The most notable examples of the hockey rivalry are two outdoor games, the October 6, 2001 Cold War in East Lansing and the December 11, 2010 Big Chill at the Big House in Ann Arbor, which set the world record for attendance at a hockey game.

[6] As of 2013, both teams are members of the Big Ten Conference, although they have previously competed together in both the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).

[12] The teams generally alternate years in which they hold a home game in the city.

Beginning during the 2015–16 season, the winner of each game at Joe Louis Arena receives the Iron D Trophy.

[15] An element of the rivalry is that Michigan (1964, 1992*, 1993* and 2018) and Michigan State (1999 and 2001) are the only two schools to have had both their hockey team and basketball team qualify for the Final Four of the NCAA men's ice hockey championship and NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in the same season.