Red Hot Hockey

It's been tabbed the game of the year, the event of the season and a national showcase for college hockey.

But to many alumni and fans of the collegiate game, next month's non-conference showdown between the Boston University and Cornell University men's hockey teams has the potential to do something even greater: reinvigorate a rivalry that once dominated the eastern region.

The event, dubbed Red Hot Hockey, will take place Nov. 24 at New York City's Madison Square Garden, marking BU's first appearance at the World's Most Famous Arena since 1977.

BU coach Jack Parker said the teams are scheduled for a home-and-home series in future seasons.

"Having a game against Cornell is exciting," Parker said. "But having it at Madison Square Garden in arguably the most historic sports venue there is adds to the appeal of the whole thing. BU versus Cornell anywhere would be a big thing, but BU versus Cornell at Madison Square Garden is certainly huge."

Between the rivalry's inception in 1925 and BU's jump to the Hockey East Conference in 1984, the storied history between the schools hit its peak during the 1967 and 1972 seasons, when the clubs dueled in both the Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament and NCAA Tournament championship games.

"Certainly when I was playing it was a big rivalry and when I first started coaching it was a huge rivalry as well," Parker said. "Some of the greatest games BU was ever involved in were with Cornell."

The Terriers disposed of Cornell, 4-1, in the 1972 ECAC final before overtaking their rivals once again in the NCAA Tournament to capture the program's second national title in as many years.

BU's '72 championship came five years after the Big Red edged the Terriers, 4-3, in what Parker -- who played on the 1967 squad -- termed an upset victory in the ECAC title game at the Boston Garden. Cornell went on to beat BU in the NCAA tournament and cap a sparkling 27-1-1 season.

Despite the loss in the '67 conference title game, Parker cited the tilt as his most memorable BU-Cornell moment while playing.

"One of my good friends told me that it was the largest crowd ever in the old Garden. There were people sitting in the aisles getting ready for the game. I remember one of my teammates saying, 'Wow, look at this crowd,' and he almost turned pure white.

"I remember thinking afterwards that [Cornell] was a real good team. I just didn't think anybody could beat us, and they kind of handled us."

Though the game is more than a month away, Cornell coach Mike Schafer already realizes the significance of Nov. 24 for his young squad.

"We know BU's got a great program," Schafer said. "It will be a real measuring stick and the environment itself will be a measurement because we'll be a young team. I'm anxious as a coach to see how our guys will respond in this kind of environment."

The idea for the game, according to Parker, centered around BU President Robert Brown's desire to host a marquee event for BU alumni in New York.

"[Brown] said it's too bad they can't play a hockey game [at Madison Square Garden] and I thought maybe we should," Parker said. "But I knew the only way it would have had a chance of working would be if Cornell was the other team, because of the rivalry theme and that both BU and Cornell have huge numbers of alumni in the New York City area."

The much-anticipated college matchup has already sold more than 16,000 tickets.

"Selfishly, when I first looked at the schedule I thought for sure we'd be on the road," said former BU great and current Rangers center Chris Drury. "But we are home and I'm thrilled that I'll be able to go with my family to see a college game and such a great rivalry in the Garden."

Those within the college hockey ranks view Red Hot Hockey as a rare opportunity to put the collegiate game on display before a national audience.

"When you look at some of the other big tournaments we play in, like the Beanpot Tournament, it's a chance to expose the college game to a big crowd in a big venue," Parker said. "It adds to the overall prestige of college hockey, and kids in Canada and California who don't hear a lot about college hockey will get more exposure to it."

"Now that I'm not playing anymore, I've come to realize how much people value college hockey," said Cornell alumnus and former NHL great Joe Nieuwendyk. "[NHL] scouts are looking at college players much more today than when I was playing. To have an event like this with the exposure it's going to create, I think a lot of people will have their eyes on it."

Though the core of BU's roster has played in imposing arenas, Madison Square Garden represents an entirely new level of historical significance.

"There's no other building like it," Drury said. "It'll be quite a thrill and an opportunity for these players."

"The biggest thing is that they'll be playing against a big rival in front of a big crowd, in what should be a game they'll remember for a long, long time," Parker said.