Barring a small miracle, either in the form of a cashierâ??s check or a change of heart, a planned practice rink for the University of Wisconsin menâ??s and womenâ??s hockey teams wonâ??t be built anytime soon.
He was named the tournamentâ??s best defenseman, playing spectacularly as he scored as many goals in five Olympic games as he had netted in 57 NHL games this season with the Detroit Red Wings.But, in what was likely the last Olympic appearance for former University of Wisconsin standout Brian Rafalski, he will have to live with the knowledge that he was the man who couldnâ??t stop Sidney Crosby from scoring a goal that will go down as one of the most important in Canadian hockey history.
The smile, the laugh, the charisma â?? they were all back Saturday. Oâ??Brien Schofield was himself again. â??You canâ??t sit and mope,â? the former University of Wisconsin defensive end said during a break in the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. â??Life is full of adversity, and thatâ??s what I like about football. You have so much adversity in a game of football that you can transfer that over to life. You can get through these moments. That shows your character â?? how strong you are mentally as a player and as a person.â?
Someone held up a sign at Canada Hockey Place that read, “Play hockey like a girl.” It was meant to be a compliment, but hereâ??s a bigger one: Canada and the United States played hockey the way the game was meant to be played Thursday night, regardless of gender.
The current and former UW players are happy with how their team played in the title game against Canada, but the outcome is still disappointing.
The University of Wisconsin Athletic Department is in the process of giving exclusive health care advertising rights to UW Health, officials said Wednesday.
The womenâ??s hockey teams for the U.S. and Canada have navigated a long journey with one goal in mind: beating the other for Olympic gold. The team is coached by UW-Madison’s Mark Johnson and includes several current and former Badgers.
The Swedes had their version of the Miracle on Ice four years ago, when its womenâ??s team pulled off a shocking upset of the second-ranked Americans in their semifinal game in Turin. The 3-2 shootout victory was goalie Kim Martinâ??s coming out — but here in the semifinals in Vancouver, she would have perhaps been better off staying in. She allowed nine goals on 46 shots to a U.S. team relishing its chance for vengeance.
Mark Johnson will never be able to escape the Miracle talk, not here, not on the 30th anniversary of the greatest moment in the history of American sport. But his other secret is out of the bag. Mark Johnson isnâ??t just a good hockey coach; heâ??s a great hockey coach, just like Herb Brooks, the man who helped him win gold three decades ago.
A new mother watched the game with her one-week-old daughter in the hospital, where she was recovering from a blood transfusion, and felt instantly energized.
A couple returning from vacation in Hawaii received score updates from the flight crew, and all the passengers were treated to a champagne toast.
….These were among the memories our readers cited after we posed the question, “Where were you for the Miracle on Ice?”
In a move that would keep other health providers from advertising at Badgers athletic events, UW-Madison plans to enter into an exclusive sponsorship agreement with UW Health. Although details of the contract are not final, it would prevent other hospitals, clinics and health insurers from advertising at the Kohl Center, Camp Randall Stadium or on radio spots during Badgers games, said Justin Doherty, assistant athletic director for external relations.
The annual rush of thousands of high school wrestling and basketball fans to the UW-Madison Kohl Center means big money for area businesses, but it also means moving hundreds of drivers with campus parking permits to lots away from the sports arena.
….The out-of-towners not only mean big bucks, about 26 million of them, to area businesses, restaurants and bars, but they are also an important revenue stream for the university, helping to offset the cost of parking for permit holders.
To get the ball rolling on cars parking in lots away from the Kohl Center, UW Transportation Services is asking permit holders to use alternate lots so visitors can use the lots near the Kohl Center, reducing traffic congestion on campus.
The following are excerpts from Mike Lucasâ?? columns during the 1980 Winter Olympics. Lucas was the radio analyst for Badgers hockey games at the time. On the eve of Team USAâ??s game against West Germany in the 1980 Winter Olympics, University of Wisconsin hockey coach Bob Johnson was revisiting his own Olympic experience during the 1976 games at Innsbruck, Austria. Johnson had coached the Americans to a fourth-place finish, but he was frustrated over not taking his son, Mark, to Innsbruck.
