DU hockey unveils championship ring for 2026 title

DU hockey unveiled its 2026 championship ring Thursday night, and this one might be the most outrageous piece of hardware in college sports history. The ring commemorates Denver’s NCAA-record 11th national title — a 2-1 win over Wisconsin at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this past April — and Jostens packed every inch of it.

The headliner: a flip-top dome that opens to reveal the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, the scores of all four NCAA Tournament wins (5-0 Cornell, 6-2 WMU, 4-3 Michigan, 2-1 Wisconsin), and a removable poker chip tucked inside.

One side of the chip carries the team’s two records — 13-11-2, where they sat on January 23, and 29-11-2, where they finished — honoring a 16-0-1 heater that ranks as the fourth-longest unbeaten streak in program history. The other side features the Vegas skyline and a pair of pocket aces. Two ones. Eleven.

The dome reads “National C11ampions” — the “H” swapped for an “11” — with eleven stones crowning the NCAA trophy, the largest one marking the title game victory on April 11. Eleven red stones border the outside. The number is everywhere, because it is that impressive.

Below is a video from the Pioneers that shows off the new bling.

On the left side of the band: the word “Personal” — the team’s playoff rallying cry. On the right: “The Standard” — the phrase ESPN’s John Buccigross used on air after Denver demolished defending champion Western Michigan 6-2 in the regional final. A hockey stick runs along the right side with 17 stones on the shaft, one for each goal scored in the tournament. The blade reads “All In.”

The outer band features five stones — three red — representing three titles in five years (2022, 2024, 2026). Inside the loop, every championship year from 1958 to 2026 is engraved in a row.

A playing-card suit pattern flows across both sides of the ring as one final tip of the cap to Vegas.

Head coach David Carle, who now owns three national titles at age 36, presented the rings alongside staff at a private ceremony near campus. The team’s seniors helped design the look, per the school.

The Pioneers return much of that team and start the chase on a dozen next month.

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