NCHC History
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference was founded in the summer of 2011 when six institutions bonded together to form a collection of some of the most notable college hockey programs in the nation. Just a few months later, the conference grew to eight teams and established the foundation for this prestigious group of institutions. Built on the principles of excellence both on and off the ice, the NCHC is committed to fostering an environment of integrity, sportsmanship and competition.
The motivation for forming this new conference came as the landscape of college hockey began to change in the spring of 2011. When Penn State University announced it was starting a college hockey program in the spring of 2011, the Big 10 hockey conference was created. The seismic shift sent ripples throughout the college hockey world and left many institutions searching for stability. On July 13, 2011, the leaders from six schools, Colorado College, the University of Denver, Miami (Ohio) University, the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the University of Nebraska-Omaha and the University of North Dakota announced the decision to start their own conference beginning in the 2013-14 academic year. On Sept. 22, 2011, St. Cloud State University and Western Michigan University accepted invitations and NCHC grew to its current membership of eight teams.
The infrastructure of the conference began to materialize in August 2011, as Colorado Springs, the birthplace of the NCAA Hockey Championships, was selected as the home of the league headquarters. Jim Scherr, the former CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee, was named the conference’s first commissioner in January of 2012. Josh Fenton, a former Senior Associate Athletic Director from Miami University, took over from Scherr on July 1st, 2013.
The members of the NCHC are certainly no stranger to the NCAAs. This collection of hockey programs has combined to win four NCAA Championships and made 17 Frozen Four appearances since 2000. In the history of college hockey, NCHC schools have combined to win 17 NCAA hockey titles and compete in 50 Frozen Fours. Only three schools have won more than six NCAA hockey titles and two of them (Denver and North Dakota each with seven) reside in the NCHC. Minnesota-Duluth is the conference’s most recent NCAA champion, winning the title in 2011. In 2012, five teams competed in the NCAA Tournament while four received bids in 2013. In 2013, St. Cloud State University advanced to its first Frozen Four in school history while Husky forward Drew LeBlanc was a Hobey Hat Trick finalist. St. Cloud State ended the year with a “Hat Trick” of firsts for the 2013 when LeBlanc was named the winner of the 2013 Hobey Baker Memorial Award.
The geographic diversity of the NCHC features some of the most beautiful terrain in the United States. The majestic Rocky Mountains of Colorado provide the backdrop to North Dakota’s Red River Valley and America’s heartland from Nebraska to Ohio. From the countless lakes of Minnesota to the shores of Lake Michigan, the NCHC is home to some of the most breath-taking scenery in the country.
With a solid foundation of institutions rich in tradition and excellence, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference is poised to solidify itself as the premier college hockey conference.
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