The first men’s hockey national championship was played between Michigan and Dartmouth in 1948, and since then 24 programs have finished their seasons with the title. But some of these programs were more dominant than others.
These are men’s college hockey programs with at least five national championships.
Minnesota – 5
Championships: 1974, 1976, 1979, 2002, 2003
Minnesota has five national championships, but they all came within two decades. The 1970s were a prosperous time for the Gophers as they won three titles. Two of those titles came over Michigan Tech, which has three titles, and the third came at North Dakota State.
The 2000 national championships were held in Maine and New Hampshire. Since then, the Gophers have been to the title game just twice, losing in both 2014 and 2023.
Boston University – 5
Boston University head coach Jack Parker celebrates with his team in 2009.
Championships: 1971, 1972, 1978, 1995, 2009
Boston University also has five names. But they haven’t been to the top of the mountain for more than 15 years. Their 1978 victory over in-state rival Boston College, 5-3, may be considered their most impressive championship victory.
Boston College – 5
Boston College’s last championship was in 2012.
Championship: 1949, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2012
Boston College is the third program to win five national championships. The Eagles had to wait more than 50 years for their second title since their first title, but they have been more consistent since then. Their last state championship game was in 2012 with a 4-1 win over Ferris State.
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Wisconsin – 6
The Badgers won the 2006 state championship in Wisconsin.
Championships: 1973, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1990, 2006
The Badgers are the only team to win six national championships, the most recent coming in 2006 over Boston College. Wisconsin has won several high-scoring championships — from the first to the most recent final score: 4-2, 6-5, 6-3, 6-2, 7-3, 2-1.
The Waves are fighting for their seventh title since 2006, without a single appearance in the state championship game.
North Dakota – 8
North Dakota won its eighth national title in 2016.
Championships: 1959, 1963, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1997, 2000, 2016
North Dakota State is third with eight titles. The Fighting Hawks have won national championships in all but two decades since their inception, making it three through 2020. They last won the championship in 2016 with a 5-1 win over Quinnipiac. Their highest-scoring national championship game came in 1963 against Barry Thorneycraft, when the Hawks topped Denver 6-5 in Boston.
Michigan – 9
Michigan State has more national championships than any other program.
Championships: 1948, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1965, 1964, 1996, 1998
The Michigan Wolverines won the first college hockey national championship and won eight more over the next 50 years. They finish second in the national championship. The last time the Wolverines played in the title game was in 2011, but they lost to Minnesota Duluth.
Denver – 10
Denver celebrates after winning the 2017 championship.
Championships: 1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 2004, 2005, 2017, 2022, 2024
Denver was the first program to win a double-digit national title in 2024, defeating Boston College 2-0. They have more international championships than any other program in the country.
One of the highest-scoring games in major league history came in 1961 when the Pioneers beat St. Lawrence 12-2. Denver had the luxury of playing in their home city in that title game, giving them a huge advantage to run up the scoreboard. Their longest drought was between 1969 and 2004.
MORE: These college hockey programs have produced the most members of the US Men’s Olympic Team
1948-present men’s college hockey national champion.
