List of NCAA Division I men's ice hockey seasons

==Tournament play begins==
Though U.S. colleges had been fielding men's ice hockey teams since 1895, the NCAA did not have a formal tournament in place to decide a champion until after World War II. Starting with the 1947-48 season, the NCAA tournament invited the four top-ranked teams to Colorado Springs, Colorado to compete for the NCAA Championship.
No.	Season 	Tournament	No. of teamsin tournament	Start	Finish 	NCAA Champion(number)	ChampionConference	ChampionRecord	Championship Site
1 	1947–48	1948 	4 	 	March 20	Michigan (1) 	None 	(20–2–1) 	Colorado Springs, Colorado
2 	1948–49	1949 	4 	 	March 19	Boston College (1) 	None 	(21–1–0) 	Colorado Springs, Colorado
3 	1949–50	1950 	4 	 	March 18	Colorado College (1) 	None 	(18–5–1) 	Colorado Springs, Colorado
4 	1950–51	1951 	4 	 	March 17	Michigan (2) 	None 	(22–4–1) 	Colorado Springs, Colorado
5 	1951–52	1952 	4 	 	March 15	Michigan (3) 	MCHL 	(22–4–0) 	Colorado Springs, Colorado
6 	1952–53	1953 	4 	 	March 14	Michigan (4) 	MCHL 	(22–4–0) 	Colorado Springs, Colorado
7 	1953–54	1954 	4 	 	March 13	Rensselaer (1) 	Tri-State League 	(18–5–0) 	Colorado Springs, Colorado
8 	1954–55	1955 	4 	 	March 12	Michigan (5) 	WIHL 	(18–5–1) 	Colorado Springs, Colorado
9 	1955–56	1956 	4 	 	March 17	Michigan (6) 	WIHL 	(20–2–1) 	Colorado Springs, Colorado
10 	1956–57	1957 	4 	 	March 16	Colorado College (2) 	WIHL 	(25–5–0) 	Colorado Springs, Colorado
==Rotating tournaments==
After spending 10 years at one location, the NCAA began to move the Division I ice hockey tournament to different sites. Over the next 14 years, the tournament was held in 11 different venues and, more importantly to the northeast teams, was held in New England eight times. While the rotations stopped briefly in 1972, they resumed after 1974 and the tournament has not been held in the same city for consecutive years since.
No.	Season 	Tournament	No. of teamsin tournament	Start	Finish 	NCAA Champion(number)	ChampionConference	ChampionRecord	Championship Site
11 	1957–58	1958 	4 	 	March 15	Denver (1) 	WIHL 	(25–10–2) 	Minneapolis, Minnesota
12 	1958–59	1959 	4 	 	March 14	North Dakota (1) 	None 	(20–10–1) 	Troy, New York
13 	1959–60	1960 	4 	 	March 19	Denver (2) 	WCHA 	(27–4–3) 	Boston, Massachusetts
14 	1960–61	1961 	4 	 	March 18	Denver (3) 	WCHA 	(30–1–1) 	Denver, Colorado
15 	1961–62	1962 	4 	 	March 17	Michigan Tech (1) 	WCHA 	(29–3–0) 	Utica, New York
16 	1962–63	1963 	4 	 	March 16	North Dakota (2) 	WCHA 	(22–7–3) 	Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
17 	1963–64	1964 	4 	 	March 21	Michigan (7) 	WCHA 	(24–4–1) 	Denver, Colorado
18 	1964–65	1965 	4 	 	March 20	Michigan Tech (2) 	WCHA 	(24–5–2) 	Providence, Rhode Island
19 	1965–66	1966 	4 	 	March 19	Michigan State (1) 	WCHA 	(16–13–0) 	Minneapolis, Minnesota
20 	1966–67	1967 	4 	 	March 18	Cornell (1) 	ECAC 	(27–1–1) 	Syracuse, New York
21 	1967–68	1968 	4 	 	March 16	Denver (4) 	WCHA 	(28–5–1) 	Duluth, Minnesota
22 	1968–69	1969 	4 	 	March 15	Denver (5) 	WCHA 	(26–6–0) 	Colorado Springs, Colorado
23 	1969–70	1970 	4 	 	March 21	Cornell (2) 	ECAC 	(29–0–0) 	Lake Placid, New York
24 	1970–71	1971 	4 	 	March 20	Boston University (1)	ECAC 	(28–2–1) 	Syracuse, New York
25 	1971–72	1972 	4 	 	March 18	Boston University (2)	ECAC 	(26–4–1) 	Boston, Massachusetts
26 	1972–73	1973 	4 	 	March 17	Wisconsin (1) 	WCHA 	(29–9–2) 	Boston, Massachusetts
27 	1973–74	1974 	4 	 	March 16	Minnesota (1) 	WCHA 	(22–11–6) 	Boston, Massachusetts
28 	1974–75	1975 	4 	 	March 15	Michigan Tech (3) 	WCHA 	(32–10–0) 	St. Louis, Missouri
29 	1975–76	1976 	4 	 	March 27	Minnesota (2) 	WCHA 	(28–14–2) 	Denver, Colorado
==Quarterfinals expansion==
For the 30th season of the tournament, which had become the de facto possession of the WCHA and ECAC, the NCAA instituted a First Round game where the CCHA champion would play. The first round system stayed in place, with one or two games being played, until 1981 when a full quarterfinal round was adopted. Between 1981 and 1987 the quarterfinals consisted of two games where the team that scored the most goals in the two games would advance to the "Frozen Four". Between 1977 and 1987 Detroit, Michigan and Providence, Rhode Island would each host the tournament 4 separate times.
