“I had been there to watch my friends play a game and had seen the set up but when I started to walk into the stadium on game day I was blown away,” said Noah Hirschl, a Community High School freshman. Hirschl, like everyone else, was startled at the impressive turn out.

In October of 2001 Michigan State University hosted the first outdoor hockey game, originally called the “Cold War,” between the two rivals. The venue of the Spartan football stadium allowed for a world record hockey game attendance of 74,544. The game left a lasting impression on hockey fans as the game finished in a 3-3 tie, after Michigan State scored the tying goal with only minutes to play. The “Cold War” boasted additional entertainment of a combined 600 person marching band and an appearance from country artist Shannon Brown.

The attendance record held until May 7 of this year when nearly 78,000 people packed into Veltins arena in Germany to watch the International Ice Hockey Federation finals between the United States and Germany. It is easy to say that the University of Michigan athletic department had their sights held high when they set out to host a rematch between MSU and U of M at the Big House.

“You wouldn’t believe how crowded it was. The stadium was totally packed. Everyone had to wait in line just to get through the doors of their section to find their seats,” said Kyle Aaronson a CHS senior.

The attendance record shattered the crowds expectations. However, the athletic department was clearly ready when the Guinness Book of World Records marched out on the field to present the crowd with the world record of most attendees at a hockey game with a remarkable 113,411 people.

“I was in awe, there were more people there than at the football games” said Hirschl.

Although the view from the 96th row to the first row was certainly very different it is safe to say that everyone – disregarding the MSU fans – shared a fantastic experience. “We started up in a pretty high row but it wasn’t bad. It was nice to be able to see plays develop and you could follow the puck from everywhere,” explained Hirschl.
Regardless of whether or not you enjoy watching hockey the entertainment was more than expected. “ It was so, so, so sweet, the stealth bomber flew over us before the game. It was timed perfectly. It was so quiet too, it was scary. Honestly, you would be dead before you ever saw or heard it,” said Aaronson.

After the initial shock wore off the teams began to take the ice. As Michigan entered, fireworks stationed around the rink began to fire. The sounds echoed through the stadium following the flashing lights that could not be differentiated between cameras and fireworks through the smoke that hung above the rink before dispersing through the stadium.

The fireworks continued through out the game, erupting in unity with the crowd after Michigan scored each of its five goals. The fireworks continued into the night with a stunning finale set to the soundtrack to the movie, The Big Chill. “The whole day there was sweet!” said Hirschl. “Everything from the flyover to the retro jerseys just set the atmosphere. The game was fantastic so the fact that there were also fireworks and that many people just made it an incredible experience.”