| YEAR | THE CHAMPION | Coach | SCORE | PROGRESSIVE | HOST OR SITE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The year 2025 | Western Michigan (34-7-1) | Pat Ferschweiler | 6-2 | Boston University | Saint Louis |
| The year 2024 | Denver (32-9-3) | David Carl | 2-0 | Boston College | St. Paul, Minn. |
| The year 2023 | Quinnipiac (34-4-3) | Rand Pecknold | 3-2 (OT) | Minnesota | Tampa, Fla. |
| The year 2022 | Denver (31-9-1) | David Carl | 5-1 | State of Minnesota | Boston |
| 2021 | UMass (20-5-4) | Greg Carvel | 5-0 | Saint Cloud State | Pittsburgh |
| 2019 | Minnesota Duluth (29-11-2) | Scott Sandelin | 3-0 | UMass | Buffalo, New York |
| 2018 | Minnesota Duluth (25-16-3) | Scott Sandelin | 2-1 | Notre Dame | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2017 | Denver (33-7-4) | Jim Montgomery | 3-2 | Duluth, Minnesota | Chicago |
| 2016 | North Dakota (34-6-4) | Brad Berry | 5-1 | Quinnipiac | Tampa |
| 2015 | Providence (26-13-2) | Nate Lyman | 4-3 | Boston University | Boston |
| 2014 | Union (NY) (32-6-4) | Rick Bennett | 7-4 | Minnesota | Philadelphia |
| 2013 | Yale (22-12-3) | Keith Allaine | 4-0 | Quinnipiac | Pittsburgh |
| 2012 | Boston College (33-10-1) | Jerry York | 4-1 | Ferris County | Tampa, Fla. |
| 2011 | Minnesota Duluth (26-10-6) | Scott Sandelin | 3-2 (lot) | Michigan | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2010 | Boston College (29-10-3) | Jerry York | 5-0 | Wisconsin | Detroit |
| 2009 | Boston University (35-6-4) | Jack Parker | 4-3 (lot) | Miami (Ohio) | Washington DC |
| 2008 | Boston College (25-11-8) | Jerry York | 4-1 | Notre Dame | Denver |
| 2007 | Michigan State (26-13-3) | Rick Comley | 3-1 | Boston College | Saint Louis |
| 2006 | Wisconsin (30-10-3) | Mike Eaves | 2-1 | Boston College | Milwaukee |
| 2005 | Denver (32-9-2) | George Gwozdecky | 4-1 | North Dakota | Columbus, Ohio |
| 2004 | Denver (12-27-5) | George Gwozdecky | 1-0 | Maine | Boston |
| 2003 | Minnesota (30-8-9) | Don Lucia | 5-1 | New Hampshire | Buffalo, New York |
| 2002 | Minnesota (32-8-4) | Don Lucia | 4-3 (lot) | Maine | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2001 | Boston College (33-8-2) | Jerry York | 3-2 (lot) | North Dakota | Albany, New York |
| 2000 | North Dakota (31-8-5) | Dean Blais | 4-2 | Boston College | Providence, RI |
| 1999 | Maine (31-6-4) | Sean Walsh | 3-2 (lot) | New Hampshire | Anaheim, California. |
| 1998 | Michigan (32-11-1) | Gordon “Red” Berenson | 3-2 (lot) | Boston College | Boston |
| 1997 | North Dakota (31-10-2) | Dean Blais | 6-4 | Boston University | Milwaukee |
| 1996 | Michigan (33-7-2) | Gordon “Red” Berenson | 3-2 (lot) | Colorado College | Cincinnati |
| 1995 | Boston University (31-6-3) | Jack Parker | 6-2 | Maine | Providence, RI |
| 1994 | Lake Superior County (10-31-4) | Jeff Jackson | 9-1 | Boston University | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 1993 | Maine (42-1-2) | Sean Walsh | 5-4 | Lake Superior County | Milwaukee |
| 1992 | Lake Superior County (30-9-4) | Jeff Jackson | 5-3 | #Wisconsin | Albany, New York |
| 1991 | Northern Michigan (38-5-4) | Rick Comley | 8-7 (3 outs) | Boston University | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 1990 | Wisconsin (36-9-1) | Jeff Sauer | 7-3 | Colgate | Detroit |
| 1989 | Harvard (31-3) | Bill Cleary | 4-3 (lot) | Minnesota | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 1988 | Lake Superior County (33-7-6) | Frank Anzalone | 4-3 (lot) | St. Lawrence | Lake Placid, NY |
| 1987 | North Dakota (40-8) | John “Gino” Gasparini | 5-3 | State of Michigan | Detroit |
