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South St. Paul to rename rink for former Gophers coach Doug Woog

It's official: Doug Woog Arena is a go.

The South St. Paul City Council on Tuesday signed off on a community-led effort to rename Wakota Arena after Woog, the former South St. Paul Packers and Minnesota Gophers hockey player and coach.

The unanimous approval came after the council waived a $50,000 "naming rights" fee that has been on the city's books since the 1990s and was the last big hurdle to get the 53-year-old city-owned ice rink named after Woog, who was born and raised in South St. Paul and still lives in the city where he started playing hockey at a young age on its outdoor rinks.