University of Wisconsin officials are conducting an internal investigation into an alleged incident that resulted in the indefinite suspensions of three football players.
University of Wisconsin football head coachoach Bret Bielema recently announced the suspension of three football players due to an alleged violation of team rules.
Sweden shocked the womenâ??s hockey world by upsetting the United States in the Olympic semifinals in Turin in 2006, but there was nothing but American domination in Mondayâ??s semifinal rematch. With balanced scoring, solid defense and consistent goaltending from Cottage Groveâ??s Jessie Vetter, Team USA steamrolled the Scandinavians 9-1 to advance to the gold medal game Thursday against archrival Canada.
Sophomore center Matt Thurber has been dismissed from the University of Wisconsin menâ??s hockey team. Thurber, from Beaver Dam, was charged with multiple misdemeanors Feb. 8 after an alleged incident of domestic abuse. A Madison Police Department official said officers responded to a 911 call involving a woman, described as a girlfriend or ex-girlfriend of Thurberâ??s, and cited him for battery and disorderly conduct.
Single-game football tickets will cost $3 more beginning this fall after the University of Wisconsin Athletic Board approved its 2010-11 budget.
Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema on Sunday confirmed the suspension of three players for an alleged violation of team rules. The players, all reserves, are:Wide receiver Kraig Appleton, defensive end Shelby Harris and linebacker Nick Hill. Appleton will be a sophomore next season; Harris and Hill, from Homestead and Milwaukee Washington, respectively, will be redshirt freshmen.
The most important bit of news to come out of the University of Wisconsin Athletic Board meeting Friday involved a ticket price increase for Badgers football. As expected, the board unanimously approved a $3 hike for general public and student season tickets, pushing the per-game price to $42 and $22, respectively, for seven games at Camp Randall Stadium in 2010. Meanwhile, UW athletic director Barry Alvarez told board members a research firm is working on behalf of the Big Ten Conference and recently put together data on 15 schools that might prove compatible for the league, which is considering adding a 12th member.
Dany Heatley was in his first year at the University of Wisconsin the first time he experienced one of the greatest honors in Canadian sport — wearing the Maple Leaf to represent his adopted home country in international hockey. A decade later, he has scored more points for Canada than anyone but Wayne Gretzky.
The University of Wisconsin is part of the U.S. Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association. Who knew the Badgers â?? or technically the UW Hoofers and Wisconsin Union â?? were fielding nationally competitive Alpine skiing and snowboarding teams? â??We donâ??t get a ton of coverage,â? acknowledged Dakota Dux, who is a co-coach along with Kevin Houlihan. Both are former UW skiers.
The improbable run to the Final Four 10 years ago by Dick Bennett’s Badgers set the stage for the decade of success the program has enjoyed under Bo Ryan.
It was the biggest upset in the history of womenâ??s international hockey.For the first time at a major competition, the United States lost to a team other than Canada, when Sweden defeated the Americans 3-2 in a shootout in the semifinals of the 2006 Olympic tournament in Turin, Italy. Fast forward four years to Vancouver and the U.S. team — now coached by 1980 gold medalist and University of Wisconsin womenâ??s coach Mark Johnson and featuring several Badgers — has a chance for semifinal redemption Monday against Sweden.
Former University of Wisconsin athlete Brian Rafalski had two goals and an assist to lead the United States to a 5-3 victory over Canada and a bye into the Olympic quarterfinals.
Brian Rafalski was on the right point. Ryan Suter was on the left point. And it was easy to connect the dots (D to D) between the two former University of Wisconsin hockey defensemen who are now paired on the blueline for Team USA in the Winter Olympics. Beyond their obvious ties to the Badgers — Rafalski played four seasons (1991-95), Suter played one (2003-04) — is their playing link to the Madison Capitols organization.
