BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider

MADISON, Wis. — If you knew Duane Derksen during his time with the Wisconsin men's hockey team, you knew he drove a red Chevy Chevette.

It was a 1983 model that had a four-speed manual transmission and an odometer well into the six figures because it regularly delivered Derksen to and from his family home 500 miles away in Morden, Manitoba. It endured an on-campus accident — a guy ran a red light and T-boned the driver's side, temporarily forcing all occupants to enter on the passenger side — and other assorted indignities that came from being parked outside near Orchard Court Apartments and available to anyone on the team who needed it.

"That was the to-go car if anyone had a date or anybody had anything," UW teammate, roommate and close friend Doug Macdonald said. "I don't think the keys ever left the ignition."

In a way, the car served as a metaphor for Derksen's time with the Badgers. It was unique and unforgettable. It was part of a close-knit family. It commanded a sense of humor. It was always at the ready regardless of the journey. Of course, it was the right color.

Derksen came to Madison in 1988 as part of a colossal recruiting coup, then spent four seasons establishing himself as one of the best players in program history. He started two NCAA championship games, helping the Badgers win it all in 1990. When he left in 1992, he owned program records for most career starts (129), wins (80), minutes (7,444) and assists (11). He also had the distinction of being the first goaltender in Wisconsin history to wear a letter on his sweater signifying that he was a co-captain.

Derksen closed out his college career as the Most Valuable Player in the WCHA, a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award — given to the best collegiate player — and a second-team All-American. He finished with an 80-40-6 (.659) career record.

That resume helps explain why Derksen is being inducted in the UW Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

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HIGH FIVE

One: Derksen came to UW in one of the most remarkable recruiting extravaganzas ever. He and Curtis Joseph were the top two goaltending prospects in Canada at the time and both signed with the Badgers.

Joseph, from Richmond Hill, Ontario, became the starter in 1988 and wound up being voted Player of the Year in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. He left school after one season, signed a lucrative free-agent contract with the St. Louis Blues and spent 19 years in the NHL winning 454 games with seven clubs.

Derksen played sparingly as a freshman, but learned a lot from Joseph, whose 91.9 career-save percentage still ranks second in UW history.

"He taught me the competitive spirit, just how you have to keep raising the level of your game," Derksen said. "He taught me a lot about being a competitor."

 

Two: Derksen will join three other puck-stopping legends in the Hall of Fame in Marc Behrend, Brian Elliott and Mike Richter as well as Bill Howard, the long-time goaltending coach whose teachings helped produce six national championships, and Jeff Sauer, who coached the Badgers to two NCAA crowns during his 20-season tenure at Wisconsin.

Howard was happy to hear Derksen would be joining him in the hall.

"He was really good," Howard said. "He bought into it, he worked hard, he listened."

Three: Derksen got word of his induction during a phone call with UW athletic director Chris McIntosh. Derksen, who was driving, pulled over and had himself a good cry.

"I had to collect myself because I was in a state of shock," Derksen said. "It floored me. I didn't know what to say.

"You have all these memories that rush into your head. I obviously thought about our '90 team, Coach Sauer, Coach Howard, (assistant coach) Pete Johnson, (assistant coach) Ian Perrin, who got me to Wisconsin. It was an emotional thought."

Four: Derksen became a household name in Madison and beyond. He won a program-record 31 games as a sophomore, helping the Badgers win their fifth NCAA title with a 7-3 win over Colgate at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Members of that team remain spectacularly close to this day. Their group chats, which include Joseph, are an enduring laugh track.

"It's a special group," Derksen said. "Being on the ice with my guys, lifting up the trophy, looking into the crowd, seeing my parents. It was the best feeling ever."

Five: Derksen, who lives in Saline, Michigan, with his wife Karen and four children, was asked to name a non-hockey entity who made a difference in his life at UW. He said he spoke at length with former chancellor Donna Shalala during an episode of Butch's Bologna Bash.

"She helped me a lot and was a great mentor," he said.

Derksen said he was working on his immigration card and once called Shalala at the White House, where she moved to become Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton after her six-year stint as UW chancellor.

"She answered and gave me great advice," Derksen said.