🏒 2006 NCAA Championship Memories

It's no secret that I'm not only a die-hard hockey fan, but a die-hard Wisconsin Badgers fan, too. Given that it's the time of year when college hockey is heading toward the Frozen Four, I thought I'd write a bit about the year I was lucky enough to get to attend.

In 2006, the University of Wisconsin Men's Hockey team was good. They were better than good. The roster included the likes of Joe Pavelski, Robbie Earl, Tom Gilbert, Brian Elliot, and many others who went on to play pro and semi-pro hockey.

2006 was the year they won the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship, and they did it in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As luck would have it, I was in school there at the time and my best friend and I were somehow lucky enough to be chosen in the littery to receive tickets. And so, we went. We cheered for the Badgers.

The final game? It was between the Wisconsin Badgers and my other favorite team, the Boston College Eagles. I wore clothing to support both teams. In the end, Tom Gilbert scored the winning goal for the Badgers, and the rest was history. That entire weekend was one I'll never, ever forget.

The Badgers won the championship again 2010, again  against Boston College. But since then, it's been a steady downhill slide. 

This year was the first with a new coach and it seemed promising. I was hopeful. Alas, it was not to be, as my boys lost to Quinnipiac in overtime in the first round.

It's time like these that I gold on to those 2006 memories a little tighter.