Ron Mason, the winningest coach in college hockey history, thought he should be a Spartan. The coach, Gordon “Red” Berenson, was and would always be the face of the Michigan hockey program, a program which had given Elmblad, as it had for Fox, something he would have never received anywhere else. Chris Fox marched up to Berenson’s office soon after the game ended that night and committed. Jack Johnson, the third pick in the 2005 NHL Draft, is one of the few able to take advantage of it. Berenson reads my mind. Fourteen years old, the Toronto native had one objective to make the best first impression. # GoBlue 〽️ They even devised an elaborate plan involving Berenson going to McGill University’s engineering school while playing a 70-game, NHL season. “How are you going to make this a better place? It was part of the game. “I love that about him because he knows exactly what he wants. You’ll look on this and be happy that you had this experience.’ ”. But even he wasn’t sure if Gordie would wake up from the surgery. But academically, Fox began to see a future shaping up for him in the medical field. I wouldn’t be a neurosurgery resident, I wouldn’t have the kind of personal success I had in my life without Red.”. So while Gordie lay on the operating table, Chris Fox sat with the entire Berenson family, who had been in town to watch the coach accept an award the next day. — George Sipple (@GeorgeSipple) March 23, 2014. By Steve Kornacki. It’s almost as if he feels like he’s failed them, and his paternal side begins to show through with each example he gives. If you think it’s time for you to go, you can’t just sit back and be scared not to sign. He wants you to get those attributes that will help you be better in life.”. Michigan Man: The Red Berenson Story. Bill Cleary, who had won the NCAA Championship just a few years prior, wanted him in Harvard Crimson. One of them — tall, lanky, paying little attention to the cacophony around him — is Gordon Arthur “Red” Berenson, ’62, MBA’66, the coach of Michigan hockey for the past 32 years. “If you want to be a Michigan Man, you should know in the next week,” the coach said to the recruit, who looked and felt much more like a kid than he did when he walked into the office just minutes before. He is married to Joy Berenson and they have four children. It’s hard not to listen to him when he talks. He began to push Fox to focus on his pre-med classes, explaining that his future, more than likely, lied in the field of medicine, not hockey. The man looks like he’s at home. It didn’t matter that the walk-on had played very little in his college hockey career. According to most of his players and fellow coaches, the 70-year-old is far from acting his age. He was going to be a star no matter what corner of the country he ended up in. Two years had passed for Chris Fox, and in his sophomore season, he still wasn’t quite sure why he was here. Select a school logo to customize your Big Ten Network+ experience with pre-filtered content for your chosen school. Since Berenson became Michigan’s head coach in 1984, the landscape of professional hockey has changed drastically, making it increasingly difficult for the aging coach to relay his message: that there is life after hockey. And Berenson was far from surprised by his young player’s complaints. Michigan Man - The Red Berenson Story is one of the successful film projects Artrain has assisted. It could’ve gone either way, and we had a great outcome. That Tuesday, the third day after Gordie’s accident, the young Berenson regained consciousness in his hospital bed. He was throwing his career away. By definition, Pearson is a ‘Michigan man.’ He was Berenson’s right-hand man for over two decades, spending 23 years as an assistant coach at Michigan, including 11 as the associate head coach. But meeting with the media on Sunday at the end of Michigan's season, Berenson told reporters that despite that he plans to be back as head coach at Michigan next season. The steely glare. The Wolverines won the national championship in Fox’s sophomore season with Fox playing a small role, but it was two years later, as a senior, in which Fox began to take form right before the coach’s eyes. “The only thing I was thinking was when I shake his hand, I’m going to shake it as hard as I could to look as strong as possible.”, “I shook his hand and he says, ‘You’ve got a strong handshake. They’re hockey bums, Berenson understands. Gordon Berenson grew up on the outskirts of Regina, Saskatchewan with a rink always right around the corner. Michigan went 848-426-92 (.654) in the Berenson era. The Canadiens would not be deterred. I spot something beside his desk that I’ve never seen before — a picture tacked up to his bulletin board of a bearded, shirtless man, grinning widely in a long wooden canoe. But his schoolwork interested him too, and it wasn’t until his coach, Murray Armstrong, took the head coaching job at Denver University that he realized what he was in for. ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- This is the tale of a young man going from the Red Army to Red Berenson and living the American Dream. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The coach could sense Fox’s discontent. This is Red Berenson. But the coach was the last person who would let Fox, or any player for that matter, walk out on his education without a fight. For anyone else, it would’ve been a no-brainer. So Fox brought his worries to Berenson, whose wisdom was well documented by then. Helpless and unconscious, Gordie had sustained a serious head injury that would put his life into peril. It was an autumn Sunday in 2006 and Gordie Berenson, son of the coach, could no longer bear to continue blowing leaves out of his yard. But what about the NHL? “Montreal was waiting,” Berenson said. He’s a legend, Fox thought to himself. He made his way to the Berenson’s office, but this conversation wouldn’t be about the NHL or professional hockey or anything about the sport in general. “A lot of guys understand what Red’s talking about after the fact,” Pearson says. They dined him. “You better grow up and get an education, so you don’t become a hockey bum.”, “So I grew up with that fear,” the coach says. Before Berenson even stepped foot on Michigan’s campus, where he decided to play hockey, the Canadiens came calling. And aside from an assault charge and subsequent stemming from an incident that took place in the summer before his 1997-98 season which Berenson called uncharacteristic of Fox, by the end of the year, the coaching staff thought his contributions had become more important than the pockmark on his record. ‘This is what a lot of life is about, facing these challenges and figuring out a way through them and around them. He wasn’t sure. Flanked by his parents, the 17-year-old fought down the nerves, and took the stairs up to a corner office that overlooked the busy Ann Arbor street, which he stood on just moments ago. Mar 16, 2021 • Big Ten Network Originals. Those close to him insist they have no idea how long he’ll stick around Yost Ice Arena. Nearly every Division I hockey program had shown interest in him, so he had options at his disposal. The coach stood before the Foxes, just as many other coaches had before him. My eyes scan across the room and down the walnut shelving. But still, I think we’re still doing the right thing here. He’s still the same coach. His coaching days are behind him now. But at this moment, the coach, with his skin cracked and rough and his blue eyes piercing, felt more like Clint Eastwood circa Dirty Harry. So he told Fox something he would never forget. Michigan commits began dropping like flies without their degrees, and the coach’s frustration has become increasingly obvious; he furrows his brow as he discusses the state of his beloved sport. He gestures to another picture behind his desk, it’s of him and two other men, one I recognize as Don Canham. “Maybe when you’re 19 or 20, you see the money, you see the glitz and the glamour, and they don’t realize till later on, ‘I knew what he was doing, he was trying to protect me.’ “, Berenson gets worked up as he remembers players who left his system early. “Thank you, coach,” Elmblad said. Cleary and Mason glowed about Chris’s potential. Follow the life and career of Red Berenson, former player and longtime coach at the University of Michigan. * Coached Michigan for 33 seasons, from 1984-85 through 2016-17. “But the fact that he stayed four years, won two national titles, goes on to medical school and to get involved by helping save my life, it’s really special to me every time I see him. Senior defenseman Steve Kampfer tells me yet again. He wasn’t on-call, so he knew it could only be bad news. The aura. I’ll be one of several I’m sure. All of his players know this mantra. He led his teams to National Championships in 1996 and 1998. Him filling that role and getting involved in his coach’s life — it saved my life.”. Read more on leaderpost.com. Explore the impact Berenson had both on and off the ice for the Wolverines and the legacy of his collegiate and professional hockey career. But when the dean of the engineering school at McGill told him it was impossible and advised him to go back to Ann Arbor, he knew the Canadiens would have to wait. “That’s me in 1972,” the coach says later. "Red Berenson is a legendary figure at the University of Michigan as well as in our ice hockey history," Manuel said. “It’s not what’re we going to do for you, it’s what’re you going to do for Michigan,” Fox repeats today with Berenson’s voice echoing through his speech. A Man of Few Words: Red Berenson’s Revival of Michigan Hockey Sports October 28, 2015 November 16, 2015 Jake Thorne To open a season of high expectations, Michigan pummeled