Courtesy:  Brandon Wheat Kings Press Release Brandon, MB. – When the Brandon Wheat Kings open defence of their Western Hockey League Championship next month, Kelly McCrimmon will not be on the bench. The winningest coach in franchise history, who has spent the better part of the last three decades as the driving force behind the Wheat Kings, has confirmed that he will be joining the new National Hockey League franchise in Las Vegas as the team’s new Assistant General Manager. A 3-time winner of the Canadian Hockey League and WHL Executive of the Year, McCrimmon joined the Wheat Kings in 1988 and was named general manager the following year. He purchased on third ownership of the team from partner Bob Cornell in 1992 and assumed sole ownership in 2000. As the club’s Owner and General Manager, he has led the Wheat Kings to more wins than any other team in the Canadian Hockey League since 1992, including fifteen seasons of forty or more wins, ten Eastern Division pennants and six Eastern Conference Championships. As well, he has been instrumental in four Memorial Cup appearances, including two as WHL Champion after winning in both 1996 and 2016. As a coach, McCrimmon has compiled a 423-223-36-38 record and over the course of the past ten seasons he has posted an impressive .640 winning percentage. “Kelly is an outstanding hockey man and we are delighted to have him join us,” says George McPhee, General Manager of the Las Vegas club that will begin play in the NHL in 2017-18. “His extensive experience and consistently high level of performance in the game will help us build a strong and successful organization and team. His hockey acumen, character and work ethic are perfect for us.” “This is a dream job for any hockey executive and one I feel very fortunate to have been offered,” says McCrimmon. “The chance to build a team, an organization from the ground up, the chance to develop an identity and establish a culture will be challenging, invigorating and rewarding.” A member of the WHL Board of Governors Executive Committee for six years and Chairman of the Competitions Committee, McCrimmon says that more news on the club’s new organizational structure will be announced later this week. McCrimmon also used Tuesday’s announcement to deliver an important message to western Manitoba hockey fans. “Our family will continue to own the hockey club,” says McCrimmon. “I look forward to offering leadership, guidance and resources for the team to continue to be successful. The strength of our organization is the people and we will have some announcements soon with respect to the open positions. A 55-year old native of Plenty, Saskatchewan, McCrimmon played two seasons in Brandon in the late seventies and was a member of the 1979 WHL Championship club before moving on to the University of Michigan from 1980-84, serving as team captain during his senior year. The Wheat Kings, who defeated Seattle in May to capture their third Ed Chynoweth Cup and first in twenty years, are scheduled to open up training camp August 30th at Westman Communications Group Place. The club will kick off the 2016-17 regular season with a weekend home and home series with Moose Jaw on September 23rd-24th.

Brandon Firefighters Charity Fund, Annual Golf Tournament, is a non-profit event which raises funds towards supporting families in the Westman area who are struggling with unforeseen financial expenses (most commonly due to illness of a loved one). All money raised by the Charity Fund is done by Brandon Firefighter Paramedics and E911 Dispatchers, volunteering at fund-raising events. Since 1994, the Charity Fund has donated over $200,000 to various individuals, families, and organizations in southwestern Manitoba including: -United Way -Heart and Stroke Foundation -Child and Family -Breast Cancer Foundation -Muscular Dystrophy Association -Big brothers and Big Sisters -YMCA Kids Programs -Brandon General Hospital Foundation -Helping Hands -Individual families in need This year the event will be held at the Wheat City Golf Course on Sunday, August the 28th.  Various prizes will be given out throughout the tournament which are graciously supplied by the sponsors. Sponsors will be identified at the tournament along with acknowledgment on the website. Come join in and show your support, Westman thanks you. All completed entry forms can be dropped off at #1 Fire Hall - 120 19th Street N in Brandon or e-mailed to tannas@goinet.ca . Deadline for entry is August 5th 2016. Fees can accompany entry form or be mailed to 153 8th Street Brandon R7A 3W9 care of Brandon Firefighters Charity Fund. For any other arrangements call Matthew at 204-764-0418. 2016 CHARITY GOLF ENTRY FORM 2016 CHARITY GOLF SPONSORSHIP FORM

For the first time in 23+ years fans of the Brandon Wheat Kings will have a new play by play announcer to listen to as earlier today the Wheat Kings released a brief photo statement from Kelly McCrimmon saying they are sorry to see Bruce Luebke move on. It went on to say that Bruce had been a great voice of the Wheat Kings and that he had served as a real ambassador for the organization. Bruce had been the “voice” of the Wheat Kings since 1993 when he replaced outgoing play by play man Darren Dreger who moved from CKLQ radio over to CKX-TV. Prior to joining the Wheat Kings Luebke had spent time as the voice of the Weyburn Red Wings of the SJHL. In other Wheat Kings, it was reported yesterday that Josh Guenther, the Wheat King trainer of the past 3 seasons, has accepted a job to become the new Athletic Therapist for the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL.  

