WCHA commish excited about 12-team league, new arenas

This is the WCHA's 59th season.

"I am excited about a new season in the WCHA," commissioner Bruce McLeod said earlier this month during a teleconference call with all 12 coaches. "What it is all about is the hockey teams out there and the quality and strength of those teams.

"It is going to be another great season and I am more confident than ever that people are going to see what is the best about what collegiate hockey has to offer. Attending WCHA games, that is what it is going to be all about.

"We got some new wrinkles that is for sure. Doug Spencer [the WCHA's associate commissioner for public relatons] talked about our web site and live scoring, things like that. Great. Greg Shepherd [the supervisor of officials] is going to talk about some wrinkles in the new rules.

"But for me, I hope we have a handle and we spent a lot of time at it folks, the blows to the head. Tons of conversation and it dominated our summer for us in a lot of ways. But I hope we have a good situation going. I know this for sure, we are way ahead of where we were last year at this time."

[A UMass player was called for an elbow to the head of Gophers forward Patrick White last Saturday. The Minuteman received a five-minute major and game misconduct.]

"The highlight for us is the addition of two new teams to the association," said McLeod, starting his 17th season as WCHA commissioner. "We had a decade of being at 10, kind of got into that mode pretty good. I truely believe our theme for the year [is] 'The WCHA just got tougher.' The idea if we are pretty good at 10, you are going to enjoy 12."

"Some of our traditional rivalries, you won't be seeing them as much as you like but let me tell you, these two programs -- I believe in my heart of hearts that they are going to make us even better if you give them a little chance," McLeod said. "Keep an open mind about it.

"The situation at Bemidji, I think everyone understands is hockey country. They are truely fired up both as an institution and as a community. I think the editorial that I saw in the [Bemidji] Pioneer the headline was something like, 'Our little town will never be the same.' That really kind of hits it on the head for what is happening in Bemidji and north central Minnesota up there.

"It is truely a dream come true for Bob," McLeod said, referring to former Bemidji State coach Bob Peters.

The Beavers will play North Dakota on Friday and Saturday in their new arena, the Bemidji Regional Events Center. The Fighting Sioux are the coaches' and media's preseason WCHA favorite.

"UNO? I tell you if you spend a little time down there, what an aggressive philosophy and a newly energized program they got going in Omaha," McLeod said. "You take a little time around the Qwest Center there -- they built the new baseball [stadium] for the collegiate world series ... All new hotels. Their warehouse district is thriving. What a great place. If you go down and visit you are going to thoroughly enjoy it.

"UNO in their own way really adds to our situation here in the WCHA."

McLeod said he is also impressed by the commitment that Bemidji and Duluth made to build new arenas. The $70-million AMSOIL arena is nearing completion in Duluth. North Dakota will play against UMD in the first game in the new arena on Dec. 30.

"They are mothballing the old DECC [the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center] on Dec. 30," McLeod said, "and I played in that first game at the DECC."

McLeod was playing for the UMD Bulldogs when they beat the Gophers 8-1 on Nov. 19, 1966 in the first WCHA game at the DECC.

Said McLeod, "So looking forward: two new teams, two new buildings and then of course, the changes in our Final Five, kind of the jewel of the season for the WCHA, our tournament in St. Paul at the Xcel Center. A new format there and I look at it as a very positive thing.