Toronto in an exhibition contest at Yost Ice Arena by a score of eight to one–a final result surprising no one. “Coach talks about that life after hockey all the time,” Elmblad tells me. “What can we do for you?,” they would ask. The coach is in a good mood today, a week removed from his team’s unprecedented and unexpected run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They wined him. The defenseman remains one of Berenson’s biggest success stories. “There were some issues during his career,” Gordie tells me last month, completely recovered from his accident. “I’m getting closer to the time. He didn’t have to be a prima donna to fill his niche on the ice. But he’s the exception, not the rule. Chris Fox spent a little over a year trying to make it in the NHL after his senior season, but a serious injury made his shot at the NHL an afterthought, as well. What did he owe this man he had just met? He’s right. It was the 1998 national championship against Boston College and the game was deadlocked 17 minutes into overtime. “He went against the grain, and I think that’s why he’s become such a special figure in hockey,” Caporusso says. “There’s only six teams (in the NHL),” Armstrong told him at the time. The coach’s response burned Fox up inside. His pre-med courses were his favorite, and ever since his sister was diagnosed with leukemia at a young age, the thought of being a doctor had always appealed to him. That’s the kind of character he wants in kids at Michigan. Gordon (Red) Berenson, a gentleman of friendly and modest demeanour, isn’t inclined to boast of his many accomplishments in hockey. In 1984, he returned to the University of Michigan to become Michigan’s head coach. What was it about this coach that gave him license to give him an ultimatum? “All these kids are star players when they get here, and then they have to accept a different role and earn that role,” Berenson says. Explore the impact Berenson had on and off the ice for the Wolverines and the legacy of his unparalleled collegiate and professional hockey career. And maybe a year like this would make it tougher to enjoy the job. Berenson told this story to Caporusso — like he has to many players before him — as they sat together in a Seattle airport, waiting for the second leg of their return flight from Alaska this season. “When he got here, he was a highly recruited player … He really struggled at this level to be ready every night.”. But it’s 26 years after that photo was taken, and Red Berenson has gotten pretty comfortable. Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson, 72, agreed to a three-year contract extension Monday through the 2015-16 season, ensuring the Sasketchewan … As he was lifted out by helicopter, the coach was alerted to his son’s condition and told that he would need major brain surgery just to survive through the night. And as the trail neared its end, Gordie could see his house within sight, a few hundred yards away. Gordie’s sisters, both nurses who spent time at the University, prepared their family for the worst-case scenario. “I think I’ll have Warde introduce me as an advisor. Legendary coach Red Berenson, 77, announced today that the recently concluded season -- his 33rd behind the bench at U-M -- … So the nerves came back, this time like a tidal wave. That man is legendary Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson, who was able to attend the game as his Tuesday night radio session was canceled for the week. You hold your future in your hands.”. 'Michigan Man' Red Berenson remains proud of his Regina ties One of Regina's hockey greats is the subject of a newly released documentary — Michigan Man: The Red Berenson Story. His meeting to decide on next season should take place soon. So the Foxes made their way down the block to Yost Ice Arena that Friday to watch Michigan, in future Hobey Baker-winner Brendan Morrison’s debut, defeat Notre Dame in a rout, 13-0. “Maize and blue is in my veins,” Fox says. He knew who waited on the other side of the thick wooden door. © 2007-2021 Big Ten Network Conference - All Rights Reserved. He grabbed his large, weathered hand and shook it, looking him straight in the eyes as if to thank him for the four years that Elmblad had worked his entire life for. And if he did, he could never guarantee to them that Gordie would be the same. On Dec. 12, former Red Wing, University of Michigan player and head coach Red Berenson was inducted in the United States Hockey Hall of fame. Over winter break, senior walk-on Eric Elmblad knew he needed to meet with the coach. The coach continues to warn his young players of the dangers of leaving early for the NHL, fearing that they will someday live his worst nightmare — being a “hockey bum.”