Although the future appears bright for the Wisconsin Badgers under third-year bench boss Mike Hastings, the national title drought will hit 20 seasons without a crown this winter. So, it was fun to check in with 1990 National Champion and 2023 UW Athletic Hall-of-Fame netminder Duane “Duke” Derksen to remember some good times.
Here are five fun facts about Derksen and his time with the Badgers that I learned.
He First Committed to North Dakota
The year before joining the Badgers in 1988, Derksen was weighing joining the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, then a WCHA rival of the Badgers, as a walk-on.