NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship

From ArticleWorld

Since 1948, the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship has brought together some of the best amateur players in the game, and today it is attracting a growing fan following, media attention and sponsorship money. In fact, it trails only the men’s basketball Final Four for the amount of money it generates for the NCAA. Some 58 colleges from across the country will be eligible for the tournament, which ends in early April. Sixteen teams – including champions of six conferences – will face off in regional play, with winners advancing to the finals played in 2006 in Milwaukee, Wisc. It is expected the tournament will bring $6.5 million in fan spending to the city.

Early Days

In 1948, the University of Michigan defeated Dartmouth College 8-4 in the first ever NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship played at the Broadmoor Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo. For nine more years, the championships were played at Broadmoor Arena (part of the palatial Broadmoor Hotel resort) with the Wolverines of the University of Michigan winning five more times. In fact, the Wolverines are among the winningest teams in tournament history with seven championships. Other multiple winners include: #University of Denver (7) #University of North Dakota (7) #University of Minnesota (4) #University of Wisconsin (4) #Boston University (4) #Lake Superior State College (3) #and Michigan Technological University (3).

Frozen Four Today

Since 1999, the Men’s Ice Hockey Championship semifinals and finals have been called the Frozen Four™, a chilly take-off of basketball’s famous Final Four. Over the years, the tournament has produced some of the finest hockey in the land. Twelve times the national championship has been decided in overtime. One of the most memorable of all men’s hockey champions took three extra periods to decide when Northern Michigan defeated Boston College 8-7 to settle the 1991 championship. In 2006, the Frozen Four™ will be played in Milwaukee’s Bradley Center, which is expected to sell out all 17,800 seats for each game … a far cry from the 3,000 seat capacity of the Broadmoor. The games will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN II. In 2007 the finals move to St. Louis #Denver in 2008 #Washington, D.C. in 2009 #and Detroit in 2010. In 2012, Tampa, Fla. will be the first southern venue to host the Frozen Four™.

Best Player

Aside from determining the best men’s college hockey team in the country, the NCAA championships also is the time the sport recognizes the top individual talents on the ice. The Hobey Baker Award is given each Friday of the tournament after the semi-final games Thursday and the finals on Saturday. Named for a captain of Princeton’s hockey and football teams and a heroic World War I pilot who died at the age of 26, the award is the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. It has been given for the past 25 years. Recent Hobey Baker Award winners include #2005 Marty Sertich, Colorado College #2004 Junior Lessard, Minnesota Duluth #2003 Peter Seyna, Colorado College, 2002 Jordon Leopold, University of Minnesota #2001 Ryan Miller, Michigan State University #and 2000 Mike Mottau, Boston College.