On Wed, 7 Dec 1994, John Kohlstrand wrote:
 
> That's not to say BG fans are particularly sophisticated. They probably hit
> the CCHA average. There are loads of
> underclassmen from the farms and suburban working-class families of ohio who
> have no clue about hockey. They cheer the big hits, and when the light behind
> the opponent's goal goes on.
 
This is generally still the case...last year, as a freshman, I was
basically clueless as to what was going on.  Being originally from a
region where football is king (and where hockey is, at best, an
afterthought) certainly didn't help matters any.  I like to think I'm at
least reasonably knowledgeable at this point.
 
> That aside, the core of it was this: Bowling Green fans didn't go to watch
> hockey or fighting or anything else. They went to see a winner.
 
This is, I guess, still true to a degree.  I, and the people I go to
games with, go to see hockey.  But there are quite a few people who go
just to see a BG team win.  (Which has been getting easier and easier in
recent years....)
 
> For years, Falcon icers were the only jocks that could beat up on a Big 10
> or Ivy League school. Bowling Green is a relatively young, working
> class sort of school, and I think many fans boost their self-esteem
> vicariously through their icers. I did and I probably still do.
 
Oh, I do.  Definitely.  I take it hard when they lose, and I'm always in a
great mood after a win.  For me, it's not because we beat Ohio State or
Notre Dame, or any other school who's a power in other sports.  It's
because I know that BG is among the best teams there is, and I take pride
in that.  It's great to hear people complimenting my school, and that
certainly gets easier when BG is winning.
 
> This identity crisis came out in a certain meanness in many BG fans, I
> think. In my trips to CCHA finals at The Joe, my fellow fans seemed to set
> themselves apart. Hell, I was there cursing with them, yelling about pompous
> asses on the opposite side of the ice. And when Bowling Green
> lost, that was it until next year, unless you are into tractor pulls or
> that sort of thing.
 
I don't know that this is really the case at this point.  I guess there's
still a certain degree of meanness, but, in general, it's the same people
who cheer the fights and the big hits and sit on their hands after BG
kills a penalty or something...
 
> Nasty or no, BG loved its heroes. Fans
> would show up an hour early and storm into the arena like it was a Cincinnati
> Who concert. They had a pet cheer for every situation, and dragged newspapers
> in to read as opposing line ups were introduced. After the initial gasp at
> an opposing goal, they would stand up and cheer on their heroes.
 
This, I'm sad to say, has gone the way of the Who themselves.  There are
still us diehards who don't miss a home game, and try not to miss road
games, but the majority of the fans show up around gametime.  We still
have the cheers ("That's debatable!"  "Awww, see ya!", and the like), and
the newspaper tradition is still going strong. (Maybe the BG news should
charge students for papers on the day of home hockey games....they could
make a killing.)  We still cheer on our team after opposing goals.  I
guess, really, the only difference between what you described and how it
is now is the fact that there really aren't a lot of people who get there
an hour early.
 
> Today's students can update me on the fans. I hear enthusiasm fell of a bit
> during the last couple of years.
 
Yeah, it has....only the Michigan and MSU games have sold out.  But the
diehards are still around...
 
> Hockey was bad, football was great. A new ticket to self respect, maybe
> -- heck they almost beat Ohio State two years ago.
 
It's definitely not the only game in town anymore...the football team
flirted with the Top 25 all season this year. (And came within eight
points of an 11-0 season.)  The basketball team is being picked for second
in the MAC. (Behind the Gary Trent University Bobcats...:-)  The women's
hoop team has been to the NCAA Tourney 2 years running.  Hockey's still
big here, but it's fallen off a bit, I'd say.
 
> But when I was there Bowling Green fans were great. Not all students of the
> game, but great, great fans. BGSU Ice Arena was a fun place to watch hockey
> then.
 
The fans are still great.  I've been to other CCHA rinks, and I'd have to
say that the fans at the Ice Arena (Hey, by the way, does anyone want to
petition to rename it the Liut Center?) are more into their team than
anywhere else I've been.  That isn't at all a rip on other CCHA schools.
Don't take it that way.  It's just that John's right.  BG is a fantastic
place to watch hockey.
 
> John Kohlstrand
> Bowling Green '92
 
-Dan
Bowling Green '97  (hopefully.)
 
Dan Lee   **    Bowling Green State University   **   [log in to unmask]
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BGSU Hockey:  10-4, 8-3 CCHA              Next Victim:  Dec 9 vs Michigan St
   Ranked #7 in the nation!                       Holzinger for Hobey!
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    "This game owes me nothing.  I owe the game of baseball everything."
                                          --Rex Hudler, 2b/lf, Angels