Valentine’s Day will be extra special this year for DU’s hockey players. Not only will the Pioneers be battling the number-one ranked University of North Dakota, but the game will also be broadcasted internationally. The Feb. 14 game will be broadcasted throughout Canada on channel TSN2. Although some games are shown on NBCSN and ESPNU in the US, it is not common for these games to be televised across the northern border.

Denver sophomore Will Butcher is not new to the international stage. In the past few months, Butcher has been training and playing with the USA Junior team and was an assistant captain for the team.

“It has given me more experience and it has helped my future career playing and it has helped me play on the international stage against peers which is great for my career,” Butcher said.

The rest of Butcher’s Denver teammates will soon experience the international stage, as well.

Simply having international coverage is a huge honor, but there is a huge underlying recruiting benefit for DU, and head coach Jim Montgomery is excited for what the Valentine’s Day coverage could bring to the program.
“I think it really is a huge recruiting tool for us to be exposed to every living room in Canada. Hopefully other players will see the team we have here and want to come to DU,” Montgomery said.

With seven of DU’s players hailing from Canada, this coverage is also a blessing for them and their families.
“It gets our Canadian players excited because their families will be able to see them on TV, especially because their families aren’t always able to see the games,” Montgomery said.

Despite all of the coverage benefits, both Coach Montgomery and Butcher agree that it will have no effect on the game and how the team needs to perform.

“It won’t change at all how we will be preparing and it won’t have any effect at all on how we play,” Butcher said.

Denver will face off against North Dakota in Grand Forks at 6 p.m. on Feb. 14 and will be televised on the FOX College channel in the US.