John J. MacInnes Student Ice Arena is a 4,200-capacity hockey arena in

Houghton, Michigan Houghton (; ) is the largest city and seat of government of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Houghton is the largest city in the Copper Country region. It is the fifth-largest city in the U ...

. It is home to the

Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey The Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey team is an NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represents Michigan Technological University. The Huskies are a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). They play at the Ma ...

team. It is named for John J. MacInnes, head coach of the Huskies from 1956 to 1983, who was one of the most successful coaches in the history of college hockey with a record of 555-295-39. In addition to hockey, the arena is used for Spring Commencement ceremonies. The arena's original

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

organ was used during the Commencement ceremonies, until it was removed during the 2009 renovations. In 2008, the original wooden seats were replaced with plastic seats. Renovations continued in 2009 with the addition of twelve private suites at the west end of the arena. An office renovated in 2010 became the thirteenth suite. The design for the renovations were completed by the renowned architecture firm

Rossetti Architects ROSSETTI is an architectural design and planning firm headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.Contact
" ROSSETTI. Retrieved on November 16, 2009. ...

, a Michigan-based company. The ten smaller center suites are leased by the season, and the larger three corner suites are game-by-game rentals. In 2013, the center-hung fixed digit scoreboard was replaced with a new

Mitsubishi Electric , established on 15 January 1921, is a Japanese multinational electronics and electrical equipment manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi. The products from MELCO include elevators a ...

video scoreboard featuring four 14-foot by 8-foot

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (cor ...

video screens.

Traditions

The John MacInnes Student Ice Arena is home to many traditions. The oldest and by far the most well known is the Copper Country Anthem. The tradition was started as an insult to Polka music that was popular at the time. The song Blue Skirt Waltz was taken and slowed down as a bastardization of the song, people rose from their seats and began to sway. From then on, the Copper Country Anthem was played and people continue to stand and sway during the second intermission. Also the

Huskies Pep Band Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ...

plays " In Heaven There Is No Beer" in which many extra verses have been added over the years, including references to snow, referees, sex, and marijuana. The

student section A student section or student cheering section is a group of student fans that supports its school's athletic teams at sporting events; they are known for being one of the most visible and vocal sections of a sports crowd as well as for their occa ...

, Mitch's Misfits, known to be fans of college hockey, stand throughout the game in support of the team.

Panorama

References

{{Central Collegiate Hockey Association College ice hockey venues in the United States Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Sports venues in Michigan Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey Sports venues completed in 1972 Buildings and structures in Houghton County, Michigan 1972 establishments in Michigan