No.	Season 	Tournament	No. of teamsin tournament	Start	Finish 	NCAA Champion(number)	ChampionConference	ChampionRecord	Championship Site
30 	1976–77	1977 	5 	 	March 26	Wisconsin (2) 	WCHA 	(37–7–1) 	Detroit, Michigan
31 	1977–78	1978 	6 	 	March 25	Boston University (3)	ECAC 	(30–2–0) 	Providence, Rhode Island
32 	1978–79	1979 	5 	 	March 24	Minnesota (3) 	WCHA 	(32–11–1) 	Detroit, Michigan
33 	1979–80	1980 	5 	 	March 29	North Dakota (3) 	WCHA 	(31–8–1) 	Providence, Rhode Island
34 	1980–81	1981 	8 	 	March 28	Wisconsin (3) 	WCHA 	(27–14–1) 	Duluth, Minnesota
35 	1981–82	1982 	8 	 	March 27	North Dakota (4) 	WCHA 	(35–12–0) 	Providence, Rhode Island
36 	1982–83	1983 	8 	 	March 26	Wisconsin (4) 	WCHA 	(33–10–4) 	Grand Forks, North Dakota
37 	1983–84	1984 	8 	 	March 24	Bowling Green (1) 	CCHA 	(34–8–2) 	Lake Placid, New York
38 	1984–85	1985 	8 	 	March 30	Rensselaer (2) 	ECAC 	(35–2–1) 	Detroit, Michigan
39 	1985–86	1986 	8 	 	March 29	Michigan State (2) 	CCHA 	(34–9–2) 	Providence, Rhode Island
40 	1986–87	1987 	8 	 	March 28	North Dakota (5) 	WCHA 	(40–8–0) 	Detroit, Michigan
==Additional expansion==
With 4 major conferences and a myriad of independent programs competing at the Division I level, the tournament was expanded to 12 teams beginning with the 1987-88 season. The first round followed the same pattern as the quarterfinals with teams playing two games against a single opponent and the one with a higher goal total after the series advancing. The rest of the tournament retained the earlier format. One year later the goal-total format was abandoned and replaced by a best-of-three series for the opening round and quarterfinals. In 1992 the entire tournament was switched to a single-elimination format and divided into two regional locations that would feed into the "Frozen Four". For the first time, in 1999, the championship was held in a region without a local Division I program when the championship round was awarded to Anaheim, California.
No.	Season 	Tournament	No. of teamsin tournament	Start 	Finish 	NCAA Champion(number) 	ChampionConference	ChampionRecord	Championship Site
41 	1987–88	1988 	12 	 	April 2 	Lake Superior State (1)	CCHA 	(33–7–6) 	Lake Placid, New York
42 	1988–89	1989 	12 	 	April 1 	Harvard (1) 	ECAC 	(31–3–0) 	St. Paul, Minnesota
43 	1989–90	1990 	12 	 	April 1 	Wisconsin (5) 	WCHA 	(36–9–1) 	Detroit, Michigan
44 	1990–91	1991 	12 	 	March 30	Northern Michigan (1) 	WCHA 	(38–5–4) 	St. Paul, Minnesota
45 	1991–92	1992 	12 	 	April 4 	Lake Superior State (2)	CCHA 	(30–9–4) 	Albany, New York
46 	1992–93	1993 	12 	 	April 3 	Maine (1) 	Hockey East 	(42–1–2) 	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
47 	1993–94	1994 	12 	 	April 2 	Lake Superior State (3)	CCHA 	(31–10–4) 	St. Paul, Minnesota
48 	1994–95	1995 	12 	 	April 1 	Boston University (4) 	Hockey East 	(31–6–3) 	Providence, Rhode Island
49 	1995–96	1996 	12 	 	March 30	Michigan (8) 	CCHA 	(34–7–2) 	Cincinnati, Ohio
50 	1996–97	1997 	12 	 	March 29	North Dakota (6) 	WCHA 	(31–10–2) 	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
51 	1997–98	1998 	12 	 	April 4 	Michigan (9) 	CCHA 	(34–11–1) 	Boston, Massachusetts
52 	1998–99	1999 	12 	October 3	April 3 	Maine (2) 	Hockey East 	(31–6–4) 	Anaheim, California
53 	1999–00	2000 	12 	October 1	April 8 	North Dakota (7) 	WCHA 	(31–8–5) 	Providence, Rhode Island
54 	2000–01	2001 	12 	October 6	April 7 	Boston College (2) 	Hockey East 	(33–8–2) 	Albany, New York
55 	2001–02	2002 	12 	October 5	April 6 	Minnesota (4) 	WCHA 	(32–8–4) 	St. Paul, Minnesota
==Further expansion and commercialization==
After the addition of two more conferences around the turn of the century (MAAC and CHA, neither of which now sponsors men's hockey) bringing up the total number to 6, and with each receiving an at-large bid starting in 2001 and 2003 respectively, the tournament was again expanded by 4 teams. Two additional regional groups were added (Northeast and Midwest) and byes into the quarterfinals were eliminated. Additionally the "Frozen Four" was seen as a vehicle to increase both revenue and the popularity of college hockey, as such the apex of the tournament began to move around to non-traditional college hockey areas, usually in the buildings of NHL teams.
