Des Moines Buccaneers (Design, Hosting, Registration & Administration tools by esportsdeskpro.com)

The Beginning of Buccaneer Hockey

The seeds for the Buccaneers hockey were planted back in 1979 when the United States Olympic team, coached by hockey legend Herb Brooks, was in town to play the St. Louis Blues in an exhibition game at the Metro Ice Sports Arena. Local parents were concerned about the future of youth ice sports in the community due to an impending sale of the arena, and sought out Brooks for his advice on keeping the youth hockey progrm intact. His suggestion was to bring in a permanent tenant for the arena, and quality team that would build excitement for hockey in Des Moines, while also providing a revenue stream to support the building and the youth hockey program. The Buccaneers were born from Brooks' advice, as well as the hard work of youth hockey parents in the community.

The Bucs began USHL play during the 1981-82 season and in a foreshadowing of future success, finished second in the South Division in just their first season. The team continued to have success throughout the 1980's, however the team really made a name for itself during the decade of the 1990's.

Championships

During the 1991-92 season, the team won both the Clark Cup, awarded to the winner of the USHL playoffs, and the Gold Cup, given to the Junior A National Champions. Both titles were the first in the organization's history. The team then won its first Anderson Cup, given to the USHL regular season winner, for finishing in first place at the end of the 1993-94 season.

The next season, 1994-95, the Bucs put it all together and won their first Triple Crown, taking home the Anderson and Clark Cups as well as winning the National Championship. The Bucs again won national championships in 1997-98 and 2005-06.

Scholarships and the NHL

Along with the team success, a number of Buccaneer players have continued to have success in the sport of hockey long after their days in Des Moines were over. Every year, Buccaneer players move on to NCAA Division I hockey programs, and several have gone on to successful NHL careers. Alex Chiasson, a forward from the 2008-09 season, was drafted in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Dallas Stars and will be playing for Boston this coming year. Scott Clemmensen, who played in the Des Moines Youth Hockey program, is a goalie who has played for the New Jersey Devils and now finds his home with the Florida Panthers. Former Buccaneers Erik Cole and Peter Sejna are making contributions to the Carolina Hurricanes and St. Louis Blues respectively. Kyle Okposo, who played on the 2005-06 Clark Cup championship team, is now playing for the New York Islanders.