The Princeton Tigers men's ice hockey team is a

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) Division I

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the go ...

program that represents

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

. The Tigers are a member of

ECAC Hockey ECAC Hockey is one of the six conferences that compete in NCAA Division I college ice hockey, ice hockey. The conference used to be affiliated with the Eastern College Athletic Conference, a consortium of over 300 colleges in the eastern United ...

. They play at the

Hobey Baker Memorial Rink Hobey Baker Memorial Rink is a 2,054-seat hockey arena in Princeton, New Jersey. It is home to the Princeton University Tigers men's and women's ice hockey teams as well as the venue for club and intramural hockey teams, intramural broomball, ...

Princeton, New Jersey The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...

. In 1999, future

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

player

Jeff Halpern Jeffrey Craig Halpern (born May 3, 1976) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played for the Washington Capitals twice, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, and Phoenix Co ...

scored 22 goals to tie for the most goals in the ECAC and was co-winner of Princeton's Roper Trophy for athletic and academic achievement. In 2010–11,

Andrew Calof Andrew James Calof (born May 9, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who currently playing for HK Poprad of the Slovak Extraliga. Early and personal life Calof was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and is Jewish. His parents are J ...

was ECAC Rookie of the Year.

History

Princeton University had an ice hockey team organized already during the 1894–95 season, when the school still went by the name of College of New Jersey. On March 3, 1895 the university ice hockey team faced a

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

aggregation at the

North Avenue Ice Palace The North Avenue Ice Palace in Baltimore, Maryland, United States was one of the first examples of an indoor artificial ice rink in North America. It was located on North Avenue between Charles Street and Lovegrove Alley and extended north to 20t ...

in Baltimore,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

and won by a score of 5–0. The players on the 1895 team were Chester Derr, John Brooks, Howard Colby, James Blair, Frederick Allen, Ralph Hoagland and

Art Wheeler Arthur Ledlie Wheeler (May 12, 1872 – December 20, 1917) was an American college football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969. A severely injured Wheeler was historically photographed along with two other ...

. For the 1899–1900 season the Princeton University ice hockey team became a member of the Intercollegiate Hockey League (ICHL) where they played organized league games against other Ivy League school teams such as

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

, Columbia,

Cornell Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson White in 1865. Since ...

, Dartmouth,

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

and

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

. Princeton's most famous ice hockey player

Hobey Baker Hobart Amory Hare "Hobey" Baker (January 15, 1892 – December 21, 1918) was an American amateur athlete of the early twentieth century. Considered the first American star in ice hockey by the Hockey Hall of Fame, he was also an accomplished Am ...

(1892–1918) played for the school team between 1911 and 1914, before he graduated and went on to play for the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

based St. Nicholas Hockey Club. As many college programs did, Princeton's ice hockey squad suspended operations for the 1917–18 season due to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

entering

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

but the icers returned after the armistice was signed. A few years later the Tigers hired their first head coach,

Russell O. Ellis Russell may refer to: People * Russell (given name) * Russell (surname) * Lady Russell (disambiguation) * Lord Russell (disambiguation) ** Bertrand Russell *Justice Russell (disambiguation) Places *Russell Island (disambiguation) *Mount Russel ...

, but they would go through several more before they could find someone to lead the program for more than a few years. Despite the tumult behind the bench Princeton was still producing some of the best teams in college hockey, setting a program record of 15 wins that would stand for 76 years. In the midst of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

Richard Vaughan came to Princeton and would helm the team for the next quarter-century. Vaughan would keep the Tigers competitive through much of his tenure and his 159 wins remains a program high 60 years after his retirement. Princeton found it difficult to replace Vaughan, going through 5 coaches in 18 years while producing only two winning records in that time. The team's nadir came under

Bill Quackenbush Hubert George Quackenbush (March 2, 1922 – September 12, 1999), known as Bill Quackenbush, was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League. During his 14-y ...

who, despite ending up in the

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

as a player, was the program's worst coach as far as records go. Quackenbush's tenure began well with Princeton making the ECAC tournament for the first time, but the following season the team slid to 16th in the conference and would not win more than 5 games a year for the next 5 seasons. Quackenbush remained with the program even after a 1–22 season but resigned in 1973 with the Tigers an afterthought in

. Princeton would not play another postseason game until 1985, the year after 7 teams left to form

Hockey East The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for ...

, and they would not win a playoff game until

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

under first-year head coach

Don Cahoon Don 'Toot' Cahoon (born April 13, 1949) is a retired American ice hockey coach. He was the head coach of the Princeton Tigers when they won their first conference tournament championship in 1998. For almost 40 years Cahoon worked behind the ben ...

Coach Ben Syer speaks with Princeton Tigers players

During Cahoon's time at Princeton the program recovered from decades as a bottom-feeder and in 1995 produced their first winning season in 27 years. Three seasons later the Tigers won their first conference tournament and made the NCAA tournament for the first time. After Cahoon left to head

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

in 2000, he was replaced by long-time assistant Len Quesnelle but after four years the team was back at the bottom of the conference and he was swiftly replaced by Guy Gadowsky. It took Gadowsky a few years to get the Tigers back on their feet but he led the team to its second conference championship in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, setting a program high with 21 wins that he bested by 1 the following year. Two years later Gadowsky left and was replaced by Bob Prier but just as had happened with Cahoon, the successor did not last long and after a dismal third season Ron Fogarty was hired as the 17th head coach in program history. As of 2019 Fogarty's best season came in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

when he led an underdog Tigers squad to their 3rd conference title.

