No, they've checked out of the Broadmoor and decided to honor some more recent history.
On Thursday, the conference announced that a new trophy, one named after longtime WCHA coach and contributor Jeff Sauer, will be the prize that goes to the winner of the WCHA playoffs from now on.
The 3-foot-tall, 46-pound award officially will be called the Jeff Sauer WCHA Championship Trophy.
“This is a truly proud and joyful day for the WCHA,” league commissioner Bill Robertson said in a league press release. “Jeff Sauer embodied all that is wonderful about hockey and everything we strive to represent in the WCHA. A legendary coach and ambassador for the game, Jeff was, above all, a wonderful person. All who knew him are better for the experience,and Jeff’s legacy — his passion, generosity, camaraderie and commitment — live on today.”
Sauer played and coached at Colorado College before spending 20 seasons as the head coach at Wisconsin where he won two national championships. He also spent 14 years, until his death in 2017, in various consulting capacities with the WCHA.
Sauer is the WCHA’s all-time winningest coach with 665 victories over 31 seasons with the Tigers and Badgers. His teams won two WCHA regular-season titles and six playoff championships.
“Through his lifelong relationship with the league, first as a player, then a coach, and finally an administrator, Jeff valued the league’s heritage of success and the active role that the WCHA took in the growth of college hockey for both men and women,” Sauer’s family said in a statement. “We are honored that the WCHA has chosen to name the Championship trophy in Jeff’s name, ensuring that his spirit will carry forward as a reminder of both the league’s distinguished history and as a guide for the future.”
The new trophy, presented by Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup, was designed by Jostens, and the winning team will possess it for one year. The previous Broadmoor Trophy will be retired by the WCHA.
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