WCHA holds Final Five with big changes on the horizon

One of the most eagerly anticipated events of the year for hockey fans starts today at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The WCHA Final Five tournament brings together some of the best men's college hockey teams in the nation.

But this is the end of an era. Of the teams in the tournament this year, only Minnesota State-Mankato will be part of the WCHA next year. The University of Minnesota and Wisconsin are leaving the WCHA for the new Big Ten hockey conference.

And as a result, six other WCHA teams are also leaving to become part of another new league, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Doug Woog has seen a lot of exciting WCHA playoff hockey games over the years; he played for and coached the Gophers and is currently a hockey commentator for Fox Sports North.

MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Woog about the changes.