. Live chat support, email us or check out the FAQ page. Last season, the Wolverines’ best threat on offense, Aaron Palushaj, found himself in Berenson’s office after Michigan’s season ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. “Thank you, coach,” Elmblad said. “I’ll be there in five minutes,” he responded, heading out the door. Fox had heard that he took a great deal of his coaching acumen from Scotty Bowman, who had just taken over as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings. It’s hard not to as light pours in from the bay window, catching every hint of gold in the room. “Red Berenson is a legendary figure at the University of Michigan as well as in our ice hockey history,” says Manuel. Red Berenson, Michigan Hockey, NASCAR, Pure Michigan 400, Grand Marshal Gordie decided to take a break on his ATV, despite the fact that he wasn’t much of a trail rider. But as his goodbye speech came to an emotional crescendo, Elmblad looked in the direction of the coach: his surrogate father, his mentor, his confidant. Renovations in 1996, soon after Fox’s meeting, opened up a room perched at the top of Yost Ice Arena which would become Berenson’s office. As a college hockey player at the University of Michigan in the early 1960s, Red Berenson felt like most people in the NHL didn’t believe that playing in college was a way to get to the pro level. Ann Arbor — Red Berenson sat in the north stands of Yost Ice Arena several rows below his office, sipping from a cup of hot coffee, surveying the Wolverines and his assistants on the ice. In 2015, Red Berenson won his 800th game as a Division I college head coach. An injury hindered Palushaj from making a splash in his first season. Read More. It's wrapped and ready to air tonight on the Big 10 Network at 6:30 p.m. EDT. It was Fox’s dump-off and Langfeld’s next shot that sealed the Wolverines’ second national championship in three years. Thursday’s game was the final time Michigan plays at the Detroit building before the Red Wings move from the river to across downtown in brand new Little Caesars Arena. ‘Who I Smoke’ is 2021’s shocking viral hit, The TV beat talks Nickelodeon: Nick says goodbye to Dan Schneider, ‘Invincible’ is a bad show with a lot of potential, Strauss Mann to leave Michigan to pursue professional career, Michigan crushes Illinois, 18-8, to split doubleheader, Coastal Carolina transfer DeVante’ Jones commits to Michigan, Michigan to play four games against Illinois after Northwestern cancels series, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. But this coach, the same man who scored six goals in a game for the St. Louis Blues, the same man who won NHL Coach of the Year in 1981, the same man who had singlehandedly made Michigan relevant again, wasn’t the glowing type. Berenson still gloats to his players today about one of the purest Michigan Men he knows, the one who heeded his advice and overcame adversity to do something more than just play hockey. He admits he has stayed on longer than he ever anticipated. Fox left bearing the weight of words he didn’t quite understand. Elmblad just wanted some advice about how to succeed in life — away from the rink — so he went to the man who he knew had the answers. I like that.’ ”. Players like Andy Hilbert — who was drafted in the second round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by Boston — leave early to pursue their childhood dream of playing in the big leagues. “For making me a Michigan Man.”, Your email address will not be published. I don’t know when that time is, but it’s not far away. The life and career of Red Berenson, former player and longtime coach at the University of Michigan. Now, instead of signing on long-term, the coach has signed one-year contracts, meeting with associate athletic director Mike Stevenson to discuss his future. He wanted to be a Michigan Man. “For making me a Michigan Man.”. 734-418-4115, Edited and managed by the students at the University of Michigan since 1890, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). Your email address will not be published. The coach told him to make sure to use all of the resources around him at Michigan, explaining all the steps he took to succeed after his time at Michigan. ET. Gordie contends that even the coach’s wife, Joy, has no concept of when his hockey career will end. Red Berenson, as a 19 year old kid, rode a train for days from Regina, Saskatchewan to see if he wanted to play college hockey for Michigan in an era where no Canadian hockey player with any promise would even think of that as path to the NHL. “Coach Berenson’s son is in the ER. Fox had found the role he was supposed to play all along. I want to get an education.”. As he entered the emergency room that night, Fox experienced a transformation. Producers of a newly released documentar­y — Michigan Man: The Red Berenson Story — handled the celebratin­g on his behalf. But every year becomes more of a struggle. Tune in at 6:30 p.m. “So,” the coach said, turning to Chris Fox, “What can you do for Michigan?”