Sweep that broom. Shoot that puck. Make that triple lutz in mid-air. The thrills, chills and even spills just keep coming, with many of the highlights delivered by Madison-area athletes and coaches. In fact, the familiar Olympic cheers of “U-S-A” might well be replaced by “Mad-i-son” or at least “Wis-con-sin!” In all there are 33 Olympic athletes with ties to Madison, the University of Wisconsin or the state.
The University of Wisconsin womenâ??s hockey team went to Eveleth, Minn., home of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, in October 2008 to play a game.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Athletic Board on Friday approved a ticket price increase of $3 per game for the next football season.
Former UW players Brian Rafalski (two goals) and Joe Pavelski (two assists) help the Americans win their second straight preliminary round game, with a showdown against Canada looming.
The former UW star helps the Americans cap an undefeated run through the Olympics’ preliminary round; current Badger Hillary Knight notches her first goal of the Vancouver Games.
The fifth-year winger is set to participate in Senior Night festivities for a second straight year, but this time he’ll be lacing up his skates.
The 41st Backhaul Direct Hoosier Classic this weekend will feature one of the largest fields in college bowling history and the United States Bowling Congress announced that it will provide wire-to-wire live webcasting on BOWL.com.
Ryan Suter, skating for Team USA in Vancouver, will aim to join his father, Bob, and uncle, Gary, as the third member of the family to earn an Olympic medal.
On Feb. 9, veteran TV producer John Walsh — with the blessing of the Big Ten Network — provided a behind-the-scenes look at the broadcast of the game between the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team and Illinois.
Hilary Knight was not yet 10 when she was in a Maine emergency room, paging through a magazine while waiting to get her knee lanced because she had fallen on barnacles.
In it was a story about the U.S. womenâ??s hockey team, featuring smiling Cammi Granato and teammates Angela Ruggiero and Jenny Potter.
The finance, facilities and operations committee of the University of Wisconsin Athletic Board unanimously approved on Tuesday a recommendation for a $3 increase for football tickets for all price levels as part of the 2010-11 budget. The recommendation now goes to the full athletic board, which will vote on the ticket increase at its meeting Friday.
Jarome Iginla and former University of Wisconsin All-American Dany Heatley scored twice and the heavily favored Canadians overcame some early nervousness and a scoreless first period to roll 8-0 over Norway in its highly anticipated Olympic hockey opener Tuesday.
Jenny Potter posted her second straight hat trick, UW athlete Hilary Knight added four assists and ex-Badger Jessie Vetter made seven saves in her Olympic debut as the Americans cruised.
University of Wisconsin-Madison athletics officials announced on Tuesday that they will ask the schoolâ??s Athletic Board to increase ticket prices by $3 per game for the next football season.
The waiting is over and the speculation can end: Wisconsin junior forward Jon Leuer, who has missed UWâ??s last nine games since suffering a broken left wrist on Jan. 9 in a victory over Purdue, returned to practice Monday and afterward sounded like a competitor who doesnâ??t plan to miss any more games.
If you were holding your breath, hoping the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department wouldn’t raise ticket prices for its major attractions, you can exhale now. It’s going to happen.
Jon Leuer had a big smile on his face after he practiced with the University of Wisconsin menâ??s basketball team for the first time in more than a month Monday afternoon at the Kohl Center. Leuer missed the past nine games after breaking a bone in his left wrist during the Badgersâ?? 73-66 win over Purdue on Jan. 9 at the Kohl Center.
American Ryan Suter, a Madison native who played at UW, is looking forward to facing as many as four of his Nashville teammates representing four countries in the Vancouver Olympics.
The success of the University of Wisconsin football team and changing television scheduling demands have combined to put a cap on some fansâ?? celebrations, so city officials are considering a rewrite of a 12-year-old policy that governs the operation of Camp Randall area beer gardens.
