For Coach David Carle, DU’s perfect 10 equals the best in college hockey

David Carle doesn’t want to sound belligerent.

He wishes it wouldn’t be necessary to publicly point out what should seem so very apparent to anyone who cares to look.

But when it comes to University of Denver hockey, some folks seem to have blind spots.

So Carle and his Pioneers take it upon themselves to shed a little light on the subject.

“And now we are the indisputable, best program in college. You could have argued it a couple of months ago. You can’t argue it now.”

That was the Denver coach, speaking to a group of true believers — a rabid crowd gathered at Magness Arena to celebrate the team’s national championship. A 2-0 victory last weekend over Boston College gave DU its 10th NCAA title, the most in the sport — one more than the University of Michigan, two more than North Dakota, double that of Minnesota, Boston University or Boston College.

And yet some were hesitant to include the Pioneers amongst the who’s who of college hockey.

So when the final horn blew at the end of the Frozen Four in St. Paul, after the gloves and sticks were dropped and the players dogpiled on the ice, after Carle and his staff hugged it out on the bench, after the championship trophy was hoisted, the team returned to its locker room, where a sign, seemingly preordained, awaited them.

“How ‘Bout Now?”

Indeed, DU is on top of collegiate hockey, and recently Carle spoke with Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner about the road to the championship, as well as what it will take for the journey to continue.

“We also went to the program and everybody to turn our attention toward next season, as crazy as that sounds, in trying to win our 11th championship,” Carle said. “We always have our eye on the future … we’re always looking, planning and I think it’s what we’re known to do.

“So you always have to have an eye on the future and an eye in the present and in the past. We want to be perennial contenders year in and year out. And so you have to be able to go from two feet elevation to 50,000 feet elevation within a given day or hour.”

Carle also spoke about his route to the Pioneers’ bench.

Abbie Parr/AP

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