University University of Denver Location Denver, Colorado Arena/Stadium Magness Arena | Captain Will Butcher Colors Crimson and Gold League Division I (NCAA) | |
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Head coach Jim Montgomery
4th year, 74–42–14 (.623) Alternate captain(s) Matt VanVoorhis
Matt Marcinew
Evan Janssen Conference National Collegiate Hockey Conference | ||
Denver pioneers hockey highlights 04 05 part 2
The Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the University of Denver. The Pioneers are a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). They play at Magness Arena in Denver, Colorado. The Pioneers rank third in all-time NCAA National Hockey Championships with seven (1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 2004, 2005) after Michigan and North Dakota with nine and eight championships, respectively. Since the creation of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 1959, the Pioneers have won 9 WCHA Regular Season Championships (now the recipients of the MacNaughton Cup) and 14 WCHA Playoff Championships (now the recipients of the Broadmoor Trophy). About 75 Pioneers have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including Keith Magnuson, Kevin Dineen, Matt Carle (2006 Hobey Baker Award winner) and Paul Stastny.
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Denver/Colorado College rivalry
Of all the rivals that the Denver Pioneer's hockey program play against the most intense rivalry is that from Colorado College. Since Denver's hockey program started in 1949 the two schools have always met during the hockey season. In the 1993-94 season a gold pan trophy was added as a reward for the winning team thus the rivalry has been dubbed the Battle for the Gold Pan.
Current head coach
Jim Montgomery
Coaching records
"*Ranks 18th All-Time in NCAA Division I Wins"
Retired NHL players
(Note: This is partial list - 75 DU players have played in the NHL)
Active players
University of Denver Arena (1948–97)
University of Denver Arena (DU Arena) was a 5,237-seat multi-purpose arena in Denver. In addition to serving as the Pioneers' home rink, it hosted several Frozen Fours. It was razed in 1997 to make room for the $75 million Magness Arena, (part of the Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness) which opened in 1999.
Originally a Naval Drill Hall built during World War II in Farragut, Idaho, the DU Arena was donated to the University after the war and reassembled on the Denver campus in 1948–49 to house the University's then-new ice hockey program. The arena was refurbished in 1972–73 when the roof needed repairs, and 14 seven-ton steel trusses were added to shore up the roof. Additional patchwork renovations were added in the 1990s, prior to razing in 1997.
The best known features of the arena were the steep bleacher balcony at the south end, and the 1970s rainbow painted on the north end wall. Famous hockey games held there include the NCAA ice hockey finals in 1961, 1964 and 1976.
Magness Arena (1999–present)
Magness Arena is a 7,200-seat multi-purpose collegiate sports arena in Denver, Colorado. It was built in 2000 as part of the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports & Wellness, a $75 million, 400,000-square-foot (37,000 m2) sports complex at the University of Denver. It is home to the University of Denver Pioneers ice hockey and basketball teams. The Ritchie Center replaced the former DU Arena and DU Fieldhouse, which were razed in 1997 to make way for the Ritchie Center. The basketball team also plays smaller games at Hamilton Gymnasium, located in the Ritchie Center.
The arena is named after cable television pioneer Bob Magness, who donated $10 million towards construction costs.