The Badger Showdown was a college Division I men's ice hockey tournament usually played before New Years at first the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and then the Kohl Center in Madison. Wisconsin served as the tournament's host for the entirety of its run.[1] The tournament was first held in 1989 and was played during the final week of December every year but twice: in 2005 and 2010. Wisconsin competed in the tournament every year and won more than half of the total championships (11 out of 21).

Badger Showdown
SportCollege ice hockey
Founded1989
Ceased2010
No. of teams4
Venue(s)Bradley Center 1989–2002
Kohl Center 2003–2010
Last
champion(s)
Wisconsin
Most titlesWisconsin (11)

The tournament was conceived by Jeff Sauer and Joel Maturi and was initially a huge success, drawing over 30,000 fans for its first iteration. By the 21st century, however, its audience had dwindled to less than half that number and its main sponsor dropped the showcase in 2002. A move to the Badger's home venue in 2003 kept the tournament alive for several more years but it was ultimately cancelled as a cost-cutting measure, with the final championship held in January 2010.[2]

The tournament champion received the Pettit Cup, named in honor of Lloyd and Jane Bradley Pettit.[3]

Yearly results

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Year Pettit Cup Runner-up Third place Fourth place
2009 Wisconsin Yale Ferris State Merrimack
2008 Wisconsin Lake Superior State Alabama-Huntsville Harvard
2007 Northeastern Colgate Wisconsin Bowling Green
2006 Clarkson Lake Superior State Wisconsin Providence
2005 Wisconsin Northern Michigan Wayne State Western Michigan
2004 Ferris State Wisconsin Clarkson Yale
2003 Ferris State Wisconsin Massachusetts–Lowell Union
2002 Wisconsin Northern Michigan Harvard Colgate
2001 New Hampshire Brown Wisconsin Colorado College
2000 Wisconsin Boston University North Dakota Princeton
1999 North Dakota Wisconsin Nebraska-Omaha Miami
1998 Bowling Green Yale Cornell Wisconsin
1997 Wisconsin Northern Michigan Harvard Boston College
1996 New Hampshire Colorado College Vermont Wisconsin
1995 Boston University Notre Dame Wisconsin Princeton
1994 Wisconsin Lake Superior State Bowling Green Northeastern
1993 Wisconsin Northern Michigan Providence Alaska–Fairbanks
1992 Boston University Wisconsin Miami Boston College
1991 Wisconsin Maine Yale Toronto
1990 Wisconsin North Dakota St. Lawrence Bowling Green
1989 Wisconsin Boston College Minnesota–Duluth Notre Dame

Team records

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Team # of times participated Titles
Wisconsin 21 11
Boston University 3 2
Ferris State 3 2
New Hampshire 2 2
Bowling Green 4 1
North Dakota 3 1
Clarkson 2 1
Northeastern 2 1
Northern Michigan 4 0
Yale 4 0
Boston College 3 0
Harvard 3 0
Lake Superior State 3 0
Colgate 2 0
Colorado College 2 0
Miami 2 0
Notre Dame 2 0
Princeton 2 0
Providence 2 0
Alabama-Huntsville 1 0
Alaska-Fairbanks 1 0
Brown 1 0
Cornell 1 0
Maine 1 0
Massachusetts–Lowell 1 0
Merrimack 1 0
Minnesota-Duluth 1 0
Nebraska-Omaha 1 0
St. Lawrence 1 0
Toronto 1 0
Union 1 0
Vermont 1 0
Western Michigan 1 0
Wayne State 1 0

References

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  1. ^ "Badger Showdown". College Hockey Historical Archive. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  2. ^ "Baggot: Sadly, it's time to say goodbye to Showdown". Madison.com. 2010-01-01. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  3. ^ "Final Badger Hockey Showdown takes place this weekend". Madison.com. 2010-01-01. Retrieved 2017-09-04.