It's official - finally. The Big Chill at the Big House outdoor hockey game played last month between the University of Michigan and Michigan State drew 104,173 fans to Michigan Stadium, according to the ticket counters at Guinness World Records.
Though smaller than the announced crowd of 113,411 - which would have represented an NCAA single-game standard for any sport - it still obliterates the previous world record for ice hockey at any level by 27,370 fans. Moreover, the official attendance on Dec. 11 was nearly the equivalent of 16 capacity crowds at Yost Arena, where the Wolverines typically host their hockey games. Considering there are 18 games scheduled at Yost in 2010-11, Michigan came close to packing a season's worth of home ticket sales into one event.
Michigan set the NCAA football attendance record last season in the newly renovated stadium (capacity 109,901) when it drew 113,090 fans to a game against Connecticut. Were it a football game, the Big Chill would have ranked 19th in attendance among games played in 2010, according to the NCAA.
