Shortly after the end of World War I, college ice hockey began to expand into the Midwest.

The following year Michigan began sponsoring ice hockey as well and the two were the only three Big Ten teams to support such programs (the other being Wisconsin).

Led by former star player Vic Heyliger, the Wolverines won six National Championships in nine years, defeating Minnesota in the 1953 NCAA tournament.

Minnesota remained one of the top teams in college hockey for the next 20 years while Michigan slowly rebuilt the program.

The rekindling of the rivalry also coincided with the founding of the College Hockey Showcase, a series between the four Big Ten teams that had previously been rivals in the WCHA.