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. 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).
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.
The tournament champion received the Pettit Cup, named in honor of Lloyd and Jane Bradley Pettit.
Yearly results 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 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
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