What to know about Michigan (Ann Arbor)

There are plenty of places to get a series preview. Not too many places, however, preview where the series will be held.

I've been fortunate enough to travel to all seven Big Ten rinks. Why not lend my expertise on the subject to discuss what are the must-sees, places to eat, visit, and how the rink sets up for anyone traveling? I'm happy to perform a public service. For each subsequent Minnesota road trip, I am going to try and discuss the opposing locale as your friendly neighborhood hockey travel writer.

And if you want to know about Minnesota's opponent? Well, I did write a profile about the Wolverines back in August. So, read that too and pay some attention to Strauss Mann. He's continuing his second-half run. Also, read the latest stock report.

Ann Arbor. A name, a place, and a home to the University of Michigan.

Honestly, this series begins with one of my favorite college hockey rinks. They don't make rinks like Yost anymore mostly because it took a half-century to make Yost a rink.

Yost Ice Arena dates back to 1923 or 1973, depending on whether discussing the brick building (1923) or the ice arena (1973). Originally a field house, Yost was converted for hockey yet still keeps the charm of a building soaked in history. Exposed brick stands out across all four sides. During day time, the windows on each end allow light into the rink.

The center-hung scoreboard may be modern, but modern touches are few and far in between. Who needs in-game intermission games when a bubble hockey machine exists? There's one, along with maize and blue-clad Charlie Brown. Seeing it brings back memories of when my family would go around St. Paul looking at the various Peanuts characters each summer in the early 2000s.

Along those lines, memories and Wolverines history go hand-in-hand with Yost. Walk inside the building and there's a spot to rent skates when the team isn't playing. Photos of past teams and memorabilia line concourses and stairways. Walk further around and quickly count the number of different Michigan sweaters wore by fans.

Even the ice sheet itself, now named for longtime head coach Red Berenson, matches the numerous CCHA and Big Ten banners.

Still, for all the history, several reminders exist to show Yost was built first for other sports in mind.

Recent renovations have updated the bench seating and home locker room. (It's also updated the press box, which has plenty of room and a top-down view of the ice from up in the rafters.) Both help to update the nearly century-old building yet also showcase the idea it's a fieldhouse hosting with everything built around an ice sheet wherever it fits. Stairs do not always lead to the new seats, four separate stands rather than a bowl, and previous sections are basically no man's land. It's easy to get lost.

Everything works together. Take it one piece at a time, however, and the beauty fades away. The ice sheet awkwardly sits in the middle of the fieldhouse floor. The concourses are tiny due to space. The visiting locker room, now on the other side from the home team's, is held up by a black curtain in the area between the ice sheet and south wall.

But that's also the beauty of Yost. The rink stands out in a way that no others do because those buildings don't exist further West. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, schools in Minnesota, Colorado, North Dakota and Wisconsin all upgraded, building new arenas. The college hockey arms race never made its way to Michigan, where playing in a 5,000+ seat arena remains a source of pride and a solid complement to the Big House around the corner.

Visiting Yost makes me wonder what if Minnesota updated a similar-looking old Mariucci (daylight shining through windows included) over the past 25 years rather than build a new 10,000 seat building.

Very few buildings like Yost exist where history pulls several ugly elements that shouldn't go together and ties them into a thing of beauty. It takes time for that to happen. Those buildings, with time and history, just don't exist much anymore.

So you're hungry:

Yost sits a mile south of downtown Ann Arbor with the rest of Michigan's athletic buildings. Downtown features several solid choices for food options, however, if you need to eat next to the rink, Mister Spots is a good choice for grabbing a postgame snack. I usually end up there before heading back to Detroit.

If you're downtown, Mani Osteria hits the spot for Midwest Italian. Blue Tractor features quality BBQ and brews its own beer. (Michigan is full of taprooms. In the other direction, Wolverine State also has some top beers if that's your jam.). Zingerman's is an Ann Arbor deli institution that everyone should try or visit at least once.

If I had to choose one place for dinner, I'd go with Frita Batidos.
Inspired by Cuban street food, the two main items are Cuban burgers ("frita") and milkshakes ("batidos"), but not limited to those two. There are plenty of options for sides.

Both main items taste fantastic on their own and can be custom-built, whether it's trying an egg on top of the frita or going all out and adding rum to your batido. Community tables line the restaurant, promoting conversations with strangers. Overall, Frita Batidos gives off a tropical, welcoming vibe and one that I try to grab anytime I'm in Ann Arbor.

A unique Michigan hockey tradition:

The Children of Yost - Michigan's student section - feature many traditions not found elsewhere. One, in particular, is the Wolverines student section singing the Canadian national anthem 10 minutes before puck drop. It's unofficial, happening before the players come to the ice, but one which makes sense given the locale. Ann Arbor sits an hour from Detroit and the Canadian border, close enough to be able to pick up CBC and some Canadian radio stations.

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