The first decade of the 21st century saw significant changes to hockey's conference landscape. After the 2002–03 season, the MAAC hockey programs split from the league to form Atlantic Hockey. CHA stopped sponsoring men's hockey after the 2009–10 season, but still operates as a women's league.
No.	Season 	Tournament	No. of teamsin tournament	Start 	Finish 	NCAA Champion(number)	ChampionConference	ChampionRecord	Championship Site
56 	2002–03	2003 	16 	October 4 	April 12	Minnesota (5) 	WCHA 	(28–8–9) 	Buffalo, New York
57 	2003–04	2004 	16 	October 3 	April 10	Denver (6) 	WCHA 	(27–12–5) 	Boston, Massachusetts
58 	2004–05	2005 	16 	October 3 	April 9 	Denver (7) 	WCHA 	(32–9–2) 	Columbus, Ohio
59 	2005–06	2006 	16 	October 7 	April 8 	Wisconsin (6) 	WCHA 	(30–10–3) 	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
60 	2006–07	2007 	16 	October 6 	April 7 	Michigan State (3) 	CCHA 	(26–13–3) 	St. Louis, Missouri
61 	2007–08	2008 	16 	October 7 	April 12	Boston College (3) 	Hockey East 	(25–11–8) 	Denver, Colorado
62 	2008–09	2009 	16 	October 10	April 11	Boston University (5)	Hockey East 	(35–6–4) 	Washington, D.C.
63 	2009–10	2010 	16 	October 8 	April 10	Boston College (4) 	Hockey East 	(29–10–3) 	Detroit, Michigan
64 	2010–11	2011 	16 	October 2 	April 9 	Minnesota-Duluth (1) 	WCHA 	(26–10–6) 	St. Paul, Minnesota
65 	2011–12	2012 	16 	October 1 	April 7 	Boston College (5) 	Hockey East 	(33–10–1) 	Tampa, Florida
66 	2012–13	2013 	16 	October 6 	April 13	Yale (1) 	ECAC 	(22–12–3) 	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
==Conference realignment and dissolution==
In 2010, Terrence Pegula, an alumnus of Pennsylvania State University, donated $102 million to his alma mater for the express purpose of building a brand-new hockey arena and to fund the upgrade of both the men's and women's ice hockey programs from club level to Division I. This began a chain of events that caused a massive amount of conference realignment, the founding of two new conferences, and the ending of one of the oldest conferences in the NCAA. Penn State's rise to the D-I ranks gave the Big Ten its sixth university that sponsored varsity men's ice hockey, a number significant for two reasons. First, Big Ten bylaws dictate that the conference can only sponsor a sport if it has at least six participating members. More significantly, NCAA rules on conference formation dictate that at least six teams must be present for a conference to receive an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. In short order the other five teams announced their intention to leave their current conferences (WCHA and CCHA). In response several members of the WCHA, including traditional powerhouses Denver and North Dakota, split to form a new conference, the NCHC. The NCHC quickly grew to 8 member teams, leaving the WCHA with only 4 remaining schools and the CCHA with 6. Five of the remaining CCHA schools then proceeded to join the WCHA, along with the Independent Alabama-Huntsville, bringing the WCHA up to 10 member schools. The remaining CCHA team, Notre Dame, joined Hockey East. In essence all of the universities that changed conferences were not significantly harmed by the changes because no team was left without a conference by the start of the 2013–14 season, but the shift did create one more automatic qualifier for the tournament, reducing the chance to receive an at-large bid for all schools across the nation.
No.	Season 	Tournament	No. of teamsin tournament	Start 	Finish 	NCAA Champion(number)	ChampionConference	ChampionRecord	Championship Site
67 	2013–14	2014 	16 	October 4	April 12	Union (1) 	ECAC 	(30–6–4) 	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
68 	2014–15	2015 	16 	October 4	April 13	Providence (1) 	Hockey East 	(26–13–2) 	Boston, Massachusetts
69 	2015–16	2016 	16 	October 3	April 9 	North Dakota (8) 	NCHC 	(34–6–4) 	Tampa, Florida
70 	2016–17	2017 	16 	October 1	April 8 	Denver (8) 	NCHC 	(33–7–4) 	Chicago, Illinois
71 	2017–18	2018 	16 	October 1	April 7 	Minnesota–Duluth (2) 	NCHC 	(25–16–3) 	St. Paul, Minnesota
==See also==
*List of NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament champions
==References==
==External links==
*USCHO.com
*College Hockey Historical Archives
Category:NCAA seasons