Restoring The Rink: University of Illinois-Chicago

The pool of eligible players for NCAA Division I hockey swelled last fall with the addition of CHL players. Despite the increase, the number of teams at the Division I level has dropped to 63, with American International College joining the Division II ranks. Restoring The Rink examines programs that have gone defunct and their viability in today’s market.

History: The University of Illinois-Chicago Flames (UIC) were the only NCAA Division I Hockey program in the greater Chicagoland area. From 1966-1981 the Flames competed at the Division II level the Flames before jumping to Division I. After a year as an independent program, UIC joined the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). Despite being in the heart of Chicago, UIC struggled on the ice and with attendance, having their best season in 1988-89 with a 23–14–5 record. With the university facing a $600,000 budget shortfall in 1995, UIC cut hockey and focused on basketball.

Hockey Impact: Despite the program's attendance issues, the people involved with UIC Hockey have gone on to make permanently alter the game of hockey.

Former Flames Captain Rob Hutson helps to run Team Illinois, one of the most prestigious AAA Programs in the United States. Team Illinois or "TI" as it is colloquially known produces waves of talented athletes on a yearly basis that move on to both the junior and professional levels. Three of Hutson's sons are in NHL pipelines. Quinn is a forward for the Edmonton Oilers organization, Lane is a Calder Trophy winning defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens and Cole is a 2024 second round pick of the Washington Capitals. 

Former UIC Head Coach Larry Pedrie was also involved extensively in Team Illinois before joining Windy City Storm as their President of Girls Hockey Operations. Larry's son Vince played Division I at Penn State and professionally at the AHL level before returning to his alma mater as an Assistant Coach. 

Additionally, four UIC Alumni have also played in the NHL. These players are Wade Campbell, Shawn Cronin, Mike Rucinski and Ray Staszak. 

Market Viability: 

The decision to cut hockey after 1995-1996 seemed logical on paper. Both hockey and basketball were losing a significant amount of money and a choice had to be made to offset the $600,000 shortfall. However, the further we move away from 1996, the more shortsighted the decision seems. The basketball team did make the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 1997, 2002 and 2004. However, since 2004, UIC Basketball has made neither the NCAA nor NIT tournaments. They have only one winning season since 2017-18 and have finished below third in their conference in all but four years since 2000.

Meanwhile, Illinois hockey has skyrocketed, owing in large part to the success of the Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Wolves. Since the dissolution of UIC Hockey in 1996, the Wolves have won five championships spread across two professional leagues and the Blackhawks had their incredible dynasty years. At the youth level, Illinois hockey has some of the top AAA teams in the country, not including Team Illinois. Chicago Mission, Windy City Storm and Chicago Reapers all compete at the national level and are perennial ranked among the best teams in the United States.

Coach Larry Pedrie said it best in a 2017 interview with CollegeHockeyNews. "Should there be a (college) program somewhere in Illinois, and could they be successful with just Illinois kids? Yes and yes," said Pedrie. "You could certainly build at least half your roster based on Chicago kids."

With the recent expansion of the Blackhawks Ice Center as the new home of the USHL's Chicago Steel and USHL Fall Classic, the time is now to Restore The Rink and bring back NCAA Division I Hockey at the University of Illinois-Chicago.