If someone said to me a year ago I would be doing a story on Pokemon and Roller Derby I would have said that is a billion to one chance of happening. Well it did happen this past Saturday night. To my surprise on a warm Saturday night at the Kinsmen Arena, inside the Keystone Centre, the place was jammed or as we like to say in the hockey business “a sold out barn”. My thoughts walking in were that this would be kind of like WWE and well I was dead wrong. Pictured:  Team Gang Green BDNMB – So Jessica what is your real job? Jessica – Vigi Salon and Spa. BDNMB – I am a hockey guy why do you have 6 refs? Jessica – Instead of a puck their are two skaters that get points, the jammers we have stars on our helmet and one jammer per team, and one ref per jammer. The blockers try to stop us and if we get by them we get more points. So it takes lots of eyeballs to watch everything going on for points and penalties. BDNMB – Would your team play anywhere else? Jessica – Our games get booked and we have to travel. There are almost 200 Flat Track teams in Canada and we are ranked in the 20’s. So we need to travel so we can rank higher. We went to Boise, Idaho and came in 2nd place. BDNMB - Financially when these events happen does it help finance you and the team? Jessica – We have to pay all the time, we practice 4 hours a week, and these games basically pay for themselves. We are always looking for sponsors. BDNMB - How would sponsors and new players find you? Jessica – Facebook and our website. BDNMB – Any final plugs or mentions? Jessica – Roller Derby is awesome and it now a legit sport and not like wrestling. Contact the Wheat City Roller Derby League http://wcrdl.com/ https://www.facebook.com/WheatCityRollerDerbyLeague Www.flattrackstats.com Pictured:  Team Gang Green Extreme Fan

Some of you reading may remember me as the ‘sports guy’ on CKX TV. Lots has changed since that time.  I moved away in 2001, accepting a job as a morning radio guy in Yorkton, Saskatchewan.  While I still live in Yorkton, my love for the media industry went downhill and if I’m ever in a situation again where I have to rely on a radio or television station in order to make ends meet, then I have failed myself. I have learned since leaving the industry that broadcast employers rank amongst the worst that one can ever have.  I mean what better way to insult a faithful long term employee of more than 20-years than to produce a radio spot and NOT use the person’s voice who’s been associated with the customer for those 20-years?  May as well just hold a public meeting and call the announcer up on stage and slap him across the face. I’m not a union guy.  For the most part, I want no part of them.  My experience was always that they help slackers more than the person who puts in an honest day’s effort.  But, shortly after my tenure at CKX started I was in need of a union.  My photographer and I had gone to Shoal Lake to shoot video of the Midget AAA Yellowhead Chiefs game.  In addition to grabbing highlights, the photographer was also supposed to get special, up close footage that would better reflect a 30-second tv ad.  I have no proof, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the customer was charged some sort of additional production fee even though we were going to be there anyway. That’s not the important part of the story.  After the game, I was helping the photographer put his equipment away and I, carelessly, left the beta tapes on top of the CKX station wagon.  We drove away and the tapes flew off the roof, only I didn’t know this until we got back into Brandon and I was searching for them in order to cut up the highlights for Monday’s sportscast.  I, immediately, called my News Director and she chalked it up to being an accident and told me not to worry.  Well, I did worry.  I got in my own vehicle and drove back to Shoal Lake to try and find these three tapes (it was midnight).  I recovered one, but it was not usable.  I left a note for the staff in the morning and went home.  By Monday afternoon the union rep called me and said I better get into the station because the sales representative wanted me fired and sales trumps on-air 110% of the time.  His precious footage was gone.  The union rep said it wasn’t like the photographer and I were being unprofessional with these tapes.  We, simply, made a mistake.  Furthermore, me driving back in the middle of the night to try and salvage something was proof my heart was in the right place.  That meant diddly squat to the sales man (email me and I’ll tell you who it was).  To make a long story short, the union won and I ended up with a written reprimand instead of getting gassed.  But that should have been my first warning that the employer doesn’t have your back. It’s a cut throat industry.  I have seen many, many people give their heart and soul to a station only to be escorted out the door at some point down the road because the bottom line meant a bit more than an individual trying to put supper on the table.  I used to joke to a few people that the CKX sales staff would sell bars and tone to their customers if they could pass it with the CRTC.  On-air people meant nothing.  Unless, of course, it was ratings.  Then you are everything.  You can’t ake a holiday or a sick day.  It’s crucial you be there and be on your game so that ratings go up and sales staff can charge more for ads.  Once the ratings period is over, you can be fired and replaced by someone who will work cheaper.  Harsh.  But, true.  I’ve seen announcers who refuse to give one second of their spare time get criticized and, eventually, just let-go because they weren’t good employees.  I’ve seen announcers spend all of their waking hours (even some sleeping ones) at the station and also get let-go and a blind eye given to the dedication. I used to love ratings.  It was the only time the company would pay for overtime.  I can recall being at a zone curling play down one time and the photographer started packing up his gear in a 5-5 game in the middle of the 9th end.  I asked him what he was doing and he said if he worked any longer it would be overtime and we weren’t allowed to put any in.  But, I was the clown on TV the next night showing highlights without the 10th end. I’m not sure how often you will see my writings appear on this website, but if you ever have any questions and want me to answer them through a similar article, please don’t hesitate. I’ll be as candid and as honest as I can.  In the meantime, I may saturate you with some of my political beliefs. I still like sports, but when you aren’t involved on a day to day basis anymore, you learn there is a lot more to life than being depressed over some game where your favorite team didn’t win because they got screwed over by a referee.  Big deal. I think pro sports may actually be rigged anyway, but that’s for another day.