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.

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Alton

October 20th, 2017 at 10:05 AM ^

I do know that.  But it's the job of the Athletic Department to get things right.  It took me less than a second to notice the trapezoids; I'm sure that the AD has many people who could do the same thing.  Why weren't they given the opportunity to review the graphic before it was released to the public?

If you were grading this as a student's work, you couldn't give this anything better than a "C".  The Athletic Department needs to produce something better than "C" work.

Joined: 07/05/2008

MGoPoints: 13273

Chaco

October 19th, 2017 at 4:07 PM ^

to get stuff named after you.  The times they are a changin'.  Good for Red though - he has been a huge presence in Michigan hockey.

Joined: 11/15/2012

MGoPoints: 27901

Mr. Yost

October 19th, 2017 at 4:25 PM ^

I feel like you could have the signature on the ice without having RINK below it. It takes away from the signature and it's the first thing you see. 

Or put Red Berenson Rink under it and the signature above it.

Joined: 07/25/2011

MGoPoints: -9898220

Gucci Mane

October 19th, 2017 at 5:25 PM ^

I have read multiple stories that say he was not racist.....and even if he was....it was a 100 years ago. He can’t be held to the standards of today’s social norms.

Joined: 02/10/2014

MGoPoints: -99957423

Bando Calrissian

October 20th, 2017 at 1:26 AM ^

And that doesn't mean it should be overlooked when discussing a statue.

Putting up a statue for a white racist, no matter when he was born or how many other people were, is not something the University of Michigan should be doing in 2017. Period. We can acknowledge he was a great coach who made a distinct impression on the university, but it's not like Yost is starved for attention or has been overlooked in any way. 

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 68117

BursleyBaitsBus

October 19th, 2017 at 4:54 PM ^

That could be an issue, you’re correct. Idk why you’re getting downvotes. Yost had black players on the team but none of them ever received a letter or played game minutes under him. They were solely reserves. Mind you Michigan’s first black player was in 1890. Willis Ward was the next guy to start in the 30s. Unfortunate, maybe too much West Virginia carried over with Yost.

Joined: 01/20/2016

MGoPoints: 12434

Everyone Murders

October 19th, 2017 at 5:38 PM ^

All the jabs at WD aside, I think it's great that they named the rink after Red.  The man is a living legend, and well deserving of the honor.

I hope WD and whoever else was involved in the car accident are OK.  Yesterday I almost got hit by a woman going about 25 through a marked intersection while a friend and I were walking  in a crosswalk.  Was she texting and looking down at the text the whole time?  Of course she was. 

Joined: 12/14/2010

MGoPoints: 65552

Solecismic

October 19th, 2017 at 5:43 PM ^

It beats corporate sponsorship. In the NFL, there's both a Mercedes Benz Stadium and a Mercedes Benz Dome. Plus a Bank of America Stadium, EverBank Field, Lincoln Financial Field, M&T Bank Stadium, Raymond James Stadium and U.S. Bank Stadium if you like financial institutions. To avoid confusion, The Ann Arbor News used to have a policy refusing to mention corporate sponsorships. For instance, with golf tournaments, instead of the U.S. Bank Open, they'd mention the city it was played in. This led to some unintentional comedy when the Buick Open was played in Pontiac, Michigan. Anyway, now Michigan can have some fun with the red line at the Red Rink.

Joined: 11/27/2016

MGoPoints: 7034

Michigan Arrogance

October 19th, 2017 at 6:34 PM ^

classic WD. Although, it's rare that you see all sides of his personality in the same thread.

Informative

sanctimonious

hyperbolic

defensive/doubles down

thin-skinned/comes off like a self-reported  martyr

If only RDT were here to see it.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 35484

jakeace

October 19th, 2017 at 10:04 PM ^

I think the whole idea of giving the court/rink its own name, as opposed to the name of the stadium, is a little ridiculous. However, it could never be more appropriate than it is in this case. I look forward to the next time I go to Yost Arena and see a game on the Red Berenson Rink.

Joined: 09/19/2010

MGoPoints: 900

fksljj

October 19th, 2017 at 10:55 PM ^

I clicked on this topic expecting to be enraged when I saw a lameass corporate name attached to it. I am pleasantly surprised. There is nothing I despise more than to see all of the cool stadium names being replaced by shitty corporate names.

Joined: 11/27/2016

MGoPoints: -9997905