COLUMBUS - Bill Muckalt, assistant captain of the Michigan hockey team, seems to have Dr. Jekyll-and-Mr. Hyde complex. He's the NCAA's current points-scored leader and has demonstrated that he's a step above everyone else on the ice.
But Muckalt has two sides to his personality.
On the one hand, he's the playful one on the team, the one who jokes around the most at practice and at home. He often challenges third-string goaltender and fan favorite Greg Daddario to one-on-one post-practice challenges that draw most of the team to watch.
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| PAUL TALANIAN/Daily Right wing Bill Muckalt has been annoyed with the officiating this season. Yesterday, against Ohio State, he let the officials know about it - and he received a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. |
Before the season started, Muckalt even fooled his teammates that he was going to forgo his senior season and enter the professional ranks.
That's just one side of Muckalt. The humorous side.
But then there's the other side. The Williams Lake, B.C. native has shown that he has a short fuse and fiery temper.
In yesterday's 3-2 victory over Ohio State, Muckalt got into a little bit of trouble. Play stopped in the first period after an official whistled the Wolverines for being offsides.
Muckalt, speeding into the zone, collided into a Buckeye and sent him into the Ohio State bench. An official whistled Muckalt for charging, and held on to the left wing's shirt. Muckalt, furious, voiced his displeasure while jumping up and down on the ice.
The result - two penalties for Muckalt, charging and unsportsmanlike conduct.
"I didn't mean to lose my cool and they know it," Muckalt said. "It's been going on the whole year."
And, to show just how important he is to the Wolverines, as soon as his four minutes of penalty time expired, Muckalt exited the box and immediately received Troy Kahler's pass to score the first goal of the game.
The move resembled Superman coming out of the phone booth to save the day.
"I want to lead this team the best I can and help them win any way I can," Muckalt said.
But yesterday's episode of rage by the fiercely-competitive Muckalt wasn't the first. During Wednesday's practice last week, Muckalt got upset after missing a shot and flung his stick into the stands.
Michigan coach Red Berenson stopped practiced and loudly chastised Muckalt for losing his temper.
For the Wolverines, Muckalt's sometimes volatile attitude can be tolerated. It has to be tolerated.
Last weekend, he had a hand five of the Wolverines' six goals against Ferris State including the game winning goal in overtime in Michigan's 3-2 victory. This past weekend, assisted on the second goal after scoring Michigan's first.
Berenson feels that since Muckalt is the focus of the other teams' attention, Muckalt should benefit from the unwritten responsibility all officials, professional or collegiate, follow when treating most other superstars - providing protection.
Berenson feels they haven't protected his superstar well enough.
For other teams "he's a target, he's being targeted and he was responding to it. It's really important that our officials understand who the best players are in the league and protect them ice. There's got to be a Gretzky rule, a Lemieux rule, a Brendan Morrison rule and a Billy Muckalt rule.
"He shouldn't be leading our team in penalties, but he is because he's retaliating every night."
At various times during the season, Muckalt has beaten the defense with his unmatched speed, only to get dragged down from behind without a penalty being called.
It happened this weekend at Bowling Green.
"It's a little frustrating, after a while, to put up with so much stuff that doesn't get called" Muckalt said. Friday night "and tonight, the same official wasn't calling anything,
"I get to get abused. You feel like you can only take so much and you've got protect yourself. That's just something you have to deal with."
11-24-97
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