I need to amend an earlier blog. Last summer I wrote about why the Brewers-Twins rivalry is my favorite. While to some degree it's still true there is another "Border Battle" that ranks right with it. The Badgers vs. Gophers on the frozen pond. Like the get together on the diamond the reasons start with my love for the game of hockey. It's a sport I played all my life and this rivalry is one I've watched up close since even before I could say Bucky and Goldy.
It dates back to 1922 and while it hasn't always been a rivalry like the Michigan vs. Ohio St football match up (Wisconsin's program went into hibernation for a long period of time) it has been the equal to it in terms of talent both on the ice and on the bench. "Badger" Bob, Herb Brooks, Jeff Sauer, Don Lucia & now Mike Eaves all have won national championships as coaches and coached in this "Border Battle". The list of players who've gone on to play in the NHL, win gold medals or been All-Americans would take me all night to list.
Families, like sending off a son to war in some sense, have marched out Fathers, sons, uncles and now even grandsons to take up their schools cause. Ask a member of the Johnson, Gorowsky, Winchester or Suter families what playing and beating the Gophers means to them. Ask a member Williamson, Nanne, Vanelli, Broten, Micheletti , Hankinson or Woog families what beating the Badgers means to them.
From the raucous Coliseum with the beer garden to the "Old Barn" with the walk up the wooden stairs to the best sheet of ice in college hockey and now the biggest arena in college hockey "The Kohl Center" to the hockey only palace that is the new Mariucci Arena.
From the chants of "sieve" in Madison to "Gopher rejects" & "94 East" on the other side of the river.
This past weekend the Badgers earned 3 out of 4 points against the Gophers. They seem to be two teams heading in different directions this season. Still they will always stand side by side trading shoves and highlights reel goals creating what, for my money, is the best rivalry in college sports and for that matter all of hockey,
Can't wait till they meet again!
Robb
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