NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament

The NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Championship is a single elimination competition that has determined the collegiate national champion since the inaugural 1948 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament. The tournament features 16 teams representing all six Division I conferences in the nation. The Championship Committee seeds the entire field from 1 to 16 within four regionals of 4 teams. The winners of the six Division I conference championships receive automatic bids to participate in the NCAA Championship. The tournament begins with initial games played at four regional sites culminating with the semi-finals and finals played at a single site.^[1]

In setting up the tournament, the Championship Committee seeks to ensure "competitive equity, financial success and likelihood of playoff-type atmosphere at each regional site." A team serving as the host of a regional is placed within that regional. The top four teams are assigned overall seeds and placed within the bracket such that the national semifinals will feature the No. 1 seed versus the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed versus the No. 3 seed should the top four teams win their respective regional finals. Number 1 seeds are also placed as close to their home site as possible, with the No. 1 seed receiving first preference. Conference matchups are avoided in the first round; should five or more teams from one conference make the tournament, this guideline may be disregarded in favor of preserving the bracket's integrity.

Broadmoor Ice Palace in Colorado Springs, Colorado hosted the tournament for the first ten years and has hosted eleven times overall, the most of any venue.^[2] The Denver Pioneers have won the most tournaments with ten, while Vic Heyliger has coached the most championship teams, winning six times with Michigan between 1948 and 1956.^[3][4]

The 2020 championship was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[5][6][7]

1948–1976

4 teams (1 game series)

1977–1980

5–6 teams (1 game series)

1981–1987

8 teams (2 game, total goals first round at higher seed)

1988

12 teams (2 game, total goals first two rounds at higher seed)

1989–1991

12 teams (best of 3 games first two rounds series at higher seed)

1992–2002

12 teams (divided into 2 regionals, East Regional and West Regional; 6 teams each)

2003–present

16 teams (divided into 4 regionals: Northeast, East, Midwest, and West Regionals: 4 teams each)

^1 Participation in the tournament vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

The code in each cell represents the furthest the team made it in the respective tournament:

•  •  First round (12 teams starting in 1988, 16 teams starting in 2003)
•  QF  Quarterfinals (1 or 2 teams starting in 1977, 4 teams starting in 1980)
•  F4  Frozen Four
•  RU  National Runner-up
•  CH  National Champion
•  RU   •  The team achieved the placement shown, but the participation was later vacated. These vacated appearances are not included in the total columns.

Starting in 2003, the 4 teams seeded No. 1 in the regions are shown with single underline.