Athletic director Barry Alvarez and men’s hockey head coach Mike Eaves met with the media Monday afternoon to discuss the outlook for the team’s upcoming historic 50th season.
To commemorate the team’s 50 seasons, the Badgers will hold an honorary puck drop at each of the team’s home games this year and have designed a patch (right) for the players to wear on their jerseys.
The most lasting commendation to come from these celebrations, though, is the dedication of the Kohl Center rink to legendary Badger coach Bob Johnson.
“It’s well deserved. It is well deserved for many reasons,” Eaves said. “The fact he came in, he came in and got the program started again, and sold it.”
Johnson served as the Badgers’ head coach from 1966 to 1982, winning three NCAA titles during that span.
With the team’s season about a month away, Eaves still gave his impressions on his squad’s outlook in 2012-’13.
“The neatest thing we can say as a coaching staff is we’re going to be older,” Eaves said. “After having 20 sophomores and freshmen last year, now we’re going to be an upper-class team having more balance, and that’s going to be a real good place to start.”
