In retrospect, the Icecats of the 鈥�80s were decades ahead of the NCAA鈥檚 Name, Image and Likeness legislation 鈥� a program so successful that the Chicago Tribune once sent a reporter to 蜜柚直播 to write about Icecats coach Leo Golembiewski, a product of the Chicago youth hockey system.

On that night, the Icecats drew a sellout crowd of 6,222 and beat the University of Denver, a NCAA Division I hockey program.

Another night, prominent radio and TV talk-show host Larry King spoke at the Icecats鈥� year-end banquet 鈥� one that drew 800 people at a 蜜柚直播 hotel. On another night, Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup coach Scotty Bowman flew to 蜜柚直播 to watch Golembiewski win his 400th game as 蜜柚直播鈥檚 club hockey coach.

Icecats home games were broadcast on 1400-AM radio. For a few years, Cox cable televised Icecats home games locally. Once, on pro-am day at the 蜜柚直播 Open PGA Tour golf tournament, celebrity golfer Clint Eastwood stepped away from the first tee to shake hands with Golembiewski.

They posed for a photograph, with Eastwood鈥檚 arm around Coach G鈥檚 shoulder.

Times were so good that Golembiewski鈥檚 wife, Paula, won the first-ever 蜜柚直播 Lottery.

Golembiewski was something of a one-man band from 1979-2011, a relentless promoter, recruiter and front man for a club hockey program. He won 634 games and was nominated for induction into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.

Looking back, the highlight of Golembiewski鈥檚 career came in 1985 when the Icecats defeated Penn State 5-3 in a Chicago suburb to win the National Club Hockey championship. The 鈥�85 Icecats finished 28-3-1.

A year earlier they finished No. 2, a season in which they had a memorable weekend against USC, selling out both games and drawing 22,692 fans in the first four games of the season at the 蜜柚直播 Convention Center.

Perspective? On the night of Dec. 10, 1983, the Icecats drew 6,063 at the TCC. At the same time, Lute Olson鈥檚 first 蜜柚直播 basketball team drew 6,087 at McKale Center.

But popularity for club hockey in 蜜柚直播, while strong for most of the Icecats鈥� 32 years, reached a ceiling. The thirst to do more 鈥� to become an NCAA Division I franchise 鈥� was never whetted.

Perhaps it was just bad timing.

In the mid-鈥�80s, as the Icecats became national champions, 蜜柚直播鈥檚 athletic department was engulfed in a financial crisis. The UA football team, serving a three-year NCAA probation, was barred from playing in a bowl game and appearing on television. The basketball program had yet to become a national power and fill McKale Center.

When a move began to make the Icecats part of the UA athletic department, there was no money to make it happen. Athletic director Cedric Dempsey said he couldn鈥檛 consider adding a men鈥檚 sport because the school had recently eliminated wrestling and men鈥檚 gymnastics.

Dempsey said that until the athletic department could fully fund women鈥檚 basketball, swimming and gymnastics, the idea of absorbing the Icecats into the athletic department wasn鈥檛 going to happen.

In addition, there were only 39 men鈥檚 Division I hockey programs, and almost all were in the East and Midwest. Scheduling costs were prohibitive.

That didn鈥檛 weaken 蜜柚直播鈥檚 support of the Icecats, who finished in the top four of the national club hockey finals in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1996 and 1997.

The Icecats鈥� success was more impressive given there was no suitable practice facility in 蜜柚直播. The club鈥檚 TCC ice was limited by (a) cost and (b) availability. The Icecats frequently bused to Phoenix to practice.

To make ends meet, Golembiewski 鈥� who moved to 蜜柚直播 from the Chicago area in 1977 to teach at Salpointe Catholic High School 鈥� became the manager of Iceland Bowl, a hockey-rink/bowling alley on East Speedway Boulevard. By 2010, the UA鈥檚 sports and recreation program successfully pursued a club hockey team, which would provide more financial support and a stronger administrative network.

A quarter-century after the Icecats won the national championship, the nickname was changed from Icecats to Wildcats, and Golembiewski 鈥� the man who created the 鈥淢adhouse on Main Street鈥� 鈥� walked away.