On Frozen Blog

Back during the college hockey playoffs we reported the dire straits in which the Bowling Green hockey program had found itself — the historic program, which produced both Rob Blake and Hobey Baker winner George McPhee — was on life support. However winds of promising puck change have swept through that campus of late: $4 million has been pledged to the program for renovation of the Falcons’ rink, with $1.5 million of that coming from the state of Ohio in these budget trauma times. A very good sign.   

ESPN.com’s Dave Fleming, a Miami Redhawk alum, authored a lengthy and delightfully indulgent reminiscence of the Frozen Four’s visit to Washington that, while some months old now, I only discovered just this weekend. It’s very much worth inclusion among your summer reading.

Fleming captures in vivid detail the historic drama we in Washington were so fortunate to witness:

” . . . here’s the blunt truth for Miami: When you’re up by two goals and a
minute away from the NCAA title you have to be able to close out the
win. Period. After the RedHawks third goal, they started watching the
clock, sagging back and daydreaming about the parade down High Street,
past Skippers and across Oxford, Ohio. Who wouldn’t? But when Boston
pulled its goalie a little early (at 3:23, I think) it caught them off
guard, and when they tried to snap back into underdog warrior mode, it
wasn’t there anymore, it had leaked out of their hands like cupped
water. It was gut wrenching to watch. It was as if karma had opened a
miracle-win window for Miami and then slammed it shut on their fingers.
The momentum swing was so dramatic and palpable that, I swear, if the
third period had been two minutes longer the final score would have
been 8-3. Miami didn’t give the game away as much as Boston woke up and
snatched it out of their hands. What BU did was remarkable, not a fluke.” 

Spot on. It is wonderful that the 2009 Frozen Four title game is accumulating deserved stature as one of the greatest title games in the history of title games. “Later, Boston University coach Jack Parker, a 36-year veteran of the sport, called it the best championship game — ever,” Fleming writes. “Indeed, this really was one of those moments that forever changes your standard of how to define a great sporting event.” Fleming also took note of the role that the NHL hosts played at the 2009 Frozen Four: 
 

“The Washington Capitals moved out of their own locker room so that the
top-seeded team from Boston could take over and feel at home. Part of
that is because Caps GM George McPhee is a former Hobey Baker Memorial
Award winner from Bowling Green. Can you imagine the Redskins doing
that?”

It’s hard to believe that merely three months have passed since Washington hosted so successfully such a significant sports event. I especially appreciated discovering Fleming’s file in the midst of August mugginess, as it reminded me of how delightfully chilly it was here in early spring that special weekend. Fleming concludes his reminiscence with a flourish:

” . . . crews were already busy converting the Verizon back into a
basketball arena. The NCAA banners were lowered and crumpled up on the
seats like kid’s coats at the movies. And when they started lowering
the JumboTron, the weight of the structure caused the support cables to
let out an ear-shattering wail that made it sound like — I swear –
the arena itself was physically upset about the end of the Frozen Four.

“All I could think as I walked out of the arena and into the cold night was: that makes two of us.”