The Denver fans did their part getting to St. Paul and gobbling up DU’s entire ticket allotment and spilling across the Xcel Energy Center. However, it was the effort by DU staff that ensured the event went off without a glitch.
The DU Athletic Department, spearheaded by AD Josh Berlo, went all-out and created a best-in-class experience for Denver fans in St. Paul. Remember, this is a three-day event with barely a week-and-a-half of lead time to manage the logistics for players, staff, family, and fans.
DU billboards were scattered around the Twin Cities touting the University of Denver in the ‘State of Hockey’. A great move by DU to brand DU in a state that is and has been a major feeder to the University of Denver undergraduate student population. The billboards also signaled that Denver Hockey was on a serious business trip to St. Paul.
If you wanted branded DU hockey apparel, DU had a pop-up store at the Holiday Inn across the street from the Xcel Energy Center. The selection and quality of the DU hockey-branded clothing and jerseys rivaled most options available on the DU campus bookstore.
The Edina High School (Hornet) band was brought in from the suburb of the Twin Cities. Dressed in crimson and gold, they did more than hold their own against elite bands from other universities. They mastered Denver’s ‘Fairest of Colleges’ fight song with all the energy and skill of more veteran musicians. Pioneer fans even pleaded and joked, “Let’s give all those kids scholarships!” But the move to bring in the band signaled that Berlo and his team are listening and working behind the scenes for a more permanent pep band solution. In the interim, Denver and their stand-in band did more than hold their own generating live music and excitement.
Edina pep band steps up to play for University of Denver in Frozen Four https://t.co/lcp06kps24
— KARE 11 (@kare11) April 12, 2024
Denver cheerleaders were flown to the Twin Cities and performed at both games to boost school spirit, positioned alongside the band. The cheerleaders attended official events and added to the DU spirit. They also serenaded an unofficial alumni pregame luncheon before Thursday’s game with the encouragement of the athletic department. The alumni took photos with the cheerleaders and cheered loudly during their impromptu visit.
The two pregame DU-sponsored parties were a short walk to the ‘X’ and featured excellent food along with drink tickets. Denver planned ahead and had a large assortment of DU hockey apparel, swag, and hats available for sale that eager fans purchased to wear before, during, and after the game.
DU staff were present to field questions and ensured a smooth operation. On Thursday, Denver’s fan section had complimentary gold DU towels on every chair back. On Saturday night, every chair back had a crimson DU towel. None of the other three blue blood programs participating had that special touch.
Just minutes after the final horn sounded last night, a mass thank you note was issued to Denver stakeholders. The message thanked fans and revealed a Monday celebration at Magness Arena at 6:30 pm MT. Again, perfectly planned and organized. DU also has the printing press rolling – the first 1,500 fans on Monday will receive a commemorative championship poster.
Sure, one could argue that DU has done this before. However, this felt different. The University of Denver, often under-resourced compared to its bigger competitors, felt, looked, and acted bigger. The crimson and gold wave both on and off the ice, dominated the Frozen Four like we’ve never seen before…2017 in Chicago included.
My how things have changed since 92-year-old Dan Ritchie, Chancellor Emeritus, rejuvenated a reeling university. The legendary Pioneers figure joined the team celebration on the ice after the Frozen Four finale. Little could he have imagined what he started and is witnessing before his very eyes. Not just a rebirth but the evolution of an institution in real-time.
We could go on and on about the Frozen Four, an uptick in DU fan engagement and the pride we all had being part of a loud and proud Denver contingent. We chanted, yelled, and pleaded for a DU victory 900 miles removed from the Mile High City – but it felt like home.
It would not have happened without the hard work behind the scenes. A big, sincere thank you is owed to DU Athletics.
Now, let’s do it again in St. Louis next year.
That band did a terrific job!!
Fantastic!
DU had a very fan good turnout in St. Paul – I’m guessing around 750-1,000 DU fans in total, with the NCAA final drawing in the higher side of the estimate due to Friday/Saturday last minute attendees flying in for the final, once they knew DU made it to Saturday. There were significantly more DU fans than BU fans for the Thursday semifinal game, which I attribute mostly to the shorter flight to St. Paul for Denver fans. That said, BU’s enrollment is 32,000 and DU’s is 13,000, so I still expected more BU fans than they generated. BC’s crowd was about the same size as DU’s crowd (BC is about 20,000 enrolment) but farther away. Michigan (a Big 10 school state flagship with 50,000 students) was the closest team to St. Paul, had the largest fan numbers (maybe 2,500), but you would expect that from one of the largest brand names in college sports.
