The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Power Forward Junior Alex Guptill Is Continuing U-M Hockey's Tradition Of The Skilled Offensive Big Man I By Michael Spath n the four major sports, there is very little crossover in terminology. There is no first baseman in basketball, no wide receiver in hockey, no goaltender in baseball and no small forward in football. The names of positions are quite often unique to each sport, and the players probably prefer it that way. Every time a basketball pundit notes a point guard is quarterbacking the offense, an actual signal-caller likely groans, knowing the lithe ball-handler almost certainly has no idea what it feels like to be crushed by a 275-pound defensive end at full speed. Yet, there are a few phrases more widely used. There are forwards in hockey and basketball, centers in hockey, basketball and football, guards in basketball and football, and so on. They generally mean different things in each sport, with rare exceptions. Over the last 15 years, hockey has borrowed basketball lingo to describe a forward of brute strength. A "power" forward, according to Wikipedia, sounds familiar to bas- Guptill was the CCHA Rookie of the Year in 2012 after a 33-point campaign, and he had six goals and eight assists through 18 contests this season. photo by lon horwedel