Draft:College Hockey Bluebloods

  • Comment: I can see this becoming an article but there are two problems:
    1. There is a lot of WP:original research in the article, where sources are synthesized to draw brand new conclusions, like the "Attendance" section and the third paragraph of the lead.
    2. Notability: None of the sources really describe what a blue blood is; they simply use the term with no explanation. Ca talk to me! 14:09, 23 November 2024 (UTC)



University of Michigan hockey team at Yost Arena
The Ralph Engelstad Arena, the home of UND hockey, regularly leads NCAA hockey attendance.

In American college hockey, blue bloods refers to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I hockey programs considered to be among the most elite programs (history, tradition, success, pipelines to NHL). Outside of sports, blue blood is used as an alternative term for nobility.

College hockey experts often debate which men's programs are considered blue bloods. The men's programs of University of Michigan, University of North Dakota, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin, Boston College, Boston University, and Denver University are usually considered the blue bloods.[1] [2] [3] [4][5]


Origins and definition of the phrase

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The term "blue blood" or being "blue-blooded" is rooted in nobility, with royals being dubbed as such. [6]

When writing about its modern-day usage, Dana O'Neil of The Athletic wrote that "the term blue blood is, in fact, nebulous and left to the eye of the beholder, the standards of neither admission nor eviction not exactly clear. Tradition and success seem to matter but how deep that success has to go is also subject to interpretation."

Historical Success

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The blue bloods have the most consistent long-term on-ice success of the programs.[7]

Blueblood College Hockey Historic Success

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Team Wins Wins Rank out of 61 Teams NCAA Appearances NCAA Appearances Rank out of 61 Teams NCAA Championships NCAA Championships Rank out of 61 Teams Regular Season Championships Regular Season Championships Rank out of 61 Teams
University of Minnesota 1,931 1 41 2 5 5 19 3
University of Michigan 1,808 2 42 1 9 2 12 6
Boston College 1,724 3 38 4 5 5 20 1
Boston University 1,673 4 39 3 5 5 17 4
University of North Dakota 1,643 5 36 5 8 3 20 1
University of Denver 1,608 6 33 6 10 1 14 5
University of Wisconsin 1,353 11 28 8 6 4 4 20

Track Record of Success to NHL

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The blue bloods are the biggest college hockey pipelines to the NHL. In the post lockout era, all seven bluebloods rank in the top 8 college hockey programs for sending players to the NHL.[8] This success is predicated on recruiting blue-chip players, facilities, exposure, and coaching.

List of Programs with Most NHL Players

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Team Number of NHL Players Blueblood
University of Wisconsin 10,372 Yes
University of Michigan 9,776 Yes
University of Minnesota 8,954 Yes
University of North Dakota 8,724 Yes
Boston College 8,128 Yes
Boston University 5,969 Yes
Michigan State 5,314 No
University of Denver 4,952 Yes
University of Minnesota-Duluth 4,098 No
University of Maine 4,041 No

One open debate is how to recruit as a blue blood. Recruiting blue-chip players often leads to younger teams as these players prefer to enter as early as possible while also leaving to professional hockey before graduating. These players, however, are a source of pride and prestige for these programs. Other less accomplished programs have targeted older players that, while having a lower ceiling, are stronger and more mature as of today. This has allowed programs like Mankato and Quinnipiac to have success in college hockey recently. [9] According to College Hockey News, the 3 youngest teams in college hockey in 2023-2024 were Bluebloods and all 7 blue bloods ranked in the 20 youngest teams (out of 60+ teams).[10]

Attendance

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The blue bloods have some of the highest home attendance of any programs. The top 3 attended college hockey programs are blue bloods and six of seven blue bloods finished in the top 10. [11] Many of these rinks are also among the most iconic in college hockey including Ralph Engelstad Arena, Yost Arena, and Mariucci Arena. Stadium Journey ranked the three aforementioned arenas as the top college hockey arenas to visit. [12]

Blueblood College Hockey Attendance (2022-2023)

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Team Home Arena Arena Opening Average Attendance Rank out of 61 Teams
University of North Dakota Ralph Engelstad Arena 2001 11,399 1
University of Minnesota Mariucci Arena 1993 9,156 2
University of Wisconsin Kohl Center 1998 8,800 3
University of Denver Magness Arena 1999 6,295 5
University of Michigan Yost Arena 1923 5,632 9
Boston College Conte Forum 1988 5,042 10
Boston University Agganis Arena 2005 4,329 18

List of Bluebloods

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School Team City State Current
Conference
Primary
Conference
First
Played
Joined
Div IA
NCAA
Tourneys
(Qty)
NCAA
Tourneys
(Years)
National
Champs
(Qty)
National
Champs
(Years)
Boston College Eagles Chestnut Hill Massachusetts Hockey East ACC 1917 1947 37 1948, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021, 2024 5 1949, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2012
Boston University Terriers Boston Massachusetts Hockey East Patriot League 1917 1947 39 1950, 1951, 1953, 1960, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024 5 1971, 1972, 1978, 1995, 2009
University of Denver Pioneers Denver Colorado NCHC Summit League 1949 1949 33 1958, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1986, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 10 1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 2004, 2005, 2017, 2022, 2024
University of Michigan Wolverines Ann Arbor Michigan Big Ten Big Ten 1923 1947 41 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1962, 1964, 1977, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 9 1948, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1964, 1996, 1998
University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Minneapolis Minnesota Big Ten Big Ten 1921 1947 41 1953, 1954, 1961, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 5 1974, 1976, 1979, 2002, 2003
University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks Grand Forks North Dakota NCHC Summit League 1929 1947 35 1958, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2024 8 1959, 1963, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1997, 2000, 2016
University of Wisconsin–Madison Badgers Madison Wisconsin Big Ten Big Ten 1921 1947 28 1970, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2021, 2024 6 1973, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1990, 2006

References

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  1. ^ "Bluebloods". Everything College Hockey. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  2. ^ "Bluebloods 2". Blanco. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  3. ^ "Michigan State to play college hockey blue blood in 2026 Hall of Fame game". MLive. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "College Hockey's Blue Bloods Meet in Minnesota". BcEagles. April 5, 2024. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  5. ^ "The blue bloods and new blood face off in Frozen Four". ESPN. April 6, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  6. ^ "The Daily Dish: An all-Blue Blood Final Four? It's not as lame as it sounds". 247Sports. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  7. ^ "All Time Team Index". College Hockey News. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  8. ^ "Hockey Factories". Hockey News. October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  9. ^ "You can't regularly be the youngest team in college hockey and expect to win titles". BC Interruption. March 29, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  10. ^ "College Hockey Teams Average Age". College Hockey News. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  11. ^ "Mens Hockey Attendance Records" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  12. ^ "Stadium Journey's Top 25 College Hockey Rinks of 2023". Stadium Journey. April 6, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2024.

See also

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References

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