Ice Hockey team

Des Moines Buccaneers

Club · United States · USHL

«The Bucs»

374 Matches

154 wins

220 losses

1087–1248 Goals

−161 Difference

2.9 Scored per game

Form W W W L L L

In August 2020, a derecho tore through Iowa and ripped open the roof of Buccaneer Arena in Urbandale, sending the Buccaneers to play out of Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines. Four years later a broken ice plant did much the same thing, pushing the team's games to a rink in West Des Moines while their own building sat empty. The address on the scoreboard changed twice; the team that skated out did not.

The franchise dates to February 1980, arriving in the United States Hockey League for its second season and staying under the same name ever since. Buccaneer Arena has worn three names since it opened — Des Moines Ice Arena, then Metro Ice Sports Arena from 1973, then Buccaneer Arena from 2004 — and held the Buccaneers for 46 seasons before the storm and the failing ice plant sent them elsewhere.

Des Moines built its name in the 1990s, winning the Clark Cup in 1992, 1995 and 1999 under coach Bob Ferguson, then again in 2006 under Regg Simon with Kyle Okposo on the roster. The Anderson Cup, awarded for the best regular season, also came to Des Moines four times in that stretch, a run that made The Bucs one of the league's dominant sides. Games against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, the Dubuque Fighting Saints and the Waterloo Black Hawks still carry the weight of the Dupaco Cowbell Cup rivalry.

Scott Clemmensen wore the jersey in 1995 and 1996 before a long career as an NHL goaltender, and in October 2017 he returned to Des Moines on the other side of the business, buying the club from Gil Peled through Orchard View Sports & Entertainment.

Latest results

Fixtures and results

11 Oct	USHL	Lincoln Stars H	0:1	L
10 Oct	USHL	Lincoln Stars A	3:4	L
4 Oct	USHL	Tri-City Storm H	3:7	L
3 Oct	USHL	Omaha Lancers H	4:1	W
27 Sep	USHL	Omaha Lancers A	3:2	W
26 Sep	USHL	Omaha Lancers A	4:2	W

Standing

USHL

Group stage · Western Conference

#	Team	M	W	L	Goals
1	Waterloo Black Hawks	6	5	1	22:14
2	Des Moines Buccaneers	8	5	3	28:21
3	Tri-City Storm	8	5	3	40:30
4	Fargo Force	8	5	3	24:16
5	Sioux Falls Stampede	9	5	4	31:28
6	Lincoln Stars	7	3	4	15:23
7	Sioux City Musketeers	8	3	5	28:27
8	Omaha Lancers	6	2	4	15:21