The Joe Bukovich Scramble takes place Friday at Dee Stadium in Houghton. (Photo provided)

HOUGHTON — It’s an annual tradition. It’s the official start of the local high school hockey season. It is a chance for teams to see each other. It is an opportunity to try out some things.

It is the Scramble at the Dee Stadium.

And it has a new name. The annual showcase is now known as the Joe Bukovich Scramble.

According to Houghton Gremlins coach Micah Stipech, this is an honor long overdue.

“One of the things on my mind is I want to do some type of memorial, or try to get something where it’s probably the Dee is the best spot for it, but I feel like we need to have something happen for Joe before any more time goes by,” he said. “Naming the scramble after him was just the smallest thing we could do. The least thing we could do. There used to be the Joe Buk Tournament but that discontinued some time ago.”

The scramble has always been a chance for the local players to face other players who aren’t their teammates, and get a chance to showcase a bit of what growth they had made from the previous year.

“From the nostalgia point of view, (I) just remember how excited I was as a player, as a freshman, putting on long Cooperalls and getting to play against Lake Linden,” Stipech said. “That’s one of my memories. Then, as you went on each year, that was your first experience. For me, coming from football season, I just remember being really tired. My legs weren’t there yet.

“Everybody’s excited. The short, one-period games, I think, are great for fans that come and get a glimpse of everybody. It really adds to the excitement of the hockey season. It’s a great way for teams to get a look at different lineups, if you want, get different people involved and dip your toes into the season.”

All four area coaches, Stipech at Houghton, Aaron Helminen at Jeffers, Dan Giachino at Calumet, and recently hired Joe Burcar at Hancock, played locally, and now coach teams which will appear in Friday’s festivities.

The scramble gives teams a chance to look at various lineups and find some chemistry.

“It’s a real great opportunity to experiment,” said Stipech. “In the last couple years, we’ve had different line combinations for each game, different defense pairs. There’s nothing on the line. Just try some different recipes, and see how things look for the young guys. It’s a great opportunity for them to get in and get involved in a high school game sometimes for their first one. So, all around, it’s a win-win.

“You set the tone for the season, really. It’s competition against these other guys, and the kids are fired up. They want to win, whether it’s a scrimmage here in a scramble or whatever. They want to win, and you want your team to be competitive, and play hard like something’s on the line.”

As to why name the scramble after Bukovich, the answer is pretty straightforward.

“He is everything that’s right and good about the sport of hockey, about hockey in our community,” Stipech said. “(He) has made hockey such a pillar of our community. If you could embody it in one person, I think it’s Joel Bukovich. The life that he lived, the stories, just reading his obituary, I just have a little glimpse, a snapshot of my times sharpening skates or at open hockey at the Dee Stadium, where he’d say, better bring your own puck, because you’re not getting mine.

(I) just remember all of those skills. I still won’t touch my skate blades together after I get them sharpened, because Joe Buk would tell me not to. That’s just such a drop in the bucket. You know, what? Everybody has those memories.”

Bukovich was involved in hockey at all levels in the area, and really, around the state.

“His legacy with Michigan Tech, with the Pioneers, the local professional teams, with his family, I just remember looking up in the stands and seeing him at all of our games,” said Stipech. “He was always very aware of what was happening and engaged. Those are the people that make our community special. They’re the people that make the sport of hockey special.

“I want him to be remembered, and I hope that we can do something more to be able to memorialize him and his legacy.”

Bukovich did so much more than just sharpen skates. He taught life lessons.

“He pulled the rabbit out of the back of his truck, (saying) that he had gotten five with one shot, and he pulled a rabbit up five times. But, was it the same rabbit or five different ones? I don’t know,” Stipech said. “I remember being down under the (house), his basement there, and trying to change the rivets in my old Microns. Me and him sweating and trying.

“There’s just so many moments like that. But again, I wasn’t someone that spent a ton of time with him, but just that was my brush with greatness, when I go there and give him my $2.”

The scramble will take place Friday, with Houghton and Jeffers squaring off first at 3 p.m. Hancock and Jeffers will follow at 3:45 p.m. Then, Houghton will battle Calumet at 4:30 p.m. Hancock will take on Calumet at 5:15 p.m. Jeffers will face Calumet at 6 p.m. Finally, Houghton and Hancock will battle at 6:45 p.m.