1984 national hockey championship remembered
The 1983-84 hockey team captured the imagination of the Bowling Green community and the college hockey world. A whirlwind regular season featured four victories over Ohio State and the second-most wins in the nation. The post-season started with Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs that shocked the team – a bruising double-overtime loss to Western Michigan in the semifinals compounded by a loss to the Buckeyes in the consolation game. Yet the team gained new life after earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament that ended with the Falcons crowned national champions. Here we gather memories of that historic season from those who lived it.
Recap of team celebration, Saturday’s game
Season rewind
The heart-pounding finish to the 1984 NCAA hockey national championship game was a microcosm of the Falcons’ season. A 17-game regular-season winning streak, heartbreak in the conference playoffs, and an overtime-laden run through the NCAA tournament ending with the national championship. Relive the historic season.
The best fans in hockey – “Who’s he? Nobody!”
“We drove down to Columbus for the Ohio State game in their small arena, which probably held less than 1,200 people so you were sitting right on the glass. So I and some of the other guys I’m with got really intense cheering for Bowling Green and against Ohio State, to the point that we were asked to leave the arena. We deserved it, but it was all in support of our team.”
The 1983-84 edition of the Falcon Fanatics, simply known as the “student section” back in the day, set the bar for home ice advantage. Not only did they pack the “Madhouse On Mercer,” many made their way to away games, including some who trekked to Lake Placid, N.Y. to be a part of BGSU history. Dive into the fan memories.
Students document the season
“I also had a conversation with Wayne Wilson who was a team captain and a gritty defenseman. He said ‘We had been training all year for that. It’s been a season of conditioning, and we were prepared to go into overtime.’ They were ready, and they had more steam than Minnesota-Duluth in the third and fourth overtime.”
The students behind the Falcon Media Sports Network’s predecessor (the Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization) made a commitment to provide, for the first time, radio coverage of all of the 1983-84 hockey games, including road contests. That put Joe Borenstein and John Bowers in the broadcast booth in Lake Placid, N.Y. for what would be the call of their lives. Meanwhile, sportswriter Steve Quinn covered the team for the BG News “I got lucky that I was able to land the beat,” Quinn said. “It was cool to land the beat that I wanted in such a substantial year.” Check out their most memorable moments.
Special season, special players, special bond
“1984 was a special season with a special group of people who achieved the pinnacle of NCAA Men’s Division 1 Hockey and we will walk side by side the rest of our lives.”
The 1984 BGSU hockey team included several names that would eventually grace NHL rosters. But all the names are now etched into Falcon lore and they are all connected forever by the epic 1983-84 season and the program’s first NCAA title. Read their stories (plus hear from Coach Jerry York).
Coach Jerry York wins his first national title
“There is a euphoria that comes with winning the national title, and that adds a bond that is instilled on the players and coaches that will last a lifetime.”
Photos of the celebration
Listen to the original WBGU-FM recording, restored from cassette tapes
Watch the final few moments and highlights of the return to BG
Cobbled together by digitizing VHS tapes, BGSU alum and sports fan Grant Cummings posted these clips to YouTube.
