The 2001–02 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on October 5, 2001, and concluded with the 2002 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on April 6, 2002, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This was the 55th season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 108th year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team.

The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player. It has been awarded 44 times. It is named for Hall of Famer Hobey Baker, who played college hockey at Princeton University and died shortly after World War I.