| Wisconsin Badgers Men's Ice Hockey | ||
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| Current season | ||
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| University | University of Wisconsin–Madison | |
| Conference | WCHA | |
| Head coach | Mike Eaves | |
| 9th year, 192–138–42 | ||
| Arena | Kohl Center Capacity: 15,237 |
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| Location | Madison, Wisconsin | |
| Colors | Cardinal and White
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| Fight song | On, Wisconsin! | |
| NCAA Tournament Champions | ||
| 1973, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1990, 2006 | ||
| NCAA Tournament Frozen Four | ||
| 1970, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1990, 1992, 2006, 2010 | ||
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | ||
| 1970, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 | ||
| Conference Tournament Champions | ||
| 1970, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1998 | ||
| Conference Regular Season Champions | ||
| 1977, 1990, 2000 | ||
| Current uniform | ||
The Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. The team plays at the Kohl Center and is coached by former Badger and NHL player Mike Eaves.[1] The Badgers ice hockey team competes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.[2]
The Badgers have won three WCHA regular season conference titles and eleven conference tournament titles.[3] They have also made 24 appearances in the NCAA men's ice hockey tournament, advancing to the Frozen Four 12 times.[4] The team's six national titles rank fourth best in college hockey history. Their most recent national championship came in 2006 when the Badgers defeated the Boston College Eagles 2-1 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[3][4]
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The modern era of Badger hockey began in 1963 with the decision of athletic director Ivan B. Williamson. The Badgers played home games at the Hartmeyer Ice Arena before moving to the Dane County Coliseum in 1967. The program began as an independent NCAA Division I team and scheduling 8 games against Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams, losing all 8 games. Late in the 1965–66 season, the Badgers finally broke through, beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 5–4 in overtime, their first win over a WCHA opponent. At the end of that season, Coach John Riley retired.
In 1966, Wisconsin hired "Badger" Bob Johnson. Under Johnson, Wisconsin was offered WCHA membership for the 1969–70 season. In that same season the Badgers received a bid to the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. The Badgers won their first national championship at the 1973 Frozen Four.[5] Badger Bob's 1977 team was one of the most successful to date, as the team swept through WCHA tournament and 1977 NCAA Tournament. Behind the efforts of four first team All-Americans, Mike Eaves, Mark Johnson (Bob's son), Craig Norwich and Julian Baretta, the 1977 team won the title with a 6–5 victory in overtime against Michigan.[6]
Despite losing one of their top players, Mark Johnson, to the 1980 American Olympic Team, the Badgers reached the NCAA title game three consecutive times in 1981, 1982, and 1983. Winning the program's third title in 1981 by defeating rival Minnesota in the championship game 6-3.[7] After again reaching the championship game in 1982, where the Badgers lost to North Dakota, the program was dealt a second blow with the departure of Johnson. He would later coach in the NHL and win the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He left Wisconsin after 15 seasons with 3 NCAA championships, a record of 367–175–23, and having built the program into an NCAA powerhouse.
Former Badger assistant coach Jeff Sauer was hired in 1982 to replace "Badger" Bob Johnson as head coach. Sauer won the 1983 NCAA championship in his first season. Wisconsin defeated Harvard 6–2 to earn the program's fourth NCAA title.[8] Under Sauer's leadership, the Badgers qualified for eight consecutive NCAA tournaments from 1988 to 1995, and won the program's 5th NCAA title in 1990, with a 7–3 victory over Colgate. Also, Sauer presided over the team's move from the aging Coliseum to the new, on-campus Kohl Center in 1998. The Badger men have led the nation in college hockey attendance every year since moving to the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin again reached the 1992 NCAA Championship game against Lake Superior State, losing 5–3. The game, which featured some questionable calls by the referee that continually put the Badgers at a two-man disadvantage, irked several players so much that they lashed out beyond Sauer's control, verbally abusing the referees and earning Sauer a one-game NCAA suspension. That game was later vacated by the NCAA for rules violations unrelated to the incidents in the championship game.[9] In the mid-1990s, Badger hockey earned NCAA bids in 1998 and 2000, but generally underachieved compared to the high standards of the 1970s and 1980s. The 1999–2000 team featured a duo of second overall NHL draft pick Dany Heatley and Steven Reinprecht, won the MacNaughton Cup, and earned a #1 position in the polls for most of the season, only to be upset in overtime by Boston College in the NCAA regionals.[10] Two seasons later, during the 2001–02 season, coach Sauer announced his retirement. Jeff Sauer left Wisconsin with two NCAA titles and a record of 489–306–46 at Wisconsin, and a 655–532–57 overall record as a head coach.
