Berenson steals the show at the Alumni Showdown

By Alyssa Girardi –

DETROIT — For the past 30 years, Red Berenson has stood behind the Michigan Wolverines’ bench coaching and preparing hundreds of college players for hockey at the next level.

But Tuesday, for just a few hours, he was able to turn the focus back on himself and relive his days as a Detroit Red Wing in the Hockeytown Winter Festival’s Alumni Showdown at Comerica Park. He and about 20 other Detroit alums took on Toronto Maple Leafs alums in the first of two outdoor matchups in front of thousands of fans.

At 74 years old, Berenson is the oldest participant to play in the Alumni Showdown, and players on both teams noted how impressively in-shape Berenson is for his age, moving up and down the ice with ease.

“I was impressed with Red Berenson,” former Maple Leaf Brad Marsh said. “He’s 74 years old, he’s my new idol. I hope … that I can play in these alumni classics when I’m 74 years old. I’m 55 now, so you can do the math.”

For many players, the game was about recalling their days in a Red Wings jersey, and Berenson certainly hasn’t forgotten about the five seasons he spent as a forward in Detroit (1970-1975). However, the outdoor atmosphere also took him back to an era of hockey that is foreign to many of his fellow skaters.

“When I was a kid, we played outdoors all the time,” he said. “Once a week, we got to play indoors and it was a privilege. Now it seems like, 100 years later, it’s flipped the other way. Now, you play indoors all the time and it’s a privilege to play outdoors. If we had to play outdoors all the time, the players would hate it, but to play once in a while, it’s great.”

The showdown was Berenson’s third time on Comerica Park ice during the festival. Last week, the Wolverines took part in the annual Great Lakes Invitational, or GLI, and fell to Western Michigan and MSU, finishing the tournament in last place.

Although Tuesday was about Berenson as a player, not a coach, his actions in the final minutes of the game proved old habits die hard.

The Red Wings were up 5-4 with seconds to play and a faceoff in their zone. In typical leader fashion, Berenson rallied his teammates into a huddle on the ice and drew up a play.

“We talked about what we’re gonna do, just some old-time hockey,” he said. “I’m gonna tie up the other center and Jiri’s (Fischer) gonna come in and get the puck, and then he’ll either wheel it around or chip it out the short side. So, we had it figured out.”

He joked that maybe he was put on the ice for the final play because he coaches every day, or maybe it was coach Scotty Bowman’s confidence in his former player.

Or maybe it was because all the alums recognize that at his core, Berenson is a coach.

After all, the first words out of his mouth during the post-game press conference were: “Don’t ask me about the GLI.”