WOOG ARENA

DOUG

Among Minnesota’s First Indoor Rinks by Eileen Viglione

T

HE DOUG WOOG Arena has been at the forefront of legendary hockey in the South St. Paul, Minn. area

since 1962. Originally built as a single sheet of ice

on 10 acres of land for the cost of $550,000, the historic arena, then known as Te Cow Palace, was one of the first indoor rinks in the state. Built by private investors, it was renamed the Wakota Arena a year later and became the breeding ground for some of the state’s premier hockey players. Many of them went on to make professional, Olympic and National teams.

In 1977, the city of South St. Paul

purchased the arena for $375,000, and in 2015 the rink was renamed the Doug Woog Arena after the native hockey player, coach and Hall of Famer. (See “Hockey Great Doug Woog,” right.)

After three substantial renovations

over the years, the Doug Woog Arena now boasts two sheets of ice, six locker rooms, elevated viewing areas, a concession stand, large lobby, community meeting space, a 30,000-square-foot off- ice training area and an ammonia-based refrigeration system, as part of a $2.6 million renovation in 2014.

Hockey Great Doug Woog

Doug Woog played high school hockey for the South St. Paul Packers becoming a first team All-State player and leading the team to four state tournaments. He was the tournament’s leading scorer in 1962. He went on to play for the University of Minnesota, earning team captain, MVP and first team All-American honor his junior year. He was a member of the U.S. national team in 1967.

Woog later became head coach of the South St. Paul high school hockey team from 1977- 1985 and became an assistant coach with the U.S. Olympic hockey team in 1984. In 1985, he was named head coach of the U.S. World junior hockey team, competing in Helsinki, Finland. He coached the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Men’s Hockey Team from 1985-1999 and steered them to seven league championships. He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.

In 2008, he was awarded the John MacInnes Award for his work in amateur hockey in the United States. The Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association honored him with the Cliff Thompson Award in 2015, recognizing him for his outstanding, long-term contributions to the sport of hockey in Minnesota. To see a video on his life and career, foxsports.com

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