Find stability before the WHL puts Winnipeg on Ice By - Keith Borkowsky For whatever reason, the Winnipeg Ice are a cursed franchise. It’s not because of on-ice operations — the Ice franchise has won three Western Hockey League championships, a Memorial Cup, and could win both this year. As the Winnipeg Ice, the franchise reached the Eastern Conference final in 2021-22 — the only post-season played in the past three seasons. On-ice, the Ice have done everything they can to fill a Western Hockey League arena. They just don’t have a Western Hockey League arena to fill. And in spite of that being a condition to moving the franchise to Winnipeg, there doesn’t seem to be one forthcoming in a foreseeable future. Naturally, that draws a lot of concern, and it should. There is talk of relocating the franchise again, which under normal circumstances, would be a reasonable course of action.  However, with the current Ice management team having traded WHL bantam draft picks to go all-in on current success, does that not set a future market up for failure?  How do you generate interest in a lineup where, without receiving draft picks back in trade, talent will be much harder to find and attract to the new market? There may be discussion about new locations for the Ice franchise. There’s another option the WHL should consider.  Contraction. Cease operations of the Ice at the end of this season. Hold a dispersal draft of the remaining Ice assets, with those being owed draft picks getting the first crack at the remaining players and those having been drafted by the Ice. Start fresh somewhere else. The WHL could better control the future of its 22nd franchise by offering it through expansion, to a community with a suitable arena, suitable ownership, and — something the Ice have never really had — stability. While that may well put an end to the Manitoba rivalry between the hometown Wheat Kings and the Ice, it may not. Calgary now has an NHL team, AHL team and a WHL team under the same ownership structure. Who is to say that couldn’t work in Winnipeg under True North Sports and Entertainment’s banner? There is an arena there, in downtown Winnipeg, and NHL-class practice facilities on the edge of Winnipeg. The WHL might look favourably to that. Would True North? Or it may consider British Columbia an option. The lower mainland has lots of people, and arenas which could fit the bill. There are markets in the United States which could get a look as well. While it hasn’t been named, Grand Forks, N.D. has hosted junior hockey before in a facility that would put almost all of the existing