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The first men’s hockey national championship was played between Michigan and Dartmouth in 1948. Since then, 24 programs have ended their season with the title. But, some of those programs have been more dominant than others.
These are the men’s college hockey programs with at least five national championships under their belt.
Minnesota — 5
Championships: 1974, 1976, 1979, 2002, 2003
Minnesota has five national championships, but they all came in two decades. The 1970s were a prosperous time for the Gophers, resulting in three titles. Two of those titles came over Michigan Tech, which claims three titles, while the third was over North Dakota.
The back-to-back national championships in the 2000s were over Maine and New Hampshire. Since then, the Gophers have only reached the title game twice, losing in both 2014 and 2023.
Boston University — 5
Championships: 1971, 1972, 1978, 1995, 2009
Boston University also has five titles to its name. But, they haven’t reached the mountaintop in nearly 15-plus years. Their 1978 victory could be considered their most iconic championship win, as they topped in-state rival Boston College 5-3.
Boston College — 5
Championships: 1949, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2012
Boston College is the third program to notch five national championships. The Eagles had to wait over 50 years to jump from their first title to their second, but have been more consistent since then. Their most recent national championship was won 4-1 over Ferris State in 2012.
MORE: The most likely national championship contenders this season
Wisconsin — 6
Championships: 1973, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1990, 2006
The Badgers are the only team to have six national championships, the most recent one being a win over Boston College in 2006. Wisconsin has won some high-scoring championships — from the first to the most recent one, here are the final scores: 4-2, 6-5, 6-3, 6-2, 7-3, 2-1.
The Badgers have struggled to secure their seventh title, not making the national championship game once since 2006.
North Dakota — 8
Championships: 1959, 1963, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1997, 2000, 2016
North Dakota is one of two teams with eight national championships. The Fighting Hawks have won a national championship in all but two decades since its birth — three counting the 2020s. Their most recent title came in 2016 with a 5-1 victory over Quinnipiac. Their highest-scoring national championship game came from the 1963 team coached by Barry Thornydycraft — the Hawks topped Denver 6-5 in Boston.
Michigan — 9
Championships: 1948, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1965, 1964, 1996, 1998
The Michigan Wolverines won the very first college hockey national championship, then eight more to follow in the next 50 years. They have more national championships than any other program in the country. Most recently, the Wolverines played in the 2011 title game, but lost to Minnesota Duluth. Could 2019 be the year Michigan gets back on the map?
Denver — 10
Championships: 1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 2004, 2005, 2017, 2022, 2024
Denver was the first program to reach double-digit national championships in 2024, defeating Boston College, 2-0. They have more national championships than any other program in the country.
One of the highest-scoring games in championship history came in the Pioneers’ 1961 12-2 victory over St. Lawrence. Denver had the luxury of playing in their own city for that title game, giving them a huge edge to ramp the score up that high. Their longest drought was between 1969 and 2004.
MORE: These college hockey programs have produced the most members of the US Men’s Olympic Team
Men’s college hockey national champions from 1948 to today.
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