SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Western Colligate Hockey Association (WCHA) is home to some of the oldest college hockey programs in the nation. It is also home of the most NCAA hockey tournament championships with 36 (30 by current members). 
The conference began play in 1951, when it was known as the Midwest Collegiate Hockey League. The men’s league has grown over the years, and currently has ten teams (listed below) and plays in front of over 1.5 million fans each season.
The conference has awarded the McNaughton Cup for it’s regular season champion ever since the league’s founding in 1951, and in 1982 the WCHA began a conference playoff system, with the winner taking home the Broadmoor trophy.
According to the league’s website , the WCHA is currently represented by 90 NHL players including Chris Chelios, Dany Heatley, Mark Parrish, Jordan Leopold, Curtis Joseph, Jason Blake, Tyler Arnason, Andy Sutton, Bret Hedican, Matt Carle, Joe Pavelski, Zach Parise, Jonathan Toews, Blake Wheeler, and Tom Gilbert.
Here is a look at the WCHA Men’s Ice Hockey Members:
University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux (UND) – One of the founding members of the WCHA, UND is located in Grand forks, North Dakota. The Sioux have seven NCAA ice hockey championships, the last coming in 2000. UND has made 23 tournament appearances, has made the tournament field for the past 11 seasons, and is one of the perennial powers in college hockey. They have 10 regular season WCHA championships, and five WCHA tournament championships.
University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (U of M) – With campuses located in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the Gophers represent the largest school in the WCHA, and the largest metro area in the conference.
Another of the founding members of the WCHA, they have five NCAA tournament championships on their record, the last coming in the second year of a back-to-back championships in 2003. The Gophers hold the record for most tournament appearances with 32.
In WCHA play, U of M has 10 regular season championships, and a record seven tournament championships. This year Minnesota will host this season’s NCAA Tournament West Regional.
University of Wisconsin Badgers (UW) – Located in Madison, Wisconsin, UW IS the oldest school in the conference, which was founded in 1848, but did not join the WCHA until 1969.
The Badgers have the second most NCAA championships in the conference with six, the last coming just three years ago in 2006. The Badgers have made 22 appearances in the NCAA tournament. The Badgers also have three regular season WCHA championships and four WCHA tournament championships.
Colorado College Tigers (CC) – Colorado College is one of the founding members of the WCHA, and has the smallest enrollment in the conference with just 1,950 students. The Tigers have two NCAA tournament championships under their belt, but none since 1957.
Despite the fact that the Tigers have not won a championship in 52 years, they have recently regained their swagger, and have made the tournament field 11 of the past 12 seasons.
located in Colorado Springs, Colorado; the Tigers are the current defending WCHA regular season champions, a title they have held nine times, though they have yet to lift the Broadmoor trophy.
Denver University Pioneers (DU) – The final founding member of the WCHA, the Pioneers share the WCHA record of seven NCAA tournament championships, and are located in Denver, Colorado. The latest championship came in back-to-back seasons in 2004 and 2005, matching the Gophers previous feat.
Denver is the defending WCHA tournament champion, something they have accomplished five times. They also have won the regular season title 10 times.
University of Minnesota at Duluth Bulldogs (UMD) – Located in Duluth, Minnesota, the Bulldogs have yet to win their first NCAA championship, have made five tournament appearances, the latest in 2004. The program has been a member of the WCHA since 1966 and has two WCHA regular season championships, and two WCHA tournament championships.
Minnesota State at Mankato Mavericks – Located in Mankato, Minnesota, about 80 miles southwest of the Twin Cities, the Mavericks are also without their first NCAA tournament championship. They have made only one tournament appearance (2003) and have yet to record a victory in the tournament. Having joined the conference in 1999, they are the youngest members of the WCHA and have yet to record a regular season or WCHA tournament championship.
Saint Cloud State Huskies – Located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, about an hour northwest of the Twin Cities, Saint Cloud has no NCAA tournament championships. They have made seven trips to the NCAA tournament, but have yet to record a victory. Saint Cloud joined the WCHA in 1990, and has yet to win a regular season title, but they do have a Broadmoor trophy to their credit.
Michigan Tech Huskies – Located in Houghton, Michigan on the Upper Peninsula, the Huskies have three NCAA tournament championships, the last coming in 1975. The program actually left the WCHA from 1981 to 1984 to join fellow Michigan schools in the CCHA, but eventually rejoined the WCHA.
The program has lost it’s luster as of late, having not made the NCAA tournament since 1981, and have not won a regular season or WCHA tournament since rejoining the conference. They do have seven regular season championships on the record, but none since 1976.
Alaska Anchorage Seawolves – The Seawolves are the western most team in Division 1 college hockey, located in Anchorage, Alaska. They have yet to win an NCAA tournament championship, and have not made an appearance in the tournament since 1992. Since joining the conference in 1993, the Seawolves have not enjoyed much success, having no regular season or WCHA tournament titles.
It should be noted that the WCHA Women’s league, also includes Ohio State University and Bemidji State University (Minnesota), but Bemidji State will likely be added to the men’s league within the next two seasons since the WCHA has lifted a moratorium on new membership that forced BSU to play in the CHA (College Hockey America).
Contact the author at bryan.reynolds@prohockeynews.com
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