The DU players ‘got it’ this weekend – their 10th national championship. The DU Athletic Department and administration ‘get it’, too. Whether DU won or lost last night’s championship, this story was written and ready to post well before Denver Hockey took their final bows at the championship finale.
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.
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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.