Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey

Early history edit

Pond hockey had been played on Lake Mendota in Madison since the late 1800s. The University of Wisconsin formed an informal hockey program in the 1910s. The 1921 season saw the development of intercollegiate hockey at Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.^[5][6] Michigan and Wisconsin scheduled four games to be played on consecutive weekends from February 18 to 26, 1921.^[7]

Modern era edit

The modern era of Badger hockey began in 1963 with the decision of athletic director Ivan B. Williamson. The Badgers played home games at the Hartmeyer Ice Arena before moving to the Dane County Coliseum in 1967. The program began as an independent NCAA Division I team and scheduling 8 games against Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams, losing all 8 games. Late in the 1965–66 season, the Badgers finally broke through, beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 5–4 in overtime, their first win over a WCHA opponent. At the end of that season, Coach John Riley retired.

Johnson era edit

In 1966, Wisconsin hired "Badger" Bob Johnson. Under Johnson, Wisconsin was offered WCHA membership for the 1969–70 season. In that same season the Badgers received a bid to the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. The Badgers won their first national championship at the 1973 Frozen Four.^[8] Badger Bob's 1977 team was one of the most successful to date, as the team swept through WCHA tournament and 1977 NCAA Tournament. Behind the efforts of four first team All-Americans, Mike Eaves, Mark Johnson (Bob's son), Craig Norwich and Julian Baretta, the 1977 team won the title with a 6–5 victory in overtime against Michigan.^[9]

Despite losing one of their top players, Mark Johnson, to the 1980 American Olympic Team, the Badgers reached the NCAA title game three consecutive times in 1981, 1982, and 1983. Winning the program's third title in 1981 by defeating rival Minnesota in the championship game 6–3.^[10] After again reaching the championship game in 1982, where the Badgers lost to North Dakota, the program was dealt a second blow with the departure of Johnson. He would later coach in the NHL and win the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He left Wisconsin after 15 seasons with 3 NCAA championships, a record of 367–175–23, and having built the program into an NCAA powerhouse. Johnson died in 1991.

Sauer era edit

Former Badger assistant coach Jeff Sauer was hired in 1982 to replace Bob Johnson as head coach. Sauer won the 1983 NCAA championship in his first season. Wisconsin defeated Harvard 6–2 to earn the program's fourth NCAA title.^[11] Under Sauer's leadership, the Badgers qualified for eight consecutive NCAA tournaments from 1988 to 1995, and won the program's 5th NCAA title in 1990, with a 7–3 victory over Colgate. Also, Sauer presided over the team's move from the aging Coliseum to the new, on-campus Kohl Center in 1998. The Badger men led the nation in college hockey attendance every year from moving to the Kohl Center through the 2011 season.^[12]

Wisconsin again reached the 1992 NCAA Championship game against Lake Superior State, losing 5–3. The game, which featured some questionable calls by the referee that continually put the Badgers at a two-man disadvantage, irked several players so much that they lashed out beyond Sauer's control, verbally abusing the referees and earning Sauer a one-game NCAA suspension. Assistant Coach Bill Zito received a two-game suspension, while players Blaine Moore and Jason Zent each received a one-game suspension.^[13] That game was later vacated by the NCAA for rules violations unrelated to the incidents in the championship game.^[14] In the mid-1990s, Badger hockey earned NCAA bids in 1998 and 2000, but generally underachieved compared to the high standards of the 1970s and 1980s. The 1999–2000 team featured a duo of second overall NHL draft pick Dany Heatley and Steven Reinprecht, won the MacNaughton Cup, and earned a No. 1 position in the polls for most of the season, only to be upset by Boston College in the NCAA regionals.^[15] Two seasons later, during the 2001–02 season, coach Sauer announced his retirement. Jeff Sauer left Wisconsin with two NCAA titles and a record of 489–306–46 at Wisconsin, and a 655–532–57 overall record as a head coach.

