CK and CC Prepare to Face Off in the 2010 Outdoor Classic

In commemoration of the 75th year of competition in high school hockey between Detroit Catholic Central and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, the two schools will play an outdoor game at Clark Park in Detroit, Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 2:00 PM. Preceding the varsity game, there will be a junior varsity game between the schools as well as two alumni games.

 

This sold-out event is seeing widespread coverage in the media:

Outdoor Ice Hockey Isn't Just for the NHL in the Wall Street Journal

Mich. Prep Hockey Teams Meet at Outdoor Classic in USA Today

Assistant Coach Patrick Ronayne on 1130 AM WDFN Detroit Sports Talk

Cranbrook-Catholic Central Hockey Alumni & History at the Detroit Red Wings website

2010 Outdoor Classic video at the Detroit Red Wings NHL Network Online

Icing History Cranbrook, Catholic Central Set to Face Off in Inaugural Outdoor Classic at the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies website

Outdoor Classic Preview with Assistant Coach Pat Ronayne at the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies website

DCC, CK Skate Back to their Roots at StudentandAthlete.com

Team Captains Show Off Retro Uniforms for 2010 Outdoor Classic at the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League (MIHL) website

Cranbrook & CC "Warm-up" for the 2010 Outdoor Classic at the MIHL website

 

“Our intent was to make it a great event for all involved and we patterned it after the successful NHL Winter Classic events,” state Andy Weidenbach, Head Coach, Cranbrook. “We did a little research and found out that this year would be the 75th year of competition between CC and Cranbrook in hockey and that there was a lot of tradition between the two schools. In fact, Pat Ronayne, my assistant coach for the past 17 years, his father played goalie for CC in the inaugural game,” added Weidenbach.

 

Besides being an entertaining event for all involved, the varsity game will feature excellent high school hockey. Both Detroit Catholic Central (currently ranked #1 in Division I) and Cranbrook (currently ranked #1 in Division III) have successful hockey programs. Both teams are members of the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League (MIHL) and since the sanctioning of the sport of hockey by the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) in 1979 they have combined for 23 MHSAA State Championships (CC – 9 Division I, CK – 14 Division III).

 

Once the decision was made to investigate the possibility of the game the search was on for an ice rink that could handle the event. “We needed an outdoor facility with compressors and the list of rinks that met our requirements wasn’t long. Rick Loewenstein and I contacted Anthony Benavides at Clark Park to inquire about their facility. It looked good and the planning process went forward,” said Weidenbach. Todd Johnson, Head Coach, Detroit Catholic Central, was contacted by Weidenbach to see if there was any interest on their side in playing an outdoor game. “I immediately thought it was a great idea and confirmed our interest. It just adds a new dimension to our rivalry which usually features great high school hockey, great competition and good sportsmanship,” explained Johnson.

 

Once the teams agreed to play, individual committees were formed by both schools and Clark Park and a General Committee was formed with members from all groups. Athletic Directors, Aaron Babicz (CC) and Steve Graf (CK), were instrumental in getting the resources of both schools fully engaged in their support of the event—Athletic Departments, CC Dads Club, CK Booster Club and the resources of the many individuals that support the hockey program as both schools. “When we started looking into this, I don’t think Todd and I realized all of the detailed planning and effort that would be required, but we received great support from everybody,” summarized Weidenbach. Not only will the 2010 Outdoor Classic be an entertaining event for the players and fans, Clark Park will benefit as well. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Clark Park and parking revenue will be retained by Clark Park.

 

Additionally, Detroit Catholic Central and Cranbrook Kingswood currently support Clark Park through voluntary efforts. Both schools donated hockey equipment to the Clark Park Hockey League (CPHL). Cranbrook donated ice time at the Wallace Arena and Andy Weidenbach agreed to conduct clinics for the CPHL players. Students from both schools have committed to community service projects at Clark Park. Currently the Cranbrook Kingswood 9th Grade Girls are involved in a leaf raking project and a Tutoring Session at the Community Center.

 

For more information, visit http://www.outdoorclassicdetroit.com.

 

To learn about the history of Cranbrook School hockey, please click here (courtesy Cranbrook Archives).