Indeed, a very impressive job by DU Athletics, the cheer team, staffers and of course, the Edina (Minn.) Hornets pep band, who played their hearts out on both nights. Josh Berlo knows what he is doing, and he’s really starting to turn the corner on school spirit and fan engagement.I loved the Billboards, too. It’s great to see DU thinking bigger and supporting their teams.
While the DU pre-game parties were great, one future suggestion I’d like to see is DU do a better job on is the post-game party. Historically, DU has encouraged fans to go to the team’s hotel to greet the team’s post-game arrival. This year though, they encouraged DU fans to go to the designated ‘DU” pub (Patrick McGovern’s) near the Xcel Center, where there was a DU party room ‘designated’ upstairs, albeit with some of it occupied by fans of other teams. Many DU fans went there after the game, thinking the DU team would appear there, given DU’s earlier fan instructions. But the DU team never came to the pub, and many DU fans who would have enjoyed cheering the team personally never got the chance to see them.
Hey, how about trying it without 20 canadian juniors on you roster?
Hi salty Gophers fan. Have a good off season.
First, the Pioneers had 10 Canadians on this year’s roster, not 20.
Second, if by making this statement, you are implying that somehow, fully-American rosters are better for the game and for developing American players, I think you are wrong.
Hockey is becoming more and more international each day, and elite player development is best achieved when Americans play against the best players from around the world. Iron sharpens iron. If Americans play only against Americans, development stagnates. Xenophobia and protectionism just doesn’t work in hockey. I cheer every Pioneer, regardless of wherever they grew up…Denver would have never become the best program in the sport without Canadian players, as there were no local high school hockey, junior programs or natural ice in Denver when the program began.
Not sure what this guy is smokin??? Sour grapes?
Easily the most fun Frozen Four since the incomparable Boston ’04 edition. Something about being the underdog & kicking the snot out of higher ranked teams is so much fun.
If Boston ’04 signaled DU’s return to promised land, St Paul ’24 is about owning the penthouse.
Five championships in the past 20 years has been one hellva run. Lets run it back again in St. Louis ’25.
.
Murray Armstrong had a dynasty with all Canadian players.Our MN coach John Mariucci wouldn’t play them.The players were at least 20 @ played Major Junior A.
So true! My dad, an all-but- original DU hockey season ticket holder, would love to tell the stories of the verbal battles between DU and Minnesota over USA players (the Minnesota roster )versus Canadian(the DUroster). he would tell of the day the Minnesota team got off the airplane at Stapleton waving American flags.😂😂
Swami,
You’re reading into this article a bit much
Swami. You have a better understanding of DU Hockey play than anyone on this site. I am surprised by your stance. Calling someone who would prefer to see more Americans on the hockey team xenophobic is a bit of a stretch. I thought the DU goal is to develop the student athlete not just athletic success. The DU men’s team is comprised of international players from the countries of Serbia, Spain, Japan, Germany, Scotland, England, and Hungary along with Anish Shriniketh – the only American player from Katy, Texas. Does that make the Tennis team anti-American? I would like to see more balance. That doesn’t make me xenophobic, nor you a globalist.
In order to be competitive and win championships you need the best players – period. I don’t think DU has an obligation to develop American players unless they can be elite. I heard Swami say that having international players helps lift American athletes. And, DU has had a number of home grown hockey stars. I did not hear him say anything negative about developing American players – quite the opposite. But, I am sure he can defend himself.
5BWest read my my response as I intended, and I can certainly defend myself. Therefore, I want to be more clear than it might have sounded previously.
I love American hockey players. At one time in my life, I had a front row seat to watch how elite American player development works and I was fortunate to learn hockey from some of the best minds in the sport.
Elite hockey coaches and GMs believe that elite American players will develop faster and better by playing against the best possible elite competition from around the world. College hockey gets more and more global each day, and if the NCAA would suddenly require that all of college rosters should be limited to Americans only (protectionism), the NCAA would lose most of their top talent to other forms of hockey overnight to major junior, AHL or Europe, because those elite players want to play against the best competition they can get.
As for the tennis players, it looks to me that there aren’t enough American players available to stock the rosters of the top 50 NCAA programs and still stay competitive, as the top American kids are already pros at that age.
That likely explains why teams in the bottom of the elite pool (like DU which is 18-0 at spot #43) will have majority foreign rosters.