. “And to have this all come full circle with Gordie and the Berenson’s there as a family, it was the least I could ever do for Coach Berenson. All of the reasons why he came to Michigan: the hockey program, the coach, the education — he begins to question what each one of them truly means to him. His uncle, a schoolteacher, ensured he had the resources to excel, and by the time young Gordon was 11, he was already graduating junior high school. As the door opened, Fox peered in at a man that he had only heard of before. “And I’d never had that before.”. Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building The photo was taken on his annual canoe trip, which he still takes to this day. My attention frequently sharpens with anticipation which builds each time Berenson pauses. I think of how many people have walked into this room and sat where I was, asking for the coach’s wisdom. “Someone was telling me that I wasn’t good enough,” Fox recalls. According to him, he had earned something much more valuable in his four years at Michigan than simply time on the ice. “I think he could go for another 10 years,” Caporusso tells me. Anton Fedorov's story is a mix of serendipity, diplomacy and tenacity paying off with a life that changed in ways he could only fantasize about while growing up in the Soviet Union. Fox wasn’t the first, and surely not the last blue-chip recruit to experience an identity crisis when entering the college ranks. It’s from the first day he took over for John Giordano, Michigan’s last coach before him. Thoughts of transferring and leaving this place behind began to materialize in his mind. Michigan Man | the Red Berenson Story Posted on March 26, 2021 at 11:28:15 AM by wmu Tim Staudt saw this on BTN last night and was raving about it on his show this morning.. “He’s a coach, he’s a player, he’s a smart businessperson and he’s so well-respected. He grips his coffee, always in its glass mug, like he has in every other meeting we’ve had to this point. But a career in the big leagues wasn’t in the cards for him. He takes his spot in the center of the bench, behind the players, clutching a clipboard and watching the action in … But it was the next 11 years, four in Michigan’s medical school and seven as a neurosurgery resident, that would prove to cement Fox in Berenson’s mind as a model of the ideal Michigan hockey player. I ask him if he’s ever grown out a beard like that since then, he says no and springs into a conversation about how today’s NHL players give a bad impression with their playoff beards. As he made his way through high school, Gordon’s hockey prospects began to look more and more bright. Follow the life and career of Red Berenson, former player and longtime coach at the University of Michigan. You can change this setting any time. We thought you’d want to know,” the voice on the other line told him. Believe it or not, Berenson — long-time coach at the University of Michigan — is playing in another alumni game over the weekend involving the Detroit Red Wings. Slowly, but surely, after a series of conversations with his coach, Fox began to buy in to what Berenson was preaching. The ultimatum. Check out this story about an a-maize-ing man and coach. So do a few of his players: a Brendan Morrison, a Marty Turco. Michigan hockey will never be the same. And while Berenson spoke, Caporusso began to understand the aura that surrounds his coach. Explore the impact Berenson had on and off the ice for the Wolverines and the legacy of his unparalleled collegiate and professional hockey career. Immediately after the Wolverines’ run ended in the NCAA Midwest Regional in Fort Wayne, Ind. The coach has his own bobblehead. Berenson: "I'm getting closer (to retirement). https://www.facebook.com/BTN/posts/282319759926998. Red Berenson … This place sure looks like a library, I think to myself. “It wasn’t always easy here for Chris,” Pearson says. “I’ll play a distant role,” Berenson said. Red Berenson announced his retirement from coaching the University of Michigan’s men’s hockey team, concluding a legendary career that included 848 wins and two national championships. “This program is not about becoming a better hockey player — you’re going to be a better hockey player no matter what. Most don’t have a backup plan. That’s when Gordie lost control of his Honda and crashed off the dirt trail. Hilbert, like others after him, drifts in and out of the NHL, never truly earning his shot. “When you’re 19 years old and have to sign a pro contract, you really don’t know what’s going to happen,” Palushaj says. They told him he was crazy to consider going to college. Today, Palushaj is with the Hamilton Bulldogs, fighting tooth and nail for the dream he left Ann Arbor to fulfill. For months, coaches catered to his needs, promised him playing time.

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