Early history In 1938
Spencer Penrose and Charles Tutt developed plans to convert
The Broadmoor's unused equestrian center into an indoor ice arena, known as the
Broadmoor Ice Palace. After three weeks at a cost of $200,000 the Ice Palace opened and became the home of the Tigers Hockey program and the
Broadmoor Skating Club. Colorado College Tiger Hockey began in 1938 playing in the Pikes Peak Hockey League with various local teams sponsored by Colorado Springs area businesses., Garrett Livingston took over as head coach fin 1939 from John Atwood, who served as player/coach for the first season. The league became the Western Intercollegiate Hockey League (WIHL) in 1953 and became the
Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) in November 1959. In 1961 the Ice Palace became known as the Broadmoor World Arena. The Tigers finished the regular season and captured the school's first and only
WCHA Tournament Championship and received a bid to the NCAA Tournament, in the first round the Tigers lost to
Bowling Green State 3-5.
The lean years Bedecki abruptly resigned in 1958, and the Tigers went into a decline that would last for almost four decades. From 1958 to 1993, the Tigers would have only three winning seasons. The low point came in 1961-62, when the Tigers finished with a 0-23 record, still the worst in school history.
Recent history In 1993
Don Lucia became the head coach of the Tigers. In his first season, 1993–94, he led the team to win the
MacNaughton Cup, given to the WCHA regular season champion. It was Colorado College's first Cup win since 1957. After serving as the Tigers' home ice for 55 years the Broadmoor World Arena closed in March 1994 and later demolished by The Broadmoor to make room for the resort's expansion. Colorado College was then invited by the
Air Force Academy to play at their home ice, the
Cadet Ice Arena until the new
World Arena opened in 1998 on the southern side of Colorado Springs. The Tigers returned to the NCAA post season in
1995 for the first time since 1978. The Tigers lost in the quarterfinal round to Minnesota 2-5. The following season CC made a second straight NCAA tournament appearance, receiving a number one seed in
1996 NCAA Tournament. Colorado College beat
UMass Lowell 5-3 in the quarterfinals and
Vermont 4-3 in the semifinal round before losing to 2-3 in overtime to Michigan in the championship game. CC returned to the
Frozen Four under Lucia for a second straight season in
1997 before losing to North Dakota 6-2. Lucia lead the Tigers to two additional NCAA Tournament appearances in
1998 and
1999 before leaving Colorado College to become head coach at Minnesota. In the
2005 Tournament The Tigers returned to the Frozen Four with a 4-3 victory over Michigan in the Midwest Regional Final. In the Semifinal round the Tigers fell to the eventual national champion and rival Denver 2-6. Owens lead CC to the NCAA Tournament again in
2006 Tournament and in
2008 Tournament, ending in first round exits both times. The Tigers' win was led by freshman
Jaden Schwartz, a
first round draft choice of the
St. Louis Blues making his St. Louis debut in the West Regional. The Tigers' season ended in the Regional final in a 1-2 loss to Michigan.
New arena in 2021 In 2018, CC announced plans to build a new $38 million arena located on campus. The facility is named Edward J. Robson Arena in honor of 1954 CC alum and former Tigers hockey player Edward Robson. This is the Tigers' new home rink after playing at the
World Arena since 1998. The new arena has a capacity of 3,407, less than half that of World Arena. It features an NHL-sized rink instead of the World Arena's Olympic-size rink. Robson Arena sits around 6,050 feet above sea level, about 200 feet below the World Arena. Colorado College initially hoped for it to be ready for play by 2020. Changes made during the planning process, most notably the addition of a parking garage and a shift in the arena footprint within its city block, led to delays. The arena opened for the 2021–22 season. ==Season-by-season results==