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The WCHA announced today that commissioner Bruce McLeod will retire on June 30th, 2014, when his current contract runs out, after 20 seasons of running the league. It had long been rumored and hinted at that this would be McLeod's last year running the league, and now it is official.
McLeod was caretaker of the WCHA during arguably the league's greatest period of success at the turn of the century, but was also head of the league during the tumultuous period of conference realignment which saw any team with the option to do so leaving the WCHA for a new conference, leaving the WCHA in its' current state as a clear third among western conferences in terms of prestige.
There will be a time for a more thorough examination of McLeod's lasting legacy with the WCHA, but the Friday afternoon before Christmas--for a league so tone deaf about public relations, they at least understand how to bury a story--isn't the right time for that.