The Colorado College hockey team is one of the few certainties in Colorado Springs.

Regardless of the year, the Tigers will be competitive nationally. For the past nine years Tigers players have come and gone. But the certainty in the program resides in its coach, Scott Owens, No. 6 on The Gazette’s list of the area’s most influential sports figures.

Air Force hockey coach Frank Serratore was No. 20, followed by USOC Communications Director Darryl Seibel, Pacific Coast League President Branch B. Rickey III, running legend Matt Carpenter, Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Director Paul Butcher, Sports Corp. Communications Director Mike Moran, Mayor Lionel Rivera, USA Hockey director Dave Ogrean and former USGA president Judy Bell, President and CEO of The Broadmoor Steve Bartolin, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart, Sky Sox president and general manager Tony Ensor, Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson and Sports Corp. President and CEO Tom Osborne.

The toughest job in sports is not turning around a downtrodden program. The toughest job in sports is taking a successful program and maintaining or improving on the status quo.

Owens, a 1979 CC graduate, has more victories than any coach in the program’s 71-year history. He has coached the Tigers to 223 victories in nine seasons, an average of almost 25 a season.

Under Owens, the Tigers have won three Western Collegiate Hockey Association titles, made it to the NCAA Tournament six times and advanced to the Frozen Four in 2005. Owens has had two Hobey Baker winners in Peter Sejna and Marty Sertich and a Hobey Baker finalist in Brett Sterling.

Last season, goalie Richard Bachman was the WCHA Player of the Year. Jack Hillen was the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. And those two joined forward Chad Rau on the WCHA first team.

Surprisingly none of them were mentioned as candidates for the Hobey Baker.

“I’ll be very honest with you,” Denver coach George Gwozdecky said. “… Richard Bachman and Chad Rau have had great years in the WCHA. And within the WCHA they were awarded accordingly. For them not to receive the national recognition of being in the top 10 – it’s just not right.”

When the enemy is giving your players that kind of praise, you’re doing something right as a coach and a recruiter.

About the listContinuing until Aug. 24, The Gazette will chronicle the 20 Most Influential Sports Figures in the Colorado Springs area.

We compiled a list of local sports power brokers and e-mailed it to numerous movers and shakers of the Colorado Springs sports community. They, and some members of our sports staff, had the not-so-simple task of telling us who would be on their list – in order from No. 1 to No. 20.

We received 37 full lists, partial lists and lists of all the people we should’ve added to the original list.Folks with more than 20 were asked to whittle it down. Folks with fewer than 20 were asked to increase the number.

In the end, we received 22 lists of 20.

Twenty points were awarded to every first-place vote. Second place votes received 19 points, third place 18, fourth place 17 and so on – 440 points were possible.

The person with the most points received the highest rank.

On the 24th, when we reveal No. 1, we will also reveal the total number of votes each of the 20 people received. There will be an “others receiving votes category.”

Media members were ineligible to receive votes.

Also on the 24th, on gazettedev.gazette.com you will be able to give us your arrangement of the 20 finalists.

Doug and Stephanie Schwenke climbed the incline as the sun rose over el paso county last week. if a deal between the city and cog goes through, the incline could be open to hikers in months. Photo by