Earlier this month, in response to the fear of losing upcoming lawsuits due to the ever-increasing professionalization of Division I college sports, the NCAA Division I Council recently ruled (in a seismic decision) that the vast majority of some 800 Canadian Major Junior hockey players (aged 16-20) will now become eligible join NCAA Ice Hockey Division I programs starting in 2025-26. Major Junior players had been mostly banned from NCAA hockey since 1980, as the NCAA had considered Major Junior hockey to be professional hockey. Continue reading Major Junior Players Joining NCAA Hockey Bodes Well for DU
Tag Archives: NCAA
Puck Swami: “TENver” Becomes The Best Program in College Hockey History
It’s just been a few days since I stood proudly among the Denver Pioneer faithful at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., and watched the giant scoreboard clock tick down to zero, leading me to one of the very best moments of my life, as well the lives of so many other fellow Pioneer fans — especially you hard-core LetsGoDU blog readers! Continue reading Puck Swami: “TENver” Becomes The Best Program in College Hockey History
No! New University Logo to Replace Arched Denver
Would the LA Dodgers baseball team ever willingly jettison their famous lettering on their uniform chest?
Two words: Hell. No. Continue reading No! New University Logo to Replace Arched Denver
Breaking: UMD’s Josh Berlo Tabbed as DU’s Next Athletic Director
The University of Denver has reached out to a familiar hockey face to lead the Pioneer Athletic Department and named Josh Berlo as its new Vice-Chancellor for Athletics and Ritchie Center Operations. The announcement will be made this morning at 10:45 at Ritchie Center on the DU campus. Berlo has been the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Athletic Director since 2013 and had just signed a three-year contract extension at UMD just a couple of weeks ago. The Pioneers, however, were able to pry him away from Duluth. Continue reading Breaking: UMD’s Josh Berlo Tabbed as DU’s Next Athletic Director
Legendary DU Goaltender George Kirkwood Passes Away at 84
There have been a lot of great goalies at the University of Denver over the years, and one of the best of them, George Kirkwood, passed away last month at age 84 in his native Edmonton, Alberta.
Kirkwood’s passing is surely sad news for his surviving family, former teammates, friends, and associates. And the Pioneer Nation — even those younger Pio fans who never had the chance to know him personally or watch him play — will remember his name and exploits for as long as hockey players skate for the University of Denver. Continue reading Legendary DU Goaltender George Kirkwood Passes Away at 84
Puck Swami: Non-conference Opponents That DU Hockey Should Schedule
College hockey scheduling isn’t easy. There are now 63 teams playing Division I college hockey, and DU as a 72-year-old program has played most of them over the years. Non-conference scheduling is a particular kind of art form, requiring just enough potential home wins to keep the fans (and bean-counters) happy, but not too many cupcakes either, or it can hurt your national Pairwise ranking, especially if there is an upset. Continue reading Puck Swami: Non-conference Opponents That DU Hockey Should Schedule
A Five Point Fan Wish List for DU’s Next Athletic Director
As DU winds down the current athletic year and Denver Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation Karlton Creech prepares to depart for the next chapter in his career, we die-hard fans at LetsGoDU have our wish list for the next athletic director, whomever it may be.
Here are our wishes, in rough order of priority: Continue reading A Five Point Fan Wish List for DU’s Next Athletic Director
Puck Swami: Five Musings From a DU Fan in Boston
As one of the “elders” in the extensive and inspiring LetsGoDU stable of writers, I thought I’d jot down some of my own musings after cheering on DU’s epic NCAA hockey championship weekend in Boston.
So much has already been written about how talented and clutch this Denver team was (and they were indeed that), but I think it’s important to state a few other things that don’t appear in the media as often as they should… Continue reading Puck Swami: Five Musings From a DU Fan in Boston
Part 2: Eight Pioneers Headed to 2022 Beijing Olympic Games
At least eight athletes who wear (or who have worn) the Crimson and Gold of the University of Denver Pioneers have been named to participate in the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games by their respective Olympic Teams, slated to begin in China in February. Part II of this two-part series, below, profiles four more DU alumni skiers headed to Beijing — three who have been named to the Canadian ski team (Amelia Smart, Trevor Philp and Erik Read) and DU skiing alumna Andrea Komšić, who will ski for Croatia in her third Olympic Games. Part I profiled the two DU athletes who are slated to represent Team USA – Current DU student and DU ski team athlete Katie Hansien and DU hockey alumnus Nick Shore, as well as DU hockey alumnus Juho Olkinoura and Pioneer alumna Nordic skier Jasmi Joensuu, who will both represent Team Finland. Continue reading Part 2: Eight Pioneers Headed to 2022 Beijing Olympic Games
Pioneer Flashback: When DU Basketball Was a Regular at Madison Square Garden (Part II)
Our own Puck Swami takes a look back through DU’s rich sports history to the eight times DU men’s basketball played at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in this two-part flashback series. In the first part (here), he covered the first four DU appearances between 1947 and 1959, while in this second part (below) he covers the second four MSG appearances, which occurred between 1959 and 1966.