Eaves era edit

Sauer's replacement was Mike Eaves, a former player who was a captain on the 1977 NCAA championship team and still holds the record as Wisconsin's all-time leading scorer.^[16] In 2003–04, Eaves brought the Badgers just short of the Frozen Four, falling in overtime to Maine in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The Badgers returned to national prominence by winning the 2006 NCAA championship in Milwaukee with a 2–1 win over Boston College.^[17] In 2010, the Badgers returned to the NCAA championship, vying for a seventh NCAA title but lost 5–0 to Boston College at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, in front of a then-record crowd for an indoor ice hockey game of 37,592.^[18] In 2011, they missed the WCHA Final Five and NCAA tournament completely. In 2012, the team missed the NCAA Tournament again. In 2013 they were winners in their last-ever appearance in the WCHA Final Five before the team joined the newly established Big Ten Hockey conference for the 2013–14 season. In the inaugural season of the Big Ten Hockey conference, the Badgers won the Big Ten Tournament, their second consecutive conference tournament championship.^[19] The 2014–15 season was the worst season in team history. They finished the season with a record of 4–26–5, setting school records for fewest wins and most losses in a season. Eaves was fired on March 18, 2016 after finishing the 2015–16 season with an 8–19–8 record.^[20]

Granato era edit

Athletic director Barry Alvarez hired Detroit Red Wings assistant Tony Granato to replace Eaves in late March 2016.^[21] Also hired were Tony's younger brother Don Granato, coach of the U.S. National Team Development Program's under-17 team, and Mark Osiecki, associate head coach of the American Hockey League's Rockford IceHogs and former assistant coach at Wisconsin for six years in the 2000s.^[22] Tony Granato signed a five-year contract worth $2.75 million while Osiecki and his brother signed three-year deals worth a total of $660,000 a piece.^[23] The hires were seen as getting UW Men's Ice Hockey back on track, and was noticed by media, such as the Wisconsin State Journal, when they said "Alvarez answered the critics who think UW no longer cares about men’s hockey in the best way he could" during the press conference introducing all three coaches Alvarez stated "I’m very confident that we’ve taken the right steps today in re-establishing the dominance of our hockey program"^[22] All three coaches are Wisconsin alums; Tony Granato played from 1983 to 1987 where he was an All-American, Don Granato played from 1987 to 1991, and Osiecki played from 1987 to 1990.^[21] After all three coaches were hired the phrase "Dream Team" came to be used when referring to UW's new coaching staff, it was first used by Barry Alvarez when he said "It was more than I could dream for to get all three of those guys. To me, it's the Dream Team."^[21][24][25]

In Granato's first season, he led the team back to respectability with a 20-15-1 overall record and a 12-8 conference record, good enough for second place. On March 18, they lost the conference championship game to Penn State 2–1 in double overtime.^[26]

On March 6, 2023, University of Wisconsin Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh announced that Granato would not return for the 2023-24 season. ^[27]

Hastings era edit

On March 30, 2023, former Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks head coach Mike Hastings was named Granato's replacement as head coach.^[28]

Source:^[29]

All-time coaching records edit

As of the end of the 2023–24 season^[29]

* Interim

Big Ten Tournament edit

WCHA Tournament edit

NCAA Championship Appearances edit

• Wisconsin appeared in the championship game in the following years:

Source:^[29]

Career points leaders edit

Career goaltending leaders edit

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Minimum 30 games played

Statistics current through the start of the 2019–20 season.

This is a list of Wisconsin alumni were a part of an Olympic team.

