How Denver became a college hockey powerhouse: 'That's the expectation'
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Boston Buckberger needs to add to his tattoo.
On the left side of his torso, the Denver defenceman has “NATIONAL CHAMPIONS” and “2024” in black ink. He intentionally had the tattoo designed with space for another year to be added below, and, after Denver’s 2-1 win against Wisconsin on Saturday here in Las Vegas, he’ll be getting “2026” inked on as well.
“You kind of have to leave space for the next one. That’s the expectation at Denver,” Buckberger said.
And that, right there, is the embodiment of the Denver standard and how the school has dominated college hockey over the past five years.
Led by David Carle, who at just 36-years-old, already has a Hall of Fame-level coaching resume. The Pioneers have won three of the past five titles and been to four of the past five Frozen Fours.
Denver isn’t just a hockey program anymore. It’s an inevitability, and while we’ve heard about the eventual upheaval and reckoning that’s coming from larger schools, with larger budgets and alumni bases, the reality in college hockey is that Denver and its conference, the NCHC, actually rule the sport when it comes to wins and losses.
Remember when the Big Ten split away, launched its own hockey conference before the start of the 2013-14 season? Creating a hockey league that has claimed, over and over, that it’s the best and most difficult conference in college hockey?
Well, that league is still looking for its first national champion since, the NCHC has won eight of the past 10 titles, including four by Denver in that span.
The Big Ten will have the bigger names remembered in the NHL from this season, like Gavin McKenna and Porter Martone for example, but the NCHC and Denver will be getting fitted for championship rings.
Pragmatic as usual, Carle laid out his case for what Denver really represents after Saturday’s victory.
“I know a lot's being made of, like haves and have-nots coming into college athletics and college hockey. But I mean, to me, we're the thing that everybody wants,” Carle said. “You want a smaller school who doesn't have this behemoth budget and fan base and alumni base to still be able to be successful? I think we are the proof of concept. It's still possible. And yes, do we have advantages over other places? I'm not sitting up here crying poor that we don't have things, but we are a small institution. We are very committed, though, to our hockey program and making a great experience for our student athletes, our fans and our alumni. And so you don't have to be big in hockey to be good. You have to invest, and you have to care and have the right people to do great things, and so, you know, I think it's in a sports landscape and college athletics. I think a place like Denver should really be celebrated.”
It also means embracing evolution the right way.
In year one of the CHL-NCAA wild west, the Pioneers didn’t spend a ton on NIL money on the biggest draft-eligible players. But they did bring in a slew of responsible and effective players from the CHL, primarily the WHL, which proved to be the difference in the Frozen Four against a pair of Big 10 programs in Michigan and Wisconsin.
“You come to Denver because you know it’s a school and a coach that will elevate you and you will win,” said Kyle Chyzowski, a WHL product who scored the game-winning goal. “I think as a hockey player, you think about what matters most, and if winning matters most to you, how don’t you end up at Denver?”
And that's why, if you're at Denver, you make room for additional championships in your tattoos.