By Alyssa Girardi –
EAST LANSING — As the Spartans prepare for their annual matchup with rival Michigan at Joe Louis Arena, Tom Anastos took a moment to recall his own memories on the ice in Detroit.
The MSU head coach played for the Spartans from 1981-85 and won seven championships at Joe Louis Arena as a player — three Great Lake Invitationals and four CCHA Championships.
“I grew up a Detroiter, so I grew up watching the college games way back at the Olympia Stadium,” Anastos said. “That’s where I was introduced to college hockey. I always wanted to go to a school, when I figured out I might be able to go to a school, to play down there.”
One particular game that he recalled is the GLI Championship on Dec. 29, 1982, a 5-3 win against Michigan Tech.
Though he said he can’t remember the score of the game, he vividly remembers the large crowd. At the time, the Detroit Red Wings were in their “Dead Wings” era, and there was a strong buzz surrounding the MSU program.
The game set a North American collegiate hockey attendance record of 21,247. At the time, Joe Louis Arena only had a seating capacity of 19,275, which means roughly 2,000 packed in without a seat.
“In the upper bowl, you couldn’t see aisles because people were sitting on the steps,” he said. “And I remember being down on the ice at a break and just looking up, and it was endless people.”
Thursday evening, Anastos will head down to the home of the Red Wings once again as the Spartans take on No. 14 Michigan in a 7 p.m. puck drop.
It marks the second of at least five games this season between the in-state rivals. The two met Dec. 28 at Comerica Park in the GLI consolation game, and MSU handed Michigan its first shutout in almost a year with a 3-0 win.
“Last time we played them, it was outdoors, (we) tried to keep the game as simple as possible,” sophomore goaltender Jake Hildebrand said. “I think this game’s definitely going to be a little bit more open, we’ll be able to make more plays but I think getting the win at the Great Lakes Invitational was definitely huge for our team.”
The game marked a turning point for the Spartans, who have gone 2-1-1-1 since the GLI, earning their first Big Ten win last weekend against Penn State.
MSU will look for its third straight conference regulation win Thursday before returning to East Lansing the following night to play the second half of the series at 6:30 p.m.