Hubbry – a platform of hubs

John J. MacInnes Student Ice Arena is a 4,200-capacity hockey arena in Houghton, Michigan. It is home to the Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey 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.

Key Information

Construction
JMSIA or The Mac


Former names	Student Ice Arena
Location	Michigan Tech Univ. Houghton, MI 49931
Coordinates	47°06′45″N 88°32′45″W / 47.1125°N 88.5458°W / 47.1125; -88.5458
Owner	Michigan Technological University
Operator	Michigan Technological University
Capacity	4,466 ^[1]
Surface	200' x 85' (hockey)
Opened	January 14, 1972
Construction cost	$2.6 million
Tenants
Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey (1972-present)

In addition to hockey, the arena is used for Spring Commencement ceremonies. The arena's original Wurlitzer 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.^[2] Renovations continued in 2009 with the addition of 12 private suites at the west end of the arena.^[3] An office renovated in 2010 became the 13th suite. The design for the renovations were completed by the renowned architecture firm Rossetti Architects, a Michigan-based company. The 10 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 video scoreboard featuring four 14-by-8-foot (4.3 by 2.4 m) LED video screens.^[4]

Traditions

[edit]

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

Panorama

[edit]

References

[edit]

^ "Tech-Northern Rivalry Resumes on Ice This Weekend" (Press release). Michigan Technological University Athletics Department. February 19, 2014. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014.
^ "MacInnes Student Ice Arena Seats For Sale Sunday Only" (Press release). Michigan Technological University Athletics Department. April 30, 2008. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
^ Olson, Paula (January 25, 2024). "MacInnes Student Ice Arena will be Closed for Renovations in the Spring & Summer". Michigan Tech Recreation Blog. Michigan Technological University. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
^ "MacInnes Student Ice Arena". Michigan Technological University Athletics Department.

v t e Michigan Technological University
Campus	Campus Buildings Sherman Field MacInnes Student Ice Arena Memorial Union Building Mont Ripley Seaman Mineral Museum
Athletics	Blizzard T. Husky Great Lakes Invitational Men's ice hockey
Student groups	WMTU-FM
Other	Alberta, Michigan Michigan Tech Research Institute Winter Carnival American Center for Mobility

v t e Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey
Formerly the Michigan College of Mines Huskies
Playing venues	Amphidrome (1919–1926) Dee Stadium (1928–1972) MacInnes Student Ice Arena (1972–present)
Head Coaches	E. R. Lovel (1919–1920) Elmer Sicotte (1920–1921, 1923–1924) Mike Fay (1921–1922) Bill Murdoch (1922–1923) Leon Harvey (1924–1926) Carlos Haug (1926–1929) Bert Noblet (1929–1936) Joe Savini (1936–1938) Ed Maki (1938–1941, 1945–1948) Elwin Romnes (1941–1943) Amo Bessone (1948–1951) Al Renfrew (1951–1956) John MacInnes (1956–1982) Jim Nahrgang (1982–1985) Herb Boxer (1985–1990) Newell Brown (1990–1992) Bob Mancini (1992–1996) Tim Watters (1996–2000) Mike Sertich (2000–2003) Jamie Russell (2003–2011) Mel Pearson (2011–2017) Joe Shawhan (2017–2025) Bill Muckalt (2025–present)
Seasons	1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26
Conference affiliations	WCHA (1951–58, 1959–81, 1984–2021) CCHA (1981–84, 2021–Present)
Rivalries	Northern Michigan
Culture & lore	Great Lakes Invitational Huskies Pep Band
All-time leaders	Mike Zuke (310 Points) Mike Zuke (133 Goals) Blake Pietila (76 Wins)
National Championships	1962 1965 1975
Frozen Four appearances	1956 1960 1962 1965 1969 1970 1974 1975 1976 1981
NCAA Tournament appearances	1956 1960 1962 1965 1969 1970 1974 1975 1976 1981 2015 2017 2018 2022 2023 2024
Conference Tournament titles	WCHA: 1960 1962 1965 1969 1970 1974 1975 1976 1981 2017 2018 CCHA: 2024
Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI

v t e Central Collegiate Hockey Association
Current members	Augustana Vikings Bemidji State Beavers Bowling Green Falcons Ferris State Bulldogs Lake Superior State Lakers Michigan Tech Huskies Minnesota State Mavericks Northern Michigan Wildcats St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies (leaving in 2026)
Venues	Midco Arena (Augustana) Sanford Center (Bemidji State) Slater Family Ice Arena (Bowling Green) Ewigleben Arena (Ferris State) Taffy Abel Arena (Lake Superior State) MacInnes Student Ice Arena (Michigan Tech) Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center (Minnesota State) Berry Events Center (Northern Michigan) Lee & Penny Anderson Arena (St. Thomas; program leaving in 2026)
Seasons	1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26
Former members	Alaska Nanooks Kent State Golden Flashes Miami RedHawks Michigan Wolverines Michigan State Spartans Nebraska–Omaha Mavericks Notre Dame Fighting Irish Ohio Bobcats Ohio State Buckeyes Saint Louis Billikens Illinois–Chicago Flames Western Michigan Broncos
Awards	MacNaughton Cup Mason Cup All-CCHA Teams Best Defensive Defenseman Best Defensive Forward Coach of the Year Defenseman of the Year Forward of the Year Goaltender of the Year Player of the Year Rookie of the Year Tournament MVP All-Tournament Teams
NCAA MacNaughton Cup CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament (Champions, Mason Cup) Joe Louis Arena (former conference tourney site)

MacInnes Student Ice Arena

Hub talks

MacInnes Student Ice Arena

MacInnes Student Ice Arena

MacInnes Student Ice Arena

Hub overview

Add your contribution

Inside this hub

Media Collections

Timelines

Articles

Notes collections

Notes

Days in Chronicle

Root Wikipedia Article

MacInnes Student Ice Arena

Key Information

Traditions

Panorama

References

Add your contribution

Related Hubs

MacInnes Student Ice Arena

Hub talks

Welcome to #general!