FLASHBACK: Michigan sets hockey attendance record at the Big House

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The state of Michigan prides itself on its hockey, from the peewee ranks all the way to the Detroit Red Wings. It’s also quite a hotbed for college hockey as well, and both Michigan and Michigan State represent that in every way.

The two long and storied in-state rivals don’t like each other, in any sport. Hockey is no exception. You just never know what could happen when these two meet on the ice; most people just look back in a 1991 skirmish at old Joe Louis Arena.

Among the more memorable moments in their hockey rivalry came on this day back in 2010, when the two played at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, setting a world record for hockey attendance.

Now the official certified attendance checks in at the 104,173 mark, versus the 113,411 total that was initially announced at the time of the event.

“The Big Chill” as it was known, or “Cold War II” to some, was a sequel to the first outdoor game in the history of this rivalry that took place in October of 2001 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. The aptly named “Cold War” ended in a 3-3 draw in what was then the world record for the largest hockey game attendance.

Part 2 ended much differently as Michigan went on to blow out the Spartans 5-0. The Wolverines went on to post a stout 29-11-4 record that season and finished as the national runner-up to champion Minnesota-Duluth. Michigan State finished 15-19-4 that same year, in what would be the final year for then head coach Rick Comley.

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Michigan has played in six additional outdoor games since the perceived trend-setting Cold War showdown in 2001; Michigan State in four more games outside. Post-Big Chill, these two have played in two more games head-to-head outdoors since then, more recently in February of 2015 when a ranked Michigan club downed MSU 4-1 at Soldier Field in Chicago.

This record between Michigan and Michigan State only last for a few years. The new mark was set on New Year’s Day of 2014 when the Detroit Red Wings played the Toronto Maple Leafs in the annual NHL Winter Classic. That game officially held 105,491 in attendance.