Mark Johnson has been a player and coach at all levels, but becoming the coach of UW-Madison’s women’s hockey team was still an eye-opener for him. Now he’s getting a chance to lead the U.S. team in the Olympics.
Thereâ??s a part of Mark Johnson that, frankly, doesnâ??t get what all the fuss is about.
He doesnâ??t see himself as a womenâ??s hockey coach, even though thatâ??s his claim to fame these days. He sees himself simply as a teacher, as a resource for those who wish to learn the game heâ??s loved forever. Yes, gender is part of his reality, but itâ??s not some sort of boundary.
The biggest question surrounding the future of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Womenâ??s Tennis Team Indoor Championships is not whether this is the last year it will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin.
Rather, the question is: If the tournament were to leave, would anyone in the area notice it was gone? This is the 23rd year UW has played host to the 16-team event. But the future is in doubt, after the ITA requested the host school pay a $25,000 fee, starting next year.
Quoted: Nasia Safdar, medical director for University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Infection Control, and UW-Madison food chemist John Lucey.
Several current and former UW-Madison Badgers will compete.
Wisconsin natives or athletes with a connection to our state will compete in a range of sports in Vancouver, including the women’s hockey team, which has seven current or former Badger players, and of course coach Mark Johnson.
Mark Johnson, who scored two goals in the United States hockey teamâ??s Miracle on Ice victory against the Soviet Union, is here, but not in a ceremonial position associated with the 30th anniversary on Feb. 22 of the 1980 Olympic Gamesâ??s most indelible moment.
Sun Valleyâ??s Hilary Knight, all 5-10, 172 pounds of her, is likely to be a big Alex Ovechkin obstacle standing in the way of Canadaâ??s third consecutive Olympic gold medalâ??and the first American gold since the 1998 Games in Japan.
The gold medal Mark Johnson won as the leading scorer on the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team is sitting somewhere in the computer room of his home in Madison, Wis. “I couldnâ??t tell you exactly where,” he said, smiling.
He didnâ??t bring it with him to Vancouver for a second Olympic experience as coach of the U.S. womenâ??s hockey team, an opportunity thatâ??s as exhilarating for him as it was unexpected.
Legislation designed to contain aggressive ticket sales at sporting events has advanced at the Capitol. Originally written to address the concerns of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball club, regarding ticket resales outside Miller Park, the bill (SB 458) has now been amended to include the Bradley Center, home of the Milwaukee Bucks, as well as the Kohl Center and Camp Randall Stadium on the UW Madison campus. All of those venues could create ticket resale zones under the terms of the bill from state Senator Jim Sullivan.
Empty possessions. Empty seats.
Was there a correlation Tuesday night at the Kohl Center? Unlikely.
Nonetheless, while the Badgers were misfiring repeatedly on offense throughout a brutal second half â?? coming up empty on possession after possession in the closing minutes against Illinois â?? you couldnâ??t help but notice the empty seats in the 300 level. That would be part of the so-called Grateful Red section.
In the world according to University of Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, only people who have lived “a pretty shallow life” are against expanding the NCAA menâ??s basketball tournament and we should be “real leery” of anyone who dares to stand in the way of change.
On most hockey teams, the goaltender can be described one of two ways: weird or weirder. The more generous souls on the team might call them unusual. The more plain-spoken tend to choose words such as head case, oddball or wacko.
John Westphal, by his own admission, had little or no working knowledge of todayâ??s recruiting process in college football. But he was interested to learn more.
The many contributions of Wisconsin athletes to the Winter Games is one of the great untold stories of the U.S. Olympic movement. At the XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, 30 of Americaâ??s 216 Olympians (13.9%) will have strong ties to Wisconsin. Three members of the menâ??s hockey team played at the University of Wisconsin; a fourth is a Madison native, and seven of the 21 members of the womenâ??s hockey team – one-third the roster – who play or played for the Badgers (three are natives of the state). Their coach is Johnson, a Madison Memorial High School graduate who played for his father, legendary coach Bob Johnson, at UW.