Name	Position	Wisconsin Tenure	Team	Year	Finish
Bob Lundeen	Forward/Defenseman	1971–1975	USA	1976	5th
Steve Alley	Left wing	1972–1975, 1976–1977	USA	1976	5th
John Taft	Defenseman	1972–1975, 1976–1977	USA	1976	5th
Mark Johnson	Center	1976–1979	USA	1980	Gold
Bob Suter	Defenseman	1975–1979	USA	1980	Gold
Marc Behrend	Goaltender	1979–1983	USA	1984	7th
Bruce Driver	Defenseman	1980–1983	Canada	1984	4th
Patrick Flatley	Right wing	1981–1983	Canada	1984	4th
Chris Chelios	Defenseman	1981–1983	USA	1984, 1998, 2002, 2006	7th, 6th,  Silver, 8th
Tony Granato	Left wing	1983–1987	USA	1988	7th
Jim Johannson	Center	1982–1986	USA	1988, 1992	7th, 4th
Mike Richter	Goaltender	1985–1987	USA	1988, 1998, 2002	7th, 6th,  Silver
Sean Hill	Defenseman	1988–1991	USA	1992	4th
Barry Richter	Defenseman	1989–1993	USA	1994	8th
Gary Suter	Defenseman	1983–1985	USA	1998, 2002	6th,  Silver
Curtis Joseph	Goaltender	1988–1989	Canada	1998, 2002	4th,  Gold
Brian Rafalski	Defenseman	1991–1995	USA	2002, 2006, 2010	Silver, 8th,  Silver
Dany Heatley	Left wing	1999–2001	Canada	2010	Gold
Ryan Suter	Defenseman	2003–2004	USA	2010, 2014	Silver, 4th
Joe Pavelski	Center/Right Wing	2004–2006	USA	2010, 2014	Silver, 4th
Ryan McDonagh	Defenseman	2007–2010	USA	2014	4th
Derek Stepan	Center	2008–2010	USA	2014	4th
René Bourque	Winger	2000–2004	CAN	2018	Bronze
Cody Goloubef	Defenseman	2007–2010	CAN	2018	Bronze
Ben Street	Center/Left Wing	2005–2010	CAN	2022	6th

Current roster edit

As of September 15, 2023.^[30]

