Denver Pioneers
An Ice Hockey Wiki article.
| Denver Pioneers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Institution | University of Denver |
| Location | Denver, CO |
| School Founded | 1864 |
| Enrollment | 9,800 |
| Colors | Crimson and Gold |
| Chancellor | Robert Coombe |
| Athletic Director | Peg Bradley-Doppes |
| Rink | Magness Arena |
| Capacity | 6,026 |
| Dimensions | 200'x85' |
| Men's Coach | George Gwozdecky (Wisconsin '78) |
| NCAA Championships | 1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 2004, 2005 |
| WCHA Championships | MacNaughton Cup (Men's Regular Season): 1959-60, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1967-68, 1971-72, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1985-86, 2001-02, 2004-05
Broadmoor Trophy (Men's WCHA Tournament): 1963, 1964, 1986, 1999, 2002, 2005 |
| Major Rivals | Colorado College |
The Denver Pioneers are a Men's Division I team in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
The University of Denver began playing ice hockey in 1949 in a surplus WWII naval drill hall that had been re-purposed into the 5,200 seat DU Arena, where the Pioneers would play up until 1997.
The Pioneers went 4-13 that first season, but soon became a competitve program, and in 1956, the hiring of legendary coach Murray Armstrong would make the Pioneers the dominant program in NCAA hockey during the 1960s.
Armstrong's teams won 5 NCAA titles (58, 60, 61, 68 and 69) with a steady pipeline of talented players, mostly from Western Canada. The greatest of these teams was the 1960-61 DU team that went 30-1-1, and won the NCAA Championship Game 12-2, the largest margin of victory in history. Other highlights of the 60s included a victory and a tie against the 1960 U.S. and Soviet Olympic teams, respectively, as well as the 1968-69 Denver NCAA Championship team, led by future NHLers Keith Magnuson, Cliff Korroll and Craig Patrick, which defeated Ken Dryden's Cornell team in the title game, 4-3.
The Pioneers fielded many strong teams in the 1970s, and a several in the 1980s and 90s, but were unable to claim another NCAA crown until 2004, when the Pioneers defeated Maine 1-0 in a memorable title run under coach George Gwozdecky. The Pioneers proved the title was no fluke when they repeated as Champions in 2005 with a 4-1 win over North Dakota.
Today, the Pioneers play to sellout crowds of 6,000+ in Magness Arena, part of a $75 million sports complex that was completed in 2000.
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| Western Collegiate Hockey Association |
|
Men: Alaska-Anchorage |
Colorado College |
Denver |
Michigan Tech |
Minnesota |
Minnesota-Duluth |
Minnesota State |
North Dakota |
St. Cloud State |
Wisconsin
|
