Quizzes & Puzzles A Trivia Tribute to Coach Schafer As Mike Schafer ’86 retires from men’s ice hockey, we dedicate 10 questions—plus one for extra credit!—to his life and career Difficulty: Depends on your level of Big Red hockey fandom! 1) In which Canadian province did he grow up? Nova Scotia Ontario Québec Alberta None 2) What position did he play for the Big Red? Center Goaltender Defenseman Left wing None 3) What was his major on the Hill? Agricultural economics Hotel administration Mechanical engineering Nutritional sciences None 4) Playing in the 1983 home game against Harvard, what did he memorably do? Threw a fish back into the student section Broke his stick over his head Chest-bumped Touchdown between periods Scored three goals—one of which was a penalty shot None 5) In his 107 games as a Big Red player, how many points did he score? 10 (5 goals, 5 assists) 30 (5 goals, 25 assists) 40 (10 goals, 30 assists) 70 (10 goals, 60 assists) None 6) During his senior season, Cornell won the ECACs. Whom did the Big Red defeat in the final? Clarkson Harvard Yale St. Lawrence None 7) How many years did he serve as Cornell’s head coach? 20 25 30 35 None 8) Before being named to the top job at Cornell, where did he coach for five years? Western Michigan Clarkson Dartmouth University of Denver None 9) Approximately how many of his former Big Red players have gone on to play in the NHL? 10 15 20 25 None 10) His first loss and final win as head coach were against the same team. Which was it? Harvard Michigan State B.U. Quinnipiac None Extra credit: Which NHL team does he root for? Toronto Maple Leafs New York Rangers Ottawa Senators Montréal Canadiens None Time’s up Top: Schafer at a 2023 NCAA semifinals game against Denver in Manchester, NH. (Matt Dewkett / Cornell Athletics) Published April 8, 2025 Comments Tom, Class of 1971 11 Apr, 2025 He did not approve of “ringing the puck (dad’s advice). Super career! Reply Dave Wohlhueter 11 Apr, 2025 I got 9 out of 10 correct. I can’t believe he had [so many] points! Dave Wohlhueter [Response edited by Cornellians staff to avoid spoilers. 😉 ] Reply Suzanne Snedeker, Class of 1978 13 Apr, 2025 Hey, Dave, I got 9/11 correct, too. We moved to Ithaca the year Schaf became coach in 1995 and have been season ticket holders for all of his 30 years! Reply Scott Brind 12 Apr, 2025 I was standing behind the Zamboni doors one game and Mike put a guy through the glass. I got home and took off my coat and 3 chunks of glass came out. I was also at the game where he [comment redacted by Cornellians staff to avoid quiz spoilers! 😉 ]. 10 minutes later, Cornell was down 4-0. Coach Reycroft pulled Donnie Fawcett and put in Jim Edmonds. Cornell won 6-5 in overtime. Lynah was never louder than that night. Reply Mark Burdyl, Class of 1979 13 Apr, 2025 I got 10 of 11 correct! So much respect for Coach Shafer’s career at Cornell…A third national title still eludes since Harkness, but Schafer rebuilt the’Big Red’ brand into a consistently formidable force, both in the ECAC & nationally! And then there is ‘what could have been’ as the nationally ranked #1 team interrupted by the Covid shutdown. But he brought us back to the brink of the Frozen Four this season with an ECAC championship, a thrilling win over [comment redacted by Cornellians staff to avoid quiz spoilers! 😉 ]. a dandy of a game vs. BU. Retire with a big smile & great memories, Coach Shafer! We raise a mug 🍺 to you!! I always enjoyed playing in his golf tournaments too! Congrats on a super career! Reply Tom Malone, Class of 1987 13 Apr, 2025 The “Kill Schaf Kill” chant was electric in the ‘80’s Reply Marty Lynch, Class of 1982 13 Apr, 2025 Shafe is a class act. Thanks for representing the university so well over the years. We were so lucky to have you! Reply Lila Olson 13 Apr, 2025 8 out of 11…Not bad for an 83 yr. old who never saw a hockey game until she came to Cornell! Reply Anne Paulin, Class of 1987 13 Apr, 2025 What did the Lynah Rink crowd cheer whenever Schafer made a particularly impressive defensive move? . . . Kill, Schafer, Kill! Reply Roman Schwartsman, Class of 1986 13 Apr, 2025 There was a legendary moment during the Harvard game in ’85 or ’86 when Harvard was destroying Cornell at home and Schafer was being mercilessly taunted by Harvard coach Bill Cleary, Schafer took a snapshot at the Harvard bench, barely missing Cleary. The benches cleared and there was pandamonium with fish and anything else raining down onto the ice. Harvard showed no class in that win and enough was enough! Thanks for that memory Schafe! Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Alumni Why Kitties and their Owners Think Kate Benjamin ’93 Is the Cat’s Meow Cornelliana Slope Day 2024 in Photos Quizzes & Puzzles Cornellian Crossword: ‘Happy Thanksgiving!’