The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS year at Michigan. He also scored 261 goals in 987 National Hockey League games. He still holds the NHL record for most goals in a modern-era game, with six against the Philadelphia Flyers in 1968. In addition, he was awarded the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL's Coach of the Year in 1980-81 while head coach of the St. Louis Blues. Then, and only then, he decided to start his college hockey coaching career in 1984 at his alma mater. He's done pretty well in that en- deavor. So well that when his Wol- verines beat Minnesota 7-5 Jan. 10 at Yost Ice Arena, Berenson recorded his 800th career victory as a head coach, becoming only the fourth in NCAA history to achieve the feat. "I've been lucky to come back to Michigan," Berenson said. "I'm glad I did and I've been lucky to have the players and coaches around me. Let's face it, I've had a lot of terrific players. "We wouldn't have had close to 800 wins without that type of player or without the coaches." While putting in place his pro- gram, his first three years coaching at Michigan were challenging. It was in his fourth year that his Wolverines finally posted a winning record. "I think, number one, I had no idea coming in here that it would be like this; that it would end up like this," Berenson assured. "I wanted to give something back to Michigan. I wanted to try to get the program going, and once I got into it, I wanted to try and create a college hockey dynasty like the Montreal Canadiens or the old Red Wings or the old Ed- monton Oilers or the Islanders. "I want to see Michigan in the top five every year. So, once you get go- ing in that, it's like a turntable. You can't get off it. Not that I wanted to get off it, but all of sudden you look at it and it's 30 years later." Along the way, Berenson produced a dynasty. In the early 1990s, Michigan went on a run of eight straight 30-win sea- sons. Berenson's Wolverines won na- tional championships in 1996 and 1998, highlighting a record 22-year run of consecutive NCAA Tourna- ment appearances. A glimpse into what drove Beren- son to achieve can be seen in his im- mediate reaction once he acknowl- edged his latest feat. "On the flip side, the toughest thing is the losses," he lamented. "I don't know how I survived, because the losses kill you. I should get an award for all the losses, for surviv- ing it. "I've had really good people to work for in the athletic department, too. Our staff has been stable. We literally have a whole team of people in the hockey department who have made my job easy." Those lucky enough to witness Berenson gliding around the rink at a team practice, lifting his patented backhand into the top corner of the net, know that 800 wins isn't the cul- mination of a long coaching career. There's plenty left in the tank and there are more wins to chase.