. Hell they even printed up the tickets in such a way that they would be collectible and maintain their freshness for years to come. Bravo.

After a 4 hour ride home Sunday (thanks weather) I turned on the BTN broadcast and saw that the guys we tailgated with were shown in the very beginning. A perfect day all in all.

Way to go Michigan for doing things that these jackholes in Ohio could never come close to.

Now go enjoy your free Minnesota NYG game at Ford Field tonight!

I wish I lived closer.

But if anyone didn't get Sports Illustrated this week, there's a two page spread of this-

In there. Probably suitable for framing if you didn't want to pop for the U's poster costs.