Wolverines Having Some 'Dickie Moore Fun' Heading to Playoffs
3/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
March 17, 2016
Left: JT Compher // Upper Right: Dickie Moore // Lower Right: Red Berenson
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Dickie Moore was a Hockey Hall of Famer who rose to the occasion and reveled in the "fun" of postseason hockey.
Michigan head coach Red Berenson played with him on the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues and loved his spirit as much as his production. So, Berenson shared stories about Moore, a 5-10, 168-pound playoff dynamo, with his players prior to last weekend's games with Penn State.
"We talked this week about playing Dickie Moore hockey, working hard, kind of like playoff-style hockey, and I think we started to do that," said Wolverine forward Justin Selman.
Michigan beat third-place Penn State 7-1 and 6-1 at Yost Ice Arena.
The Wolverines earned a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament as a result of finishing second by one point to regular-season champion Minnesota. They will play at 4 p.m. (CDT) Friday (March 18) in St. Paul, Minnesota, against the winner of Thursday's (March 17) Penn State-Wisconsin game.
Michigan advances to the NCAA Tournament next week.
When asked to describe "Dickie Moore hockey" after the second win on Saturday night (March 12), the memories of his inspirational teammate brought a glow to Berenson's face.
"Dickie Moore was one of my teammates in Montreal," said Berenson, "and I was a rookie, and he was a veteran. And he could hardly skate. Like his legs and his knees were bad and talk about a broken-down player. But when the playoffs started, he became a man amongst men. And he was no bigger than anybody but could he ever play hockey when it was crunch time."
Berenson became the first collegiate player to move directly to the NHL after scoring a school-record 43 goals as a senior at Michigan. He played in the 1962 NCAA consolation-game win over St. Lawrence in Utica, New York, and was driven from there to Boston to play with the Canadiens against the Bruins the next night.
That was where he first teamed with Moore, who led Montreal with six points and four goals in a six-game Stanley Cup semifinal series loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1962. Berenson chipped in two goals. They also played together the next season with the Canadiens.
Berenson said of Moore: "He made plays, he was fearless. I don't know what it was, but ask anyone who played in that era and Dickie Moore was the guy."
Moore played for six Stanley Cup champions with Montreal, while Berenson got his name on the 1965 and 1966 Stanley Cups after Moore departed their Canadiens. Moore was a six-time All-Star and twice won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer in the "Original Six" era. He played 14 seasons and gritted his teeth through the last half of one season with a broken wrist in a cast. He died three months ago at the age of 84.
Berenson added, "And then, about six years later, I'm in St. Louis, and we bring Dickie Moore out of retirement. Scotty Bowman's the coach, and Dickie Moore literally leads our team in the playoffs again right to the Stanley Cup final, as a more broken-down old player and what a great guy."
Moore, then 37, led St. Louis with both seven goals and 14 points in those playoffs, taking the Blues to the finals before getting swept there by the Canadiens. He never played again in the NHL.
Berenson recalled a Moore line that could become Michigan's postseason rallying cry: "One thing I told our team is what Dickie used to say: 'You can't buy the fun.' And he just loved it. You can't buy the fun, the camaraderie, the winning and the group, and the game, and you can't buy things like that. That's special. So, we're having a little Dickie Moore fun right now."
The Wolverines need two wins to claim the Big Ten Tournament championship at the Xcel Energy Arena in St. Paul and will then require four victories to claim a national title.
"I don't think we feel desperate," said Berenson. "But we feel like we're on somewhat of a mission, like we want to go and have a good (Big Ten) tournament, and then we'll go to the (NCAA) tournament and hopefully be ready for that.
"We want to go and put our best foot forward. I mean that's all that work this weekend (in sweeping third-place Penn State) was all about, to get the bye and have a chance now to go out there Friday and have a real good game and get in that championship game and then see what happens there.
"That's our goal. We're not just going there to play. We're going there to play well and have a chance to win it all."
Michigan swept Penn State, its likely opponent, in four games this year with a 26-9 scoring edge.
Wolverine forward Cristoval 'Boo' Nieves said the dominance wasn't so much about having a talent advantage but rather the mindset Michigan brought to their games.
"When we play the way we know we can," said Nieves, "which is playing fast and physical, we can play with anyone, and especially Penn State."
Michigan will be headed to the NCAA Tournament, likely in Cincinnati, next weekend. But the Wolverines also could get sent to Albany, New York, Worcester, Massachusetts or back to St. Paul.
They haven't played in the 16-team field since 2012 after having a streak of 22 consecutive years in the NCAA Tournament broken the next year. Berenson was asked if having an entire roster lacking national tourney playing experience was a concern.
"No," said Berenson, "but they'll be fine. This group is a good group. They've played in some tough rinks this year. They've played against some good teams. They'll be ready."
Goalie Steve Racine said, "There's definitely been a lot of ups and downs the last four years, but I feel like we're kind of ending it on a high, which has been a really cool experience so far. Hopefully, we can just take it as long as we can."
How motivated are the players to get Berenson a third national championship to go with those won by his Wolverines in Cincinnati in 1996 and Boston in 1998?
"Very," said Nieves. "He's definitely a guy you work hard for, and whatever happens, you want to make sure that you can end it on the right note for him."
After a Senior Night "Thank you, Red!" serenade from the fans following Saturday night's win over Penn State, Berenson was asked about that moment.
"Well, they're thanking me," Berenson said with a smile. "But they don't know and neither do I."
There is speculation that Berenson, 76, could retire after 32 illustrious seasons at Michigan. However, those rumors have been in the air for several years, and Berenson has visible passion for the game and his players.
When he spoke of Dickie Moore and the "fun" that can't be bought this time of year, Berenson's eyes lit up. That look said more than even his words could.
