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Historical perspective about Boston, NCAA finals |
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The city of Boston and its environs have been famously labeled the Hub of the Universe, by no less a great American than Oliver Wendell Holmes in the 19th Century.
Lucky for the millions who were fortunate and hardy enough to have been born, work or relocated there, it also just so happens to ooze hockey from its pores. And for that reason, the eyes of the college hockey world drift towards the left-center portion of that hub tonight and Saturday night to decide a champion for the 68th time.
Of course, there’s the Bruins, who have been kicked out at the end of their current season to make way for the top four programs in the United States. But there’s a flourishing high school system which boasts traditional powers such as Catholic Memorial, Malden Catholic, Austin Prep, and if you want to extend things a bit southward, NHL feeder school Mount St. Charles of Woonsocket, RI.
Like Philadelphia and its six major Division I men’s basketball programs, Boston outranks every other city in America in boasting the most D-I hockey programs within the city limits and its immediate suburbs with four: Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern and Harvard. Three of those programs began this year’s tourney with opportunities to make a run, and now it’s down to one.
Among those four programs, there are 11 national championships and 22 title-game appearances, and the BU Terriers, clad in their traditional Scarlet and White, are bidding to make that 23 at the least, but 12 championships overall and a city-leading sixth ultimate NCAA victory.
Given that deep history, it’s surprising that TD Garden will be hosting the Frozen Four semifinals and finals for the first time in 11 years. That’s the longest stretch for the city to be held out of crowning a national champion since the 24-year gap from 1974 (in the last of three straight tournaments held at Boston Garden) and 1998 –- the final season before the Frozen Four branding was created and applied to the season’s last weekend.
It is the seventh time overall, and there are no plans in the coming years for the NCAAs to return to Causeway Street and the shadow of the Zakim Bridge.
Boston University has a chance to accomplish something only four (technically five since Minnesota won not in Minneapolis but across the river at St. Paul in 2002) schools have done previously: win a national title in its home city. What a coincidence it is, then, that Jack Eichel’s team happens to be the last school to pull off the feat.
In Jack Kelley’s final season at the helm, the Terriers finished 26-4-1, which included victories over Wisconsin and then Cornell in the final, in the process defending their crown won the previous season against Minnesota in Syracuse. The following year, BU failed to make the field of four, then in ’74, were wiped out in the semifinals by Herb Brooks and his Golden Gophers.
And then there was BC from ‘98. In Jerry York’s fourth season at his alma mater, the Eagles burst forth from a Hockey East afterthought into a national contender, reaching Boston thanks to winning a conference playoff title and beating Colorado College in regional action. After taking out Ohio State in the semifinals, they led 1-0 and 2-1 in the championship, then had two shots ring off iron in overtime before Josh Langfeld delivered Michigan’s second crown in three seasons late in the extra session.
In 2015, Providence is making its return to the national semifinals in 30 years. Back then, in 1985, a heroic effort by goaltender Chris Terreri helped the Friars gut out a 4-3, triple-OT decision against BC in a Joe Louis Arena semifinal. They were stopped by RPI (featuring future NHLer Adam Oates) by a 2-1 count in the title bout. For Nebraska-Omaha, this is wholly unfamiliar territory, but fortunate for the Mavericks, head coach Dean Blais has two NCAA wins in his pocket with North Dakota (1997, 2000).
David Quinn and BU haven’t reached the semifinals since Jack Parker led the Terriers to their last championship in Washington, DC six years prior. The Fighting Sioux, now under the aegis of Dave Hakstol, haven’t won in 15 years, but reached the Frozen Four last year in Philly and lost literally in the last second against Minnesota.
Home Cookin’
Each of the first 10 men’s hockey championships were contested at Broadmoor Ice Palace in Colorado Springs, CO, and the Colorado College Tigers took advantage on two separate occasions to turn that friendly ice into the ultimate advantage.
1950 – The Tigers knocked off defending champion Boston College to open the tournament with a 10-3 drubbing, then ripped through Boston University with a still-standing single-game record 13-goal outburst in the final to take down Boston University.
1957 – CC was knocked off by the Michigan Wolverines in both 1952 and ’55, but roared back with a vengeance two years later, taking out Clarkson by a 5-3 count and then emphatically putting the Maize and Blue in their place with a 13-6 result.
1961 – After a three-year hiatus to test out other markets, the NCAA decided to return to
the Centennial State, holding the tourney in Denver this time. The Pioneers made excellent use of that fact, winning their second straight championship and third in four seasons with victories against Minnesota (6-1) and St. Lawrence (12-2).
2002 – In the final year of the two-regional, 12-team bracket, the rebranded Frozen Four set up shop at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Minnesota earned the No. 2 seed in the West Regional at Ann Arbor and topped Colorado College to return home. Once there, Don Lucia’s Gophers clinched the first of back-to-back titles by topping Michigan (3-2) and Maine (4-3 OT).
Beantown Breakdown
1960 – Denver won its first of seven national titles from the confines of the old Boston Arena, now known as historic Matthews Arena, the home of Northeastern. DU took out home favorites BU in the semifinals (6-4) then dispatched Michigan Tech (5-3) in the title game.
1972 – The NCAA decided to move on up and hold the season-ending tournament at venerable Boston Garden. Cornell probably still wishes it had Ken Dryden in its crease.
1973 – Wisconsin stole the national spotlight for the first of its three times under legendary head coach Bob Johnson, slipping by Cornell in overtime (6-5) and then taking out high-powered Denver by a 4-2 count in the terminal contest.
1974 – Brooks then captured the limelight for the first of his three championships with Minnesota, thanks to a 5-4 result over the Terriers and a 4-2 decision against Michigan Tech.
1998 – Michigan may currently hold the all-time record for most national titles with nine, but it has been 17 years since Red Berenson and his kids captured the last one for the trophy case in Ann Arbor. Prior to the above-mentioned OT win against home favorite BC, the Wolverines blanked New Hampshire, 4-0 in one of the semifinals.
2004 – Year Two of the 16-team final bracket found Boston College a No. 1 seed in the Northeast, and it reached the new Garden with wins over Niagara and Michigan. However, eventual national runners-up Maine squashed that momentum with a deliberate 2-1 decision in overtime. The Black Bears tried the same thing in the final against Denver, but a lone strike from Gabe Gauthier and 24 saves by Adam Berkhoel delivered a championship to the Pioneers, their first since 1969.
Conference Clashes
Now that Boston University and Providence are set in Saturday's national final, we have a matchup which occurs infrequently: a game between two programs that compete in the same conference. Some recent results from that phenomenon...
2013 - Yale 4, Quinnipiac 0 (ECAC)
2005 - Denver 4, North Dakota 1 (WCHA)
1999 - Maine 3, New Hampshire 2 (OT) (Hockey East)
1995 - Boston University 6, Maine 2 (Hockey East)
1982 - North Dakota 5, Wisconsin 2 (WCHA)
1981 - Wisconsin 6, Minnesota 3 (WCHA)
1979 - Minnesota 4, North Dakota 3 (WCHA)
1978 - Boston University 5, Boston College 3 (ECAC)
As far as predictions for how the last three games of the 2014-15 campaign will progress, I can't say. Let the pic which accompanies this post serve as an indicator of the school which I'm favoring.
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