Bobby 'Maize' Hayes

Bobby Hayes didn't come to Michigan with much confidence. In fact, when Hayes originally committed to play hockey for the Wolverines, he wasn't supposed to come to Michigan with much of anything - including a scholarship.

So as he prepared to leave for Ann Arbor, Hayes wasn't worried about how much playing time he'd get, how many goals he'd score or how many assists he'd dish out. No, Hayes had much more basic concerns on his mind.

"Before I came here, my friends used to ask me for tickets," Hayes said. "I'd tell them, 'Don't worry about it, because I won't be playing. I don't think I'll play a game all year.'"

How times have changed.

The junior from Westland is Michigan's second-leading scorer this season, with 18 goals and 18 assists. He's also a fixture on the Wolverines' first line, playing center with star forward Bill Muckalt on the right wing.

MARGARET MYERS/Daily

Muckalt, one of the nation's leading goal-scorers with 26, probably owes a lot of his success this year to the amazing chemistry he has with Hayes. But even Muckalt wouldn't have guessed before the season began that Hayes would be the offensive presence he is today.

"If you asked me right now if I thought he would've had 18 goals, I'd say probably not," Muckalt said. "I just think he's doing well this year."

Actually, Muckalt still seems to have trouble grasping the fact now.

"Bobby Hayes is the worst center on Michigan. He's brutal," Muckalt joked. "No, really he's great. He's hard working, he's improved so much, and he's got a lot of confidence now."

Confidence. The world of sports is famous for its clichés. The big game. The team player. The never-say-die attitude.

But when talking to Hayes and the people who know him best, they make it clear that confidence isn't just a cliché in Hayes' life. Confidence is one of the most important factors in his success.

If anybody understands that about Hayes, it's teammate Dale Rominski. The two roomed together when they were freshmen and even played together before they wore the maize and blue. Hayes joined Rominski on the Compuware team of the United States Hockey League midway into the season, the year before both players came to Michigan.

"All I think he needed was the confidence," Rominski said. "In juniors he was a real crafty player, and he had the confidence to make moves and know that he could do them. Now he's got that confidence, and now he's doing those moves.

"I always saw him being able to do that, it was just a matter of him realizing it. I knew he was going to get there, because that's the kind of person he is: He keeps working at it until he gets it, and once he gets it, he's not going to let go of it."

Hayes never did let go of his chance to be a Wolverine. Contrary to his original fears, he did play his freshman year. And he did end up playing with a scholarship his first season, even though he would've come to Michigan as a walk-on in a second, no questions asked.

"To be a part of this is something I don't think anyone could turn down if they had a chance," Hayes said. "And if they did, I'd find it really hard to believe that it was their choice. This place speaks a lot without even saying anything."

Not surprisingly, Michigan coach Red Berenson was all too pleased when he recruited Hayes.

"When we recruited him, he was a kid that we didn't have to convince about Michigan," coach Red Berenson said. "He wanted to come to Michigan. That's the kind of kid you want.

"Nobody had to recruit him. It's as simple as that. When he came in, he was happy and grateful. He had a great attitude, and he's still got a great attitude."

And Hayes' attitude showed from the beginning. He may have started out with little self-confidence, but from the moment he stepped onto the ice, in his very first practice as a Wolverine, Hayes began to understand his potential as a hockey player.

"When I got here, I didn't think I was too far behind, but I did have a lot to learn," Hayes said. "When I made the lineup my first game, I kinda looked around, and I was like, 'Wait a minute, I can play. I can be in the lineup every night if I want to, if I put my head to it.'"

Hayes played in 43 games his freshman year, and 38 when he was a sophomore, racking up a total of 14 goals and 24 assists over his first two seasons. Hayes' confidence was building, slowly but surely.

But he was never called on to be much of an offensive threat. Playing behind hockey greats like Brendan Morrison, Hayes' role was one of a great two-way player; someone who would work harder than everyone else, but might not put up numbers like everyone else.

Even before this year - even with the graduation of the greatest class in Michigan hockey history - Berenson foresaw Hayes in the same type of role he had played in the past two seasons.

"Bobby Hayes should continue to be a serious player on this team in terms of his defensive skills and his penalty killing responsibilities," Berenson said before this season began. "He should also improve offensively."

That last comment - almost added as an afterthought - proved to be one of the largest understatements of the year.

With eight games to go in the regular season, Hayes has scored two points less this year than he scored over his first two seasons combined. Hayes has shown flashes of offensive brilliance before, though. In 1996, a Hayes goal with the game tied 3-3 in the third period barely lifted the Wolverines above Lake Superior for the CCHA tournament title.

Berenson said Hayes has always had it in him - although he's definitely a different player than he ever was before. So why now? Confidence, of course.

"I don't think other teams realize what a good player he is," Berenson said. "They know what a good player he is, but not what a dangerous player he is - that he's become. And he is doing things that I've never seen him do before, and I think that comes from confidence."

Perhaps one of the reasons other teams don't take Hayes as seriously as they should has to do with his stature. Hayes - listed generously by the media guide at 6-feet, 165 pounds - is one of Michigan's smallest players.

But what Hayes lacks for in bulk, he makes up for with a remarkable willingness to expose his frame to a tremendous amount of physical abuse. Hayes is still one of the team's premier shot-blockers and hardest workers. And this ability doesn't come from confidence.

"No, I'd say that's more stupidity," Hayes said ,"I've been blocking shots ever since I can remember. But when I was younger, it never hurt me. Every time I blocked it, I'd get a breakaway.

"Now I'm not getting as many breakaways, but getting goals aren't always as important as preventing them. Shots are hurting a little more, but I think the overall result is still worth it."

That toughness helped make Hayes a crucial player for Michigan before this year, even if the numbers don't exactly show it.

"He accepted his role as a fourth-line player and never complained," Berenson said. "And now he's got his chance to take a better role, and he's really taken advantage of it. He talks like a coach, encouraging everyone to do the right thing for the team."

His newfound leadership role - and his stronger confidence - have inspired Hayes to dream of even greater success.

"Before, I wanted to coach a hockey team at a high school in Ann Arbor," Hayes said. "But now I wouldn't mind going out and trying to play some professional hockey for a little bit. It's a new goal I'm thinking of pursuing after I finish here.

"Right now, I'm dedicated to the team and to what I do on the ice for Michigan."

One of Michigan's top players? Pro hockey? How will Hayes manage to do it all? Oh yeah. Confidence.

02-09-98