… While Brian Zive’s A Hairy Guy

The day the Boston University hockey team began its 2000-2001 season, Brian Zive had his bachelor party.

On their way to dinner in Brookline, Zive and two of his brothers-in-law stopped by Walter Brown Arena because Zive wanted to show them his “other side.” Zive, a 1994 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, is known to BU hockey fans as Sasquatch, a fanatic who bears his chest and dances through the aisles of the arena working to incite cheers and spark enthusiasm during BU hockey games.

“We came in the back door because I wanted them to see Sasquatch live in person,” Zive said. “I waited for the next whistle, I did it and I was out of the building as fast as I could put my shirt back on because it meant getting back to the party.”

As Zive danced down the stairs of Section 8, waving his shirt high above his head, his brothers-in-law watched on.

“I think mostly they couldn’t believe that the guy their sister was marrying — that this reserved guy they had met, this quiet and friendly guy, could have this alter ego,” said Zive.

Zive’s performance usually comes more than halfway through the third period of almost every BU home game. During a 4-2 win over the University of Massachusetts at Amherst earlier this month between the two Beanpot games, Zive carried out his usual routine.

With 10 minutes left in the game, Zive took off his coat and handed it to his wife Christine, who was sitting with him in Section 8. Shortly after, he took his glasses off and carefully placed them in a case. With about five minutes left, play stopped and Zive sprang to his feet and waved over to the band.

As Iron Man started playing across the ice, Zive jumped up and screamed, “They might be the Minutemen, but tonight we’re all Patriots.” Sasquatch started down the stairs, pulled his BU hockey jersey off and waived it over his head, exposing his hairy chest to everyone.

Sasquatch threw his shirt high in the air and jumped up on a seat, high-fiving all the fans he could reach. “We want the Beanpot!” he screamed. “We want the Beanpot!” Soon fans began screaming along with him. The chants continued and increased in volume, “We want the Beanpot! We want the Beanpot!”

Before the game could end, Zive was back in his seat with his shirt back on, watching the game and shouting supportively to the BU hockey team.

Zive’s wife Christine, to whom he has been married since November 2000, laughs every time she sees him perform.

“He’s great,” Christine said. “It’s great team spirit, but he’s crazy.”

Outside of Walter Brown Arena, Zive works as an analyst consultant for BU’s Development and Alumni Relations Office, giving technical support. Seeing him at work, most people would never guess Zive and Sasquatch are the same person. Dressed properly in a suit and tie, shirt on, Zive doesn’t give off even a hint of his alter ego.

“It’s impossible to separate the two because of the status of Sasquatch,” said Zive. Zive said being known at BU for his sports fanaticism helped him get his foot in the door and now allows him to help the University.

“I’m glad that I’m now at the point where I’m being known for what I do at work,” said Zive. “I have a good reputation for that and not just a reputation for being Sasquatch.”

Zive is happy the people at work know he is Sasquatch and embrace the comical side of his sports rituals. In 1998, before coming to work at BU, Zive worked at a bank where no one knew about his alter ego.

“I walked in — it was after the first round of the Beanpot, Tuesday morning,” said Zive. “Someone said, ‘Have you seen the Herald this morning?’ I looked at the Herald and it had a full page of me. People couldn’t believe what they saw. That’s when the cat came out of the bag as far as work. That was really fun.”

Zive said people at work understand he is Sasquatch because he has fun doing it and suspects that many of his colleagues have their own extreme hobbies outside of the office.

“Everyone has their life away from work, and it’s probably very different from how they are at work,” Zive said.

Zive has followed BU hockey since he was a student at BU in the early 1990s. Zive first decided to unveil Sasquatch at a hockey game at Boston College during his junior year, when an annoying BC fan started dancing in front of Zive and his friends after BC took the lead.

“He came down purposely just to show us up,” Zive said. “Then BU tied the game, then they went up by one, then they went up by two, like four unanswered goals. At that point I just took my shirt off. It just kind of started on my excitement for the team. My friends thought it was funny.”

