Study shows Gophers hockey is a serious moneymaker for U of M athletics

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 1:49 PM ET

Sage Zipeto / Gopher Athletics

College hockey is in the national sports headlines after super prospect Gavin McKenna opted to play his final developmental year in the NCAA at Penn State, instead of remaining in Canada. A recent article showed that the Nitanny Lions program is generating some serious revenue, but it's still nowhere near Minnesota.

Out of every athletic department in the country that has FBS football, Gophers men's hockey trailed only Arkansas baseball in terms of ticket sales for non-football and men's basketball programs in 2023-24. Minnesota brought in $3.98 million in ticket sales, according to Sportico.com.

Source: University documents, FY 2024

That number puts Gophers men's hockey ahead of notable sports programs like LSU baseball, UConn women's basketball and Nebraska women's volleyball. Men's college hockey is continuing to become more and more popular, but Minnesota's program has always been in a class of its own in terms of fan base.

It's interesting to note that reports came out earlier this week that the University of Minnesota's athletics budget faces a $8.75 million deficit. The deficit is reportedly driven largely by the new House v. NCAA settlement, which results in new payments from the school to its student athletes.

Many athletic departments across the country don't have the luxury of having a sport like men's hockey drive in so much money, as Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan are the only other programs on the list. So, it's fair to wonder why the Gophers are struggling financially.

The entire landscape of college sports continues to seemingly change weekly, but this article shows that the men's hockey program is something that makes Minnesota a unique University for college athletics. As more focus continues to shift to sports like football and men's basketball, it will be important for the Gophers not to forget about their men's hockey program.