| 1986 | Michigan State (34-9-2) | Ron Mason | 6-5 | Harvard | Providence, RI |
| 1985 | Rensselaer (35-2-1) | Mike Addesa | 2-1 | Providence | Detroit |
| 1984 | Bowling Green (34-8-2) | Jerry York | 5-4 (4 points) | Duluth, Minnesota | Lake Placid, NY |
| 1983 | Wisconsin (33-10-4) | Jeff Sauer | 6-2 | Harvard | Grand Forks, ND |
| 1982 | North Dakota (35-12) | John “Gino” Gasparini | 5-2 | Wisconsin | Providence, RI |
| 1981 | Wisconsin (27-14-1) | Bob Johnson | 6-3 | Minnesota | Duluth, Minnesota |
| 1980 | North Dakota (31-8-1) | John “Gino” Gasparini | 5-2 | Northern Michigan | Providence, RI |
| 1979 | Minnesota (32-11-1) | Herb Brooks | 4-3 | North Dakota | Detroit |
| 1978 | Boston University (30-2) | Jack Parker | 5-3 | Boston College | Providence, RI |
| 1977 | Wisconsin (37-7-1) | Bob Johnson | 6-5 (lot) | Michigan | Detroit |
| 1976 | Minnesota (28-14-2) | Herb Brooks | 6-4 | Michigan Tech | Denver |
| 1975 | Michigan Tech (32-10) | John McInnes | 6-1 | Minnesota | Saint Louis |
| 1974 | Minnesota (12-22-6) | Herb Brooks | 4-2 | Michigan Tech | Boston |
| 1973 | Wisconsin (29-9-2) | Bob Johnson | 4-2 | #Denver | Boston |
| 1972 | Boston University (26-4-1) | Jack Kelly | 4-0 | Cornell | Boston |
| 1971 | Boston University (28-2-1) | Jack Kelly | 4-2 | Minnesota | Syracuse, New York |
| 1970 | Cornell (29-0) | Ned Harkness | 6-4 | Clarkson | Lake Placid, NY |
| 1969 | Denver (26-6) | Murray Armstrong | 4-3 | Cornell | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1968 | Denver (28-5-1) | Murray Armstrong | 4-0 | North Dakota | Duluth, Minnesota |
| 1967 | Cornell (27-1-1) | Ned Harkness | 4-1 | Boston University | Syracuse, New York |
| 1966 | Michigan State (16-13) | Amo Besson | 6-1 | Clarkson | Minneapolis |
| 1965 | Michigan Tech (24-5-2) | John McInnes | 8-2 | Boston College | Providence, RI |
| 1964 | Michigan (24-4-1) | Allen Renfrew | 6-3 | Denver | Denver |
| 1963 | North Dakota (22-7-3) | Barry Thorndycraft | 6-5 | Denver | Boston |
| 1962 | Michigan Tech (29-3) | John McInnes | 7-1 | Clarkson | Utica, NY |
| 1961 | Denver (30-1-1) | Murray Armstrong | 12-2 | St. Lawrence | Denver |
| 1960 | Denver (27-4-3) | Murray Armstrong | 5-3 | Michigan Tech | Boston |
| 1959 | North Dakota (20-10-1) | Bob May | 4-3 (lot) | State of Michigan | Troy, New York |
| 1958 | Denver (24-10-2) | Murray Armstrong | 6-2 | North Dakota | Minneapolis |
| 1957 | Colorado College (25-5) | Thomas Bedecki | 13-6 | Michigan | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1956 | Michigan (20-2-1) | Vic Heyliger | 7-5 | Michigan Tech | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1955 | Michigan (18-5-1) | Vic Heyliger | 5-3 | Colorado College | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1954 | Rensselaer (18-5) | Ned Harkness | 5-4 (lot) | Minnesota | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1953 | Michigan (17-7) | Vic Heyliger | 7-3 | Minnesota | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1952 | Michigan (22-4) | Vic Heyliger | 4-1 | Colorado College | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1951 | Michigan (22-4-1) | Vic Heyliger | 7-1 | Brown | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1950 | Colorado College (18-5-1) | Chedi Thompson | 13-4 | Boston University | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1949 | Boston College (21-1) | John “Snooks” Kelly | 4-3 | Dartmouth | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1948 | Michigan (20-2-1) | Vic Heyliger | 8-4 | Dartmouth | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
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