The next time Zive unleashed Sasquatch was at the Beanpot that year in the old Boston Garden. Despite losing to Harvard, BU still managed to pull off a late goal. Though a lot of fans had already left, Zive said the goal still excited him.

“It was important to me that we never quit,” said Zive. “From there I just started doing it at Walter Brown. I’m not really sure how.”

Zive said he doesn’t know how he got the nickname Sasquatch, another name for the legendary Big Foot, but doesn’t mind it.

“I’d rather be called that than nothing at all,” he said.

The BU pep band has provided the soundtrack for Zive’s dances since he first began performing. When he was a student, Zive said he was close friends with two of the drummers and would sit up in Section 7 with them almost every game. Even before obtaining the title Sasquatch, Zive would accompany the band during the second period of every game and pretend to play his inflatable guitar to the tune “Crazy Train”.

“I would just jump around with the guitar and get the crowd going,” said Zive. “Eventually that fizzled out. I think the guitar broke, but the band has always been a big part of it.”

The fans responded to Zive’s antics immediately.

“I think they loved the enthusiasm,” he said. “I think the kids loved the craziness of it and it was just a matter of doing it at the right moment to get the most crowd effect.”

Sasquatch said his admirers come in all ages. Seconds after Sasquatch did his dance at this year’s second BU Beanpot game against Northeastern University, a group of four young boys exposed their stomachs, via the jumbotron above the ice, to the FleetCenter crowd.

“Young admirers are fine, because they’re cute,” Zive said. “But no one will take this over. I don’t want them to take this over. Even if someone does, I don’t think they’ll be accepted.”

While Zive said most fans love him, a few have not been receptive to his performances. BC fans dislike him the most, he said.

“I try and avoid controversy,” he said. “Three or four years ago, BU and BC fans were literally fighting. That’s not what fan support is about.”

This year, at the second game of the Beanpot, Zive ran into unexpected resistance from a new security guard when he tried to excite the crowd.

“I came very close to being kicked out,” Zive said. “Apparently there was a security guard, who hadn’t worked the past seven Beanpots, who did not know who I was.”

After he incited BU fans during a 3-3 tie, the security guard came up to him and questioned his behavior.

“He was very serious,” Zive said. “He kept asking me, ‘Was that worth getting thrown out for?’ and I kept on saying ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. You don’t know who I am?’ It was a little bit of an ego check that [showed me] everyone doesn’t know who I am.”

The guard eventually decided to allow Zive to stay at the game.

“He [made] me sweat a little, but he did let me stay,” Zive said. “Then we scored that late goal … and he said ‘I’m just glad we’re not going into overtime.'” Zive smiled and said, “I’m the difference.”

Members of the BU hockey team say they see this difference as well.

“There’s a whole new momentum on the rink [once Sasquatch comes out],” said sophomore forward Steve Greeley. “You notice the fans going crazy.”

Greeley said the team always notices Sasquatch fans. When the team watched videos of the game after the Beanpot, Greeley said they noticed all of the fans watching Sasquatch right before the go-ahead goal was scored.

“It was almost like a home game,” Greeley said.

Zive said he’s always been a fan of the underdogs on the BU hockey team.

“Usually my favorite players don’t do so hot,” Zive said.

The last four years Zive said his favorite player was Colin Sheen.

“This year no one player really stands out,” Zive said. “I like [Steve] Greeley because I think he’s a good player, hitting hard. I’m rooting for the underdog because he’s a fourth liner. His father’s really nice and his little sister loves Sasquatch, but I’m really high on the freshman class. It’s really exciting to see all of them breath new life into the rest of the team.”

In fact, Greeley said his 8-year-old sister Megan has a photo of her and Sasquatch hanging in her room.

“Sasquatch is her favorite time of the game … Since her first game my freshman year she has loved him,” Greeley said. “She’s asking my mother when he’s coming out all third period.”

With the team now ranked nationally, Zive said he is excited about the prospect of a postseason and already has his NCAA tournament tickets for the games in Worcester.

“I’m very pleased with the result,” Zive said. “BU fans are spoiled. We are spoiled with some great hockey. It’ll be wonderful. They’ve gone above and beyond what my expectations are.”