Sauer's replacement was Mike Eaves, a former player who was a captain on the 1977 NCAA championship team and still holds the record as Wisconsin's all-time leading scorer.[11] In 2003–04, Eaves brought the Badgers just short of the Frozen Four, falling in overtime to Maine in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The Badgers returned to national prominence by winning the 2006 NCAA championship in Milwaukee with a 2–1 win over Boston College.[12] In 2010, the Badgers returned to the NCAA championship, vying for a seventh NCAA title but lost 5–0 to Boston College at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, in front of a record crowd for an indoor ice hockey game of 37,592.[13] In 2011, they missed the WCHA playoffs and NCAA tournament completely.
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | City | Arena |
| 1973 | Wisconsin | 4-2 | Denver | Boston, MA | Boston Garden |
| 1977 | Wisconsin | 6-5 OT | Michigan | Detroit, MI | Olympia Stadium |
| 1981 | Wisconsin | 6-3 | Minnesota | Duluth, MN | DECC |
| 1982 | North Dakota | 5-2 | Wisconsin | Providence, RI | Providence Civic Center |
| 1983 | Wisconsin | 6-2 | Harvard | Grand Forks, ND | Ralph Engelstad Arena |
| 1990 | Wisconsin | 7-3 | Colgate | Detroit, MI | Joe Louis Arena |
| 1992 | Lake Superior State | 5-3 | Wisconsin | Albany, NY | Knickerbocker Arena |
| 2006 | Wisconsin | 2-1 | Boston College | Milwaukee, WI | Bradley Center |
| 2010 | Boston College | 5-0 | Wisconsin | Detroit, MI | Ford Field |
As of October 9, 2011. [14]
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| # | St/Pr/Co | Player | Year | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
| 30 | Landon Peterson | Freshman | Oregon, Wisconsin | Alaska (NAHL) | None | |
| 33 | Joel Rumpel | Freshman | Swift Current, Saskatchewan | Penticton (BCHL) | None | |
| 35 | Mitch Thompson | Junior | Onalaska, Wisconsin | Bozeman (NPHL) | None | |
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| # | St/Pr/Co | Player | Year | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
| 3 | Patrick Daly | Freshman | Victoria, Minnesota | Benilde-St. Margaret's (USHS–MN) | NJD, 189th overall 2011 | |
| 4 | Eric Springer | Senior | Wrightstown, Wisconsin | Sioux Falls (USHL) | None | |
| 5 | Chase Drake | Sophomore | Mosinee, Wisconsin | Sioux City (USHL) | None | |
| 6 | Justin Schultz (A) | Junior | West Kelowna, British Columbia | Westside (BCHL) | ANA, 43rd overall 2008 | |
| 19 | Jake McCabe | Freshman | Eau Claire, Wisconsin | US NTDP (USHL) | None | |
| 24 | Joe Faust | Sophomore | Bloomington, Minnesota | Bloomington Jefferson (USHS–MN) | NJD, 114th overall 2010 | |
| 27 | Frankie Simonelli | Sophomore | Bensenville, Illinois | US NTDP (USHL) | None | |
| 55 | John Ramage (C) | Junior | Chesterfield, Missouri | US NTDP (USHL) | CGY, 103rd overall 2010 | |
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| # | St/Pr/Co | Player | Year | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
| 7 | Tyler Barnes | Sophomore | Eagan, Minnesota | Waterloo (USHL) | None | |
| 8 | Matt Paape | Freshman | Appleton, Wisconsin | Sioux City (USHL) | None | |
| 9 | Mark Zengerle | Sophomore | Rochester, New York | Salmon Arm (BCHL) | None | |
| 12 | Keegan Meuer | Sophomore (RS) | Madison, Wisconsin | Waterloo (USHL) | None | |
| 13 | Gavin Hartzog | Sophomore | Pewaukee, Wisconsin | Bismarck (NAHL) | None | |
| 14 | Jefferson Dahl | Sophomore | Eau Claire, Wisconsin | Youngstown (USHL) | None | |
| 16 | Joseph LaBate | Freshman | Eagan, Minnesota | Holy Angels (USHS–MN) | VAN, 101st overall 2011 | |
| 17 | Jason Clark | Sophomore | Eden Prairie, Minnesota | Shattuck-St. Mary's (Midget AAA) | NYI, 82nd overall 2010 | |
| 18 | Sean Little | Sophomore | Fond du Lac, Wisconsin | Green Bay (USHL) | None | |
| 20 | Ryan Little (A) | Senior | Fond du Lac, Wisconsin | Green Bay (USHL) | None | |
| 21 | Brendan Woods | Freshman | Fairfax, Virginia | Muskegon (USHL) | None | |
| 22 | Tyler Lapic | Freshman | New Prague, Minnesota | Chicago (USHL) | None | |
| 23 | Derek Lee | Junior | North Vancouver, British Columbia | Victoria (BCHL) | None | |
| 25 | Michael Mersch | Sophomore | Park Ridge, Illinois | US NTDP (USHL) | LAK, 110th overall 2011 | |
| 26 | Brad Navin | Junior | Waupaca, Wisconsin | Waupaca (USHS–WI) | BUF, 197th overall 2011 | |
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