Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are a Men ' s Division I and Women ' s Division I team in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association . History . Badger hockey history is easily divided in two distinct eras : The pre - modern era , from 1921 - 1935 , and the modern era , from 1963 to present . Pre - Modern Era . Records indicate that Badger hockey had existed as a club sport as early as 1892 , but was not formalized as a varsity sport until 1921 . Coaching changes were frequent and seasons were short , due presumably to relying on mother nature to provide suitable playing conditions . Modern Era . The modern era of Badger Hockey began in 1963 , with the decision of athletic director Ivan B . Williamson . The Badgers started out ambitiously , playing as an independent team and scheduling 8 games against Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams , losing all 8 games . However , the persistence eventually paid off . Late in the 1965 - 66 season , the Badgers finally broke through , beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 5 - 4 in overtime , their first win over a WCHA opponent . At the end of that season , Coach John Riley retired , and UW hired " Badger " Bob Johnson , a man who would mold the program into what it is today . The next milestone for UW hockey was WCHA membership , which came for the 1969 - 70 season . The newcomers suprised the NCAA community by grabbing an NCAA tournament berth in their first season as members of the WCHA . The early success captivated fans , who packed the Dane County Memorial Coliseum to see the Badgers play . More success would follow under the guidance of Johnson . After again earning an NCAA bid in 1972 , the Badgers won their first national championship at the 1973 Frozen Four , quite an accomplishment for a team in just their tenth season . Badger Bob ' s 1977 team further cemented Wisconsin Hockey in the national landscape , by sweeping the WCHA regular season , tournament , and NCAA tournament titles . Behind the efforts of four first team All - Americans , Mike Eaves , Mark Johnson ( Bob ' s son ) , Craig Norwich and Julian Baretta , the 1977 team won the title in amazing fashion , getting an equalizing goal late in regulation and winning goal in overtime in the final against Michigan . The early 1980s were a glory period for Badger Hockey . The Badgers lost star player Mark Johnson to the 1980 American Olympic Team , but reloaded and reached the NCAA title game three consecutive times in 1981 , 1982 , and 1983 . The 1981 title was especially sweet , coming with a defeat of archrival Minnesota in the championship game . The Badgers had been upset in the WCHA first round by Colorado College . In a two game total goals series , UW took the Saturday game by a score of 8 - 2 , only to lose on Sunday 11 - 4 , losing the total goals series 13 - 12 . Badger fans to this day refer to that loss as " Black Sunday . " After again reaching the championship game in 1982 , where the Badgers lost to North Dakota , the program was dealt a double blow with the resignation of " Badger " Bob Johnson . Johnson would later coach in the NHL and win the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins , carrying his " Badger " nickname with him where ever he went . He left Wisconsin after 15 seasons with 3 NCAA championships , a record of 367 - 175 - 23 , and having built the program into an NCAA powerhouse . The pain of 1982 was quickly eased in 1983 , however , with the hire of former Badger assistant coach Jeff Sauer from Colorado College Tigers . Sauer turned around and won the 1983 NCAA championship in his first season . Wisconsin defeated Harvard 6 - 2 to earn the program ' s 4th NCAA title . For a little added revenge for the previous season , Wisconsin won the title on North Dakota ' s home rink in Grand Forks , the same place Paul Houck ' s stunning triple overtime goal had sent the Badgers to a springboard late season victory . Under Sauer ' s leadership , the Badgers would qualify for eight consecutive NCAA tournaments from 1988 to 1995 , winning the program ' s 5th NCAA title in 1990 , with a 7 - 3 victory over Colgate . Also , Sauer presided over the team ' s move from the venerable Coliseum to the new , on - campus Kohl Center in 1998 . The Badgers have second in college hockey attendance every year since moving to the Kohl Center . The long run of NCAA appearances was not all glory , however . Wisconsin reached the 1992 NCAA final against Lake Superior State , losing 5 - 3 . The game , which featured some questionable calls by the referee that continually put the Badgers at a 2 - man disadvantage , irked several players so much that they lashed out beyond Sauer ' s control , verbally abusing the referees and earning Sauer a 1 - game NCAA suspenion . That game was later vacated by the NCAA for minor rules violations unrelated to the incidents in the championship game . In the mid 1990s , Badger hockey hit a bit of a lull , earning NCAA bids in 1998 and 2000 , but generally underachieving compared to the high standards of the 1970s and 1980s . The 1999 - 2000 team featured a duo of 2nd overall NHL draft pick Dany Heatley and Steven Reinprecht , won the MacNaughton Cup , and earned a # 1 postition in the polls for most of the season , only to be upset by Boston College in the NCAA regionals . Two seasons later , during the 2001 - 2002 campaign , coach Sauer announced his retirement . He had intended to announce his decision at the end of the season , but as word leaked out , he was forced to announce his intentions half way though the season , resulting in a grand farewell tour across the WCHA . Jeff Sauer left Wisconsin with two NCAA titles and a record of 489 - 306 - 46 at Wisconsin , and a 655 - 532 - 57 overall record as a head coach . Sauer ' s replacement was Mike Eaves , a former player who still holds the record as UW ' s all - time leading scorer . Eaves was a member and captain on the 1977 NCAA championship team . His first season at UW was full of hardship and controversy , including one of the worst records in the modern era . However , in 2003 - 2004 , Eaves brought the Badgers just short of the Frozen Four , falling in overtime to Maine . Eaves has improved the Badger ' s skill level , conditioning , and teamwork . After a disappointing finish to the 2004 - 2005 season , the Badgers returned to national prominence by winning the 2005 - 2006 NCAA championship by winning the Frozen Four held in Milwaukee , WI .