Season-by-season results

Records vs. current ECAC Hockey teams

As of the completion of 2018–19 season

All-time coaching records

As of completion of 2024–25 season

Statistical leaders

The team's statistical leaders are as follows.

Career points leaders

Career goaltending leaders

''GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% =

Save percentage Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various Goal (sports), goal-scoring sports that track Save (goaltender), saves as a statistic. In ice hockey and lacrosse and association football, it is a sta ...

; GAA =

Goals against average Goals against average (GAA), also known as average goals against (AGA), is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on spo ...

'' Minimum 30 games Statistics current through the start of the 2019–20 season.

Roster

As of September 6, 2024.

Awards and honors

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

(1945)

US Hockey Hall of Fame

(1973)

NCAA

All-Americans

AHCA First Team All-Americans *1952-53: Hank Bothfeld, F *1985-86: Cliff Abrecht, D *2007-08:

Mike Moore Michael Moore is an American filmmaker and author. Michael Moore may also refer to: Academia * Michael G. Moore (fl. 1970s–2020s), professor of education * Michael S. Moore (academic) (fl. 1960s–2020s), American law professor * Michael Mo ...

, D; Lee Jubinville, F *2018-19: Ryan Kuffner, F AHCA Second Team All-Americans *1997-98:

Steve Shirreffs Steve Shirreffs (born February 18, 1976) is an American former professional ice hockey forward who played for the Portland Pirates, Hampton Roads Admirals, Kärpät, Cleveland Barons (2001–2006), Cleveland Barons, Reading Royals and Porin Äss� ...

, D *2008-09: Zane Kalemba, G *2010-11: Taylor Fedun, D *2017-18: Ryan Kuffner, F; Max Véronneau, F

ECAC Hockey

Individual awards

Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is held on b ...

* Lee Jubinville: 2008 * Zane Kalemba: 2009 Rookie of the Year * John Messuri: 1986 * Andre Faust: 1989 *

: 2011 Best Defensive Defenseman *

: 2008 *

Danny Biega Danny Biega (born September 29, 1991) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Hurricanes in the third round (67th overal ...

: 2012 Best Defensive Forward *

Ian Sharp James Ian Sharp (born 13 November 1946, Clitheroe, Lancashire) is an English film and television director. He is best known for directing the SAS action thriller '' Who Dares Wins'' (1982) and directing the action sequences of the James Bond ...

: 1994, 1995 * Syl Apps III: 1999 Ken Dryden Award * Zane Kalemba: 2009 Student-Athlete of the Year * Landis Stankievech: 2008 Tim Taylor Award * Guy Gadowsky: 2008 Most Outstanding Player in tournament *

: 1998 * Zane Kalemba: 2008 * Ryan Ferland: 2018

All-Conference

First Team All-ECAC Hockey * 1985–86: Cliff Abrecht, D * 1987–88: John Messuri, F * 1997–98:

, F * 2004–05: Luc Paquin, D * 2007–08:

, D; Lee Jubinville, F * 2008–09: Zane Kalemba, G * 2010–11: Taylor Fedun, D * 2017–18: Max Véronneau, F * 2018–19: Ryan Kuffner, F Second Team All-ECAC Hockey * 1961–62: John Cook, F * 1962–63: John Cook, F * 1967–68: Thomas Rawls, D * 1986–87: John Messuri, F * 1989–90: Mike McKee, D; Andre Faust, F; Greg Polaski, F * 1991–92: Andre Faust, F * 1993–94: Sean O'Brien, D * 1997–98:

, F * 1998–99:

, D;

, F * 1999–2000: Kirk Lamb, F * 2004–05: Dustin Sproat, F * 2007–08: Brett Wilson, F * 2009–10: Taylor Fedun, D * 2011–12: Michael Sdao, D * 2012–13:

, F * 2016–17: Max Véronneau, F * 2017–18: Ryan Kuffner, F * 2018–19: Max Véronneau, F Third Team All-ECAC Hockey * 2005–06: Eric Leroux, G; Grant Goeckner-Zoeller, F * 2008–09: Jody Peterson, D * 2010–11:

, F * 2017–18: Josh Teves, D * 2018–19: Josh Teves, D ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team * 1987–88: Mark Salsbury, G; Andy Cesarski, D * 1988–89: Mike McKee, D; Andre Faust, F * 1990–91: Rob Laferriere, F * 1992–93: Jason Smith, D * 1994–95: Casson Masters, D * 1996–97: Dominique Auger, D * 2005–06: Brett Wilson, F * 2010–11:

, F * 2015–16: Ryan Kuffner, F * 2016–17: Jackson Cressey, F

Olympians

This is a list of Princeton alumni who have played on an Olympic team. † denotes the AAU team that marched in the opening ceremony but did not participate.

Tigers in the NHL

As of July 1, 2024. † Jeff Halpern won a Stanley Cup as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020. File:Mike Condon, Montreal Canadiens 3, Ottawa Senators 4, Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec (29773480240) (cropped).jpg, Mike Condon File:Jeff Halpern Coyotes.jpg,

File:MikeMoore.jpg,

File:George Parros.jpg,

George Parros George James Parros (born December 29, 1979) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), who currently serves as the head of the NHL's Department of Player Safety, with the tit ...

File:Kevin Westgarth 2013-04-27.JPG, Kevin Westgarth Source:

References

External links

* {{ECAC Hockey League College ice hockey teams in New Jersey NCAA Division I men's ice hockey teams 1899 establishments in New Jersey Ice hockey clubs established in 1899