Some rivalries stand the test of time and transcend the sport that brought out the bad blood in the first place. If there’s any rivalry that is an example of that, it’s the one between Ohio State and Michigan.
We all know what “The Game” means for fans on both sides and for national pop culture, but anytime the colors scarlet and gray and maize and blue are mixed up in a competitive environment, you can be sure that there will be some type of combustion. So it was last Saturday in an outdoor hockey game at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland between the Buckeyes and Wolverines named the “Faceoff on the Lake.”
OSU got the better of TTUN by a score of 4-2 to pull into a tie for second place in the league, but what Ohio State Offensive Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach Brian Hartline did before the puck was dropped was epic as a stage-setter.
Cleveland is known for a few things like winter weather, Drew Carey, and of course rock music (being the site of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame of course).
As the environment would have it, Rock and Roll and the Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry met in a scene all Buckeye fans can get into, because Hartline took a Michigan-themed electric guitar and smashed it up before the teams did any smashing of each other on the ice.
In case you didn’t catch some of Hartline’s best work, you can see him grind the ax below.
Ohio State offensive coordinator or former Browns WR Brian Hartline breaks a Michigan guitar before the Faceoff on the Lake. pic.twitter.com/a0rNvjKuiS
— Shawn Dunagan (@shawndunagan) February 18, 2023
Hartline knows what this rivalry is all about, and you can be sure he jumped at the chance to get this party started last weekend. Let’s hope his offense tears up the Michigan defense as well come November 25.
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