No.	S/P/C	Player	Class	Pos	Height	Weight	DoB	Hometown	Previous team	NHL rights
2		Daniel Laatsch	Junior	D	6' 5" (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2002-02-13	Altoona, Wisconsin	Sioux City (USHL)	PIT, 215th overall 2021
3		Sam Stange	Senior	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	208 lb (94 kg)	2001-04-20	Eau Claire, Wisconsin	Sioux Falls (USHL)	DET, 97th overall 2020
4		Ben Dexheimer	Sophomore	D	5' 9" (1.75 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	2002-06-21	Edina, Minnesota	Madison (USHL)	—
5		Zach Schulz	Freshman	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2005-06-14	South Lyon, Michigan	NTDP (USHL)	NYI, 177th overall 2023
6		Brady Cleveland	Freshman	D	6' 5" (1.96 m)	211 lb (96 kg)	2005-04-01	Wausau, Wisconsin	NTDP (USHL)	DET, 47th overall 2023
7		Mike Vorlicky (C)	Graduate	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	203 lb (92 kg)	2000-07-17	Edina, Minnesota	Edina (USHS–MN)	—
8		William Whitelaw	Freshman	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	173 lb (78 kg)	2005-02-05	Rosemount, Minnesota	Youngstown (USHL)	CBJ, 66th overall 2023
9		Charlie Stramel	Freshman	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	2004-10-15	Rosemount, Minnesota	NTDP (USHL)	MIN, 21st overall 2023
11		Simon Tassy	Sophomore	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2001-03-21	Montreal, Quebec	Minnesota State (CCHA)	—
12		Mathieu De St. Phalle (A)	Senior	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	2000-03-20	Lake Forest, Illinois	Chicago (USHL)	—
13		Christian Fitzgerald	Sophomore	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	178 lb (81 kg)	2002-05-31	Coquitlam, British Columbia	Minnesota State (CCHA)	—
14		Joe Palodichuk	Freshman	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	171 lb (78 kg)	2003-02-26	Cottage Grove, Minnesota	Fargo (USHL)	—
15		David Silye (A)	Senior	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	1999-03-02	Arnprior, Ontario	Minnesota State (CCHA)	—
16		Tyson Dyck	Sophomore	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	2004-02-06	Abbotsford, British Columbia	UMass (HEA)	OTT, 206th overall 2022
17		Owen Mehlenbacher	Freshman	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	2004-01-26	Fort Erie, Ontario	Fargo (USHL)	DET, 201st overall 2022
18		Owen Lindmark	Graduate	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	2001-05-17	Naperville, Illinois	NTDP (USHL)	FLA, 137th overall 2019
19		Quinn Finley	Freshman	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	2004-08-08	Suamico, Wisconsin	Chicago (USHL)	NYI, 78th overall 2022
21		Carson Bantle	Senior	F	6' 5" (1.96 m)	207 lb (94 kg)	2002-01-22	Onalaska, Wisconsin	Michigan Tech (WCHA)	ARI, 142nd overall 2020
22		Jack Horbach	Sophomore	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	176 lb (80 kg)	2002-05-04	Naperville, Illinois	Madison (USHL)	—
23		Sawyer Scholl	Freshman	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2002-02-14	Medford, Wisconsin	Minnesota (NAHL)	—
24		Anthony Kehrer	Senior	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	2002-03-04	Winnipeg, Manitoba	Sioux City (USHL)	—
27		Tyson Jugnauth	Sophomore	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	162 lb (73 kg)	2004-04-17	Kelowna, British Columbia	West Kelowna (BCHL)	SEA, 100th overall 2022
31		Kyle McClellan	Senior	G	6' 1" (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1999-03-18	Manchester, Missouri	Mercyhurst (AHA)	—
33		Ben Garrity	Senior	G	6' 2" (1.88 m)	193 lb (88 kg)	2000-01-20	Rosemount, Minnesota	Minot (NAHL)	—
34		William Gramme	Freshman	G	6' 4" (1.93 m)	201 lb (91 kg)	2002-05-24	Stockholm, Sweden	Lone Star (NAHL)	—
51		Cruz Lucius	Sophomore	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	178 lb (81 kg)	2004-04-05	Grant, Minnesota	NTDP (USHL)	PIT, 124th overall 2022

Hockey Hall of Fame edit

Source:^[31]

United States Hockey Hall of Fame edit

Source:^[32]

NCAA edit

Individual awards edit

All-Americans edit

AHCA First Team All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

WCHA edit

Individual awards edit

All-Conference Teams edit

First Team All-WCHA

Second team all-wcha

Big Ten edit

Individual awards edit

All-Conference Teams edit

First Team All-Big Ten

Second team all-big ten

Big Ten All-Rookie Team

The following is a list of people associated with the Wisconsin men's ice hockey program who were elected into the University of Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame (induction date in parentheses).^[33]

As of July 1, 2023.

• 
  Rene Bourque
• 
  Adam Burish
• 
  Cole Caufield
• 
  Chris Chelios
• 
  Davis Drewiske
• 
  Brian Elliott
• 
  Jake Gardiner
• 
  Blake Geoffrion
• 
  Tom Gilbert
• 
  Cody Goloubef
• 
  Dany Heatley
• 
  Curtis Joseph
• 
  Luke Kunin
• 
  Jamie McBain
• 
  Ryan McDonagh
• 
  Scott Mellanby
• 
  Michael Mersch
• 
  K'Andre Miller
• 
  Joe Piskula
• 
  Brian Rafalski
• 
  Peter Scamurra
• 
  Justin Schultz
• 
  Jack Skille
• 
  Brendan Smith
• 
  Craig Smith
• 
  Derek Stepan
• 
  Ryan Suter
• 
  Dean Talafous
• 
  Kyle Turris
• 
  Brad Winchester

Source:^[35]

• Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey
• Wisconsin Badgers
• University of Wisconsin–Madison

Media related to Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey at Wikimedia Commons

• Official site