University of Michigan
A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, Wilkie played two seasons of junior hockey with the Regina Pats from 1957-1959. In 1960, Coach Al Renfrew recruited Wilkie and other players from Regina to play for him at the University of Michigan. Wilkie later recalled, "My dad ran a meat market in Regina. He simply couldn't afford to send me here. Michigan hockey was my chance at an education. I spent a lot of Saturday nights in the library." He added, "I owe Red (Berenson) and Coach (Al) Renfrew for the opportunity to be part of this great tradition.
Freshman were not eligible to play varsity hockey at the time, and Wilkie began his collegiate hockey career as a sophomore in the 1961-1962 season. He received the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Year Award. As a junior in the 1962-63 season, Wilkie scored 34 points on 24 goals and 10 assists. At the end of the season, in March 1963, Wilkie was elected by his teammates to be the captain of the 1963-64 team.
Wilkie had his greatest success as a senior in the 1963-1964 season, as he led the Michigan Wolverines to their seventh NCAA hockey championship, and their first in ten years. Wilkie was also named a first-team All-American at center. The 1964 team had a record of 24-4-1 and defeated the University of Denver 6-3 in their home arena to win the NCAA title. Wilkie later recalled, "Winning the NCAA, with 7,000 fans packing their home ice -- man, that was the greatest."
Wilkie credited the success of the 1964 team to chemistry: "We had 20 guys who fit together as a team. Any night any line could take it, not just a few guys. And we had six good defensemen. We got along as well on the ice as off it, and that's big in college hockey. The Regina guys used to joke with the Toronto guys who produced the best players, but we had good harmony, even with the American kids." Wilkie and Gary Butler were Michigan's leading scorers, combining for a 135 points in just 29 games. In one memorable game in the 1963-1964 season, Michigan beat Ohio State 21-0, still a Michigan team record. The team scored all 21 goals in the first two periods, and Wilkie recalled Coach Renfrew telling the team after the second period, "Anyone who scores this period is benched."
Wilkie graduated from Michigan's business school with a 3.5 grade point average, and received an award for being the top student-athlete on campus.
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