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Updated: Jan. 6, 2017 1:34 p.m.
By Sam Laskaris
Windspeaker Contributor
OPASKWAYAK CREE NATION, Man.
Dan Moore insists the fight is not over.
Moore is the president of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) Blizzard, a Junior A franchise that competes in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
The Blizzard has been around since 1996, but now there are some serious concerns whether the squad will continue to operate beyond the current season.
That’s because the Opaskwayak Cree Nation council announced on Dec. 20 that it would no longer continue to fund the Blizzard after the 2016-17 campaign.
A few days afterwards, however, the Blizzard board revealed it would do its best to save the franchise from folding. The club began a Save Our Blizz campaign in an effort to continue icing the squad.
Indications are numerous members of the community are interested in saving the franchise. About 200 people attended a team rally on Jan. 5 to discuss plans going forward. Many of those individuals expressed a desire to help in various ways. Another meeting is set for Jan. 12 at the Blizzard office to hopefully determine the next steps.
“We’re expecting a lot of people,” Moore said, including various community leaders. “We’ve been advertising it like crazy.”
The rally was originally set to be held at the Blizzard’s rink, the Gordon Lathlin Memorial Centre, but a few days before the event it was moved to a local hotel, the Kikiwak Inn.
Moore said the December announcement from the OCN council caught him off guard.
“I was totally shocked,” said Moore, who has been the Blizzard president since this past April.
“There was some talk, but I didn’t think it would come down this fast.”
Blizzard officials have until March 31 to notify the league if they plan to enter a squad for the 2017-18 campaign. Moore said he thought a council statement might have been more suitable near the March 31 deadline.
Moore said its costs about $400,000 per season for the Blizzard to compete in the 11-team MJHL. And he said the OCN council was annually providing about 80 per cent of the team’s funding.
Members of the Blizzard board plan to approach the OCN council shortly after the Jan. 5 rally to pitch their ideas of how to save the franchise.
Moore believes the council might be willing to continue some sort of funding if others are also brought on to share the expenses of running the team.
The OCN council obviously thinks highly of athletics. Besides funding the Blizzard, it has also provided – and will also continue to provide – major funding for the OCN Storm and the OCN Blues.
The Storm, a Junior B squad, competes in the Manitoba-based Keystone Junior Hockey League. And the Blues are members of the North West Senior Hockey League, a men’s circuit based in Manitoba.
Moore believes if the Blizzard was to fold it would be a significant blow.
“I think it would be rather sad for this community to lose this team,” he said. “This team has brought people together.”
The Blizzard has had its share of successes over the years. In fact, the OCN club captured five consecutive league championships from 1999 through 2003.
Among those who helped the Blizzard win its first MJHL title in ’99 were brothers Jordin and Terence Tootoo.
Jordin, who is now a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, is one of two former Blizzard players to eventually make it to the National Hockey League.
Steve MacIntyre, who went on to play 91 NHL contests during his pro career, is the other Blizzard alumnus to make it to the world’s premier hockey league.
Jordin Tootoo, who is now in his fourteenth season of pro hockey, took to Twitter to express his thoughts about the Blizzard.
“The OCN Blizzard will always have a special place in my heart, especially because it provided me with the only opportunity I had to play competitively with my brother Terence,” Tootoo wrote. “That season, we were able to experience winning a championship together, which is something I’ll never forget.”
Terence played one season of minor pro in the East Coast Hockey League. He committed suicide in 2002 at the age of 22.
“The organization also served as a support system for the Aboriginal people and contributed to their lives in such a positive way,” said Jordin. “While I’m disappointed with the news, I’ll always look back on my time there fondly.”
Over the years the Blizzard has had numerous other players move on to the minor pro ranks or university hockey. The team’s captain this year, defenceman Brady Keeper, has accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Maine starting next season.