Yost Ice Arena RINK renamed

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena

FLINT, Mich. -- Red Berenson was honored for his 33 seasons of coaching Michigan hockey when the ice rink inside Yost Arena was officially named the Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena.

The University of Michigan Board of Regents approved Thursday (Oct. 19) an addition to the naming structure at historic Yost Arena at its monthly meeting held at Harding Mott University Center on the Flint campus. In honor of a legendary figure, the regents formally approved the designation of the ice rink as the Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena.

"Red Berenson is a legend in the sport of ice hockey, a tremendous educator of young men and someone who has made a significant impact at the University of Michigan," said Warde Manuel, the Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics. "He has dedicated much of his adult life to develop hundreds of young men here at Michigan. This is an honor befitting his exceptional commitment to intercollegiate athletics and his championship success in the sport of hockey as both a player and a coach."

The university's Board of Regents agreed with Manuel's assessment by unanimously approving an addition to the naming structure at historic Yost Arena to name the rink in Berenson's honor.

The new ice design will be unveiled ahead of this weekend's home opener as the Wolverines host the University of Vermont with a two-game set starting Friday. The rink will be formally dedicated Jan. 5, 2018, when the Wolverines host Notre Dame in a 6:30 p.m. game.

Gordon "Red" Berenson came to the University of Michigan first as a student-athlete and later as its head ice hockey coach for 33 seasons. Coach Berenson received both a bachelor's degree (1962) and Master of Business Administration degree (1966) from U-M, completing the later degree while excelling on the ice as a professional hockey player.

At Michigan, Berenson was a two-time All-American, the 1962 WCHA Most Valuable Player and team captain. Following graduation, his NHL career spanned 17 years and included winning the Stanley Cup as a member of the Montreal Canadiens in 1965 and 1966. He went on to coach in the NHL for three years and was named the Jack Adams Award winner (NHL Coach of the Year) in 1981.

Upon returning to Michigan in 1984 as the head ice hockey coach, Berenson immediately brought Michigan hockey back to the forefront of the NCAA, guiding the Wolverines to national championships in 1996 and 1998 while winning 21 conference championships.

The fourth all-time winningest NCAA ice hockey coach ((848-426-92 (.654)), Berenson developed two Hobey Baker Memorial Award winners (Brendan Morrison-1997, Kevin Porter-2008), 140 Academic All-Big Ten selections and five Big Ten Distinguished Scholars.

While retiring from coaching following the 2016-17 season, Berenson continues to serve the department as he works to fulfil his goal of endowing all Michigan Ice Hockey Scholarships. Current financial commitments exceed $20 million.

sharklover

October 19th, 2017 at 9:44 PM ^

I bought a square of turf from Michigan stadium when they resurfaced with grass in the '90s. I felt pretty good about that purchase. No way I would pony up money for a vial of water. It's not like it was the same ice at the Joe for the last thirty years, or something. $85 is insane! Plus, the fact that the Illitichs fleeced the taxpayers of Detroit, which is struggling to come out of bankruptcy, for hundreds of millions of dollars to help pay for the new stadium... Shameful that they are charging money for melted ice.

sharklover

October 21st, 2017 at 12:55 PM ^

No, not for thirty years. But it was the same rug on the floor of Michigan Stadium from the time of my birth to the time that they ripped it out to plant the grass. That had a lot of sentimental value for me, and evidently thousands of other Wolverine faithful that paid for a piece of it. 

They changed the ice at the Joe multiple times per year.

JHumich

October 19th, 2017 at 5:09 PM ^

Car accidents suck. Hope that works out ok for you.

But, to my eyes, it's a pretty normal WD thread, including your own interactions.

Just sayin'.

 

That said, I would never have known that we renamed the rink without this thread. So, that's something. You generally put the "trivial" in "trivia," but that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy the information. I love those bits. It's the pro/anti-WD meta that I could live without.

MichiganG

October 23rd, 2017 at 9:55 AM ^

In PR you don't care about hits on your own site with a press release.  The whole point is wide distribution of the knowledge.  Most press releases aren't seen on the website of the company that released them; they're picked up on the wire and in other news services.

Duke of Zhou

October 19th, 2017 at 5:03 PM ^

The first rule of public speaking, or writing, is to know your audience.  It shouldn't be terribly surprising that the patrons of a University of Michigan blog are the type who would call you out for inaccuracy, or a lack of clarity.  Accuracy and clarity are the most important elements of effective communication, and it would serve you well to put forth a modicum of effort to make sure that you are achieving that goal.

Alton

October 19th, 2017 at 5:18 PM ^

Nailed to a board?  Wait a minute.  You told us that the second most important, and the most beloved, sports venue on campus had been renamed.  (Yes, second).

I know you would understand people's reaction to this happening.  I know you would react the same way, and rightly so, if they changed the name of Yost Ice Arena.  And when people find out that the information was inaccurate, they're going to express some annoyance.  The proper reaction here isn't to double down, Brandon-style, and blame people for reacting, but to acknowledge and move on.

RamblerRobotics

October 19th, 2017 at 5:23 PM ^

You fancy yourself as some all-knowing God around here. How dare they correct me! Don't they know who I am? That's how you come off.

For the record, no one ""nailed you to the board" until you decided to get vitriolic when someone corrected you.

Alton

October 19th, 2017 at 4:09 PM ^

From your first paragraph:  "...ice rink inside Yost Arena was officially named the Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena."

To me, that suggests Yost Ice Arena is still the name of the building, and the surface that they have their skates on is Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena.