For those Michigan faithful who grew up outnumbered by rabid Michigan State fans, you hated Sparty with passion. And if you were a hockey fan back when Michigan State coach Ron Mason ruled collegiate hockey, you were miserable, with an ongoing hatred for Spartan hockey. But now you’ll have the last laugh, because Spartan hockey royalty may very well have to wear a Maize and Blue tracksuit. [Insert countless laughing emojis.]
First off, Shawn Horcoff is absolutely one of the best ever to wear green and white. His stats don’t transfer well to the current era, but in his final year, he was the league player of the year and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in college hockey. Mason said, “Shawn is a great team player and a leader. All he wants to do is win, and he'll do anything to get the job done. It's a great situation for a coach when your best player is also your hardest worker, because he really sets the tone in practice and in games."
So, Shawn’s kid has big skates to fill, but he’s not doing too bad this year for the #1 ranked Michigan Wolverines. Will was named Forward of the Month for November by the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) on Thursday, December 4th. He finished the month with nine goals and four assists for 14 points in nine games, during which time Michigan went 7-2 and became the nation’s consensus top-ranked team. Horcoff led the NCAA in goals, five of which were game winners. A first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Horcoff paces the nation in goals (18) and points (26).
The son, naturally, has only great things to say about his old man. “I try to model my work ethic after him,” he said in the NHL.com article. “Growing up, I would always go to the rink when he was on the Stars or the Oilers. Sometimes, he’d be the only one there, only one going on the ice. Just me and him. Just showed me how bad he wanted it. He had an incredible career, so it showed me how hard I need to work.”
If you were razzed by Sparty about how bad Michigan hockey was back then (and it was horrible), you want Will to work harder so that you can see a Sparty great wear the Block M.