One of the coolest parts of attending any NCAA Championship event -- from the Final Four to the Frozen Four -- is meeting the fans of the sport. Players and dynasties come and go, but the true fans of the sport are always there.
Hockey, for some unfathomable reason (to me) is a niche sport these days. I find it to be one of the fastest, toughest, and most complex games: I mean, what other sport has substitutions on the fly? So by nature, hockey fans -- especially at the collegiate level -- are some of the more dedicated and knowledgeable fans you'll find.
By way of illustration, meet Dan "Dan" Ingram, Peggy "The Nice Black Girl", and Dudley "Smitty" Smith.
Michigan State grads from the mid-80s, they've collectively attended more than 70 years worth of Frozen Fours. Consecutively. Although, to Dan, "Anaheim doesn't count."
The three friends make this an annual trip, as do many fans, whether their team is in it or not. They simply love the college game of hockey, and the annual trip is their vacation. They talk about the same folks that they see every year at the Frozen Four, like Jeff "The Brat Man" from Wisconsin who insists on bringing his own brats to every bar in hopes that the bar will cook them up for him. Naturally, Jeff is a butcher.
Smitty, Peggy and Dan talk about how the Frozen Four features "great hockey", and how this year was unusual because only one #1 seed made the semis, and how "Bemidji fans are great!" They like the fact that attending the Frozen Four allows them to "go places (they) wouldn't normally go", like Lake Placid ("one of the best!") and Cincinnati ("the ice melted!").
In the end, the trio was pulling for the CCHA team -- Miami -- betraying their regional allegiance. And while Boston prevailed, they can appreciate that, since "Boston and St. Paul, they are hockey towns".
I met two Gophs fans who had logged 20 and 40 years working at Mariucci Arena at "The U". They refer to Minnesota as "The State of Hockey", and make the Frozen Four an annual destination. Like all college hockey fans, they are knowledgeable, opinionated about next year's venue, and regionally loyal. But they all appreciate hockey at a level you don't see in the casual fan of other sports. And that's what makes the Frozen Four so special.
I hope to see Smitty, Peggy and Dan in Detroit next year.
