Since Blazing Into a New Era with the Opening of the Colorado Springs
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Since blazing into a new era with the opening of the Colorado Springs World Arena in January 1998, Tiger Hockey has continued to solidify its position among the nation’s most elite Division I programs. With six league titles, 16 home-ice playoff berths and a dozen NCAA tournament bids tucked away since 1994, Colorado College keeps adding chapter after chapter to its fabled history. CC’s recent string of success, which includes last season’s appearance in the national quarterfinals preceded by trips to the “Frozen Four” in 1996, 1997 and 2005, speaks volumes for the modern-day version of a program that has spanned eight decades. Sure, when Scott Owens took over as head coach in 1999, he inherited a perennial powerhouse. But where does the tale really begin? How has little Colorado College, a private liberal arts and sciences college with an enrollment of less than 2,000 students, maintained such elite status in a sport filled with Division I giants? TWO CONCEPTS COME TO MIND: Tradition. From its pre-World War II roots, to its hosting of the first 10 NCAA Tournaments and co-founding of the WCHA, the school has influenced college hockey's growth from infancy. Commitment. Proving that academic and athletic excellence can co-exist in a small campus environment, CC has relied on vision, hard work and creativity to revive a program that many others nationwide now envy. THE EARLY YEARS Colorado College Hockey got its start in January of 1938, when the Broadmoor Hotel converted its seldom-used indoor riding academy into an ice rink. The Broadmoor World Arena, originally called the Broadmoor Ice Palace, served as CC's home for 55 seasons before being demolished at the conclusion of the 1993-94 campaign. In 2011-12 the Tigers enter their 72nd season of competition with an all-time record of 1,089-1,081-102 in 2,272 games played against outside competition. Back in 1938, thanks to sponsorship from local business firms, eight inexperienced teams including one from CC were able to organize the Pikes Peak Hockey League. Tiger Hockey officially made its debut on January 21 of that year in an 8-1 loss to a team sponsored by Giddings Department Store. Colorado College finished the campaign with three victories and nine defeats under playing coach and team captain John Atwood of Watertown, Conn. The program made significant strides forward the following season under new coach Garrett Livingston, whose leadership the next four years helped vault CC to national prominence. While several New England students with backgrounds in high school hockey joined the team, the strongest addition was Ernie Young of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. When Young returned in the fall of 1939 for his second year at the school, he brought four more Canadian players with him – Jack Chamney, John "Chick" Ross, Wilmer "Spike" Wilson and Harold McClay – all from his home province. Bob Scarlett of Quebec, an experienced goaltender, also enrolled at Colorado College that year. With Livingston at the helm, those players helped the Tigers sweep the University of Michigan, 4-2 and 4-3, in their first-ever intercollegiate series early during the 1939-40 season. Colorado College also played games against Colorado Mines, the Montana School of Mines and the University of Southern California, champion of the Pacific Coast League, that season. Enthusiasm reached a feverish pitch among CC hockey supporters for the next few years, with games at the World Arena selling out on a regular basis. By winter of 1942, the Tigers had earned a reputation as one of college hockey's "Big Four," along with USC, the University of Illinois and Dartmouth. THE EVOLUTION AS A POWERHOUSE Due to World War II, no games were played in 1942-43 or '43-44, but the sport was rejuvenated at Colorado College and nationwide in 1944-45. With the return of former players and the addition of seven more Canadians, the Tigers quickly were on the rise again. Cheddy Thompson, who came to Colorado Springs when he was assigned to 2nd Air Force Headquarters here, took over the coaching duties in the fall of 1945 and held the position for the next decade. In cooperation with the Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado College sponsored the first National Collegiate Athletic Association Hockey Championships at the end of the 1947-48 season. The tournament would be held at the Ice Palace for the next 10 years, with CC participating seven times - in 1948, '49, '50, '51, '52, '55 and '57. Thompson was at the helm when CC won its first NCAA championship in 1950 and finished as runner-up in 1952 and '55. He was named national Coach of the Year in 1952 by the United States Hockey Coaches Association. In 1951, Colorado College helped found the Mid-West Collegiate Hockey League, which changed its name to the Western Intercollegiate Hockey League in 1953. Other charter members were the University of Denver, Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota and North Dakota. The WIHL evolved to become the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in November of 1959, with the present-day WCHA consisting of five of its original seven teams plus the University of Wisconsin, Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State University, Alaska Anchorage, Bemidji State and Nebraska-Omaha. In 2002-03 the Tigers reclaimed possession of the fabled MacNaughton Trophy as WCHA regular-season champions, then reigned as co-champs in 2004-05 before claiming their ninth crown in 2007-08. It was their sixth title in 15 years, as they had won an unprecedented three consecutive in the mid-1990s (1993-94, ’95-96 and ’96-97). CC’s three previous league championships came in the 1950s (1951-52, ’54-55 and ’56-57). In 1956-57 Colorado College also wrapped up its second NCAA championship under coach Tom Bedecki. LAUNCH PAD TO SUCCESS Four Colorado College coaches - John Matchefts (1968-69), Jeff Sauer (1971-72 and '74-75), Brad Buetow (1991-92) and Don Lucia (1993-94 and '95-96) – have earned WCHA Coach of the Year honors. Matchefts (2007) and Sauer (2003) both have been named recipients of the prestigious John “Snooks” Kelley Founders Award for their contributions to the overall growth and development of ice hockey nationwide. Lucia (1993-94) and Tony Frasca (1962-63) each were named national Coach of the Year by the U.S. Hockey Coaches Association. Still another, Bob Johnson (1963-66), went on to the National Hockey League where he guided the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup championship in 1991. Johnson earlier had served as head coach of the 1976 United States Olympic Team and of the NHL's Calgary Flames, as well as a three-year stint as executive director of USA Hockey. Guy Gadowsky, who skated for the Tigers in the late 1980s, has gone on to serve as head coach at the University of Alaska and Princeton University, and recently was hired to run the new Division I program at Penn State starting in 2013-14. CC has launched dozens of players into the professional ranks during the last six decades. While 32 former Tigers had played in the NHL prior to the 2011-12 season, including 11 who appeared in at least one game during the 2010-11 campaign, more are destined to make their debuts at the sport’s highest level in the near future. Two Colorado College products – Bill “Red” Hay with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1961 and Doug Lidster with the New York Rangers in 1994 as well with the Dallas Stars in 1999 – have had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup. Tom Preissing, an All-America defenseman in 2002-03, reached the Cup finals with the Ottawa Senators in 2007. Gord Whitaker, a 1987 graduate, is among very few North Americans ever to compete in the Russian Elite League, while recent grads Addison DeBoer and Scott Thauwald have taken their talents to Australia. Many others, including Hobey Baker Award winners Peter Sejna and Marty Sertich, are competing in Europe. Tiger Hockey also is well represented in the Colorado College Athletics Hall of Fame. In fact, the entire 1949-50 national championship team was inducted in 1998. Hay, a former president of the Calgary Flames, earlier became a charter inductee in April of 1995. Doug Palazzari, who spent most of his professional career with Salt Lake City of the Central Hockey League and in 1997 was honored as the CHL’s all-time greatest player, became a member in 2000 after serving as executive director of USA Hockey. Dave Delich, CC’s career points leader, joined the HOF in 2002 while Gambucci, who skated for the 1950 NCAA champs but starred as a baseball and football player as well, was honored on an individual basis in 2004. Lidster followed suit in 2009. Delich, Hay and Palazarri, along with fellow Colorado College alumni Eddie Mio and Brian Swanson, also were recognized among the WCHA’s all-time top 50 players in conjunction with the league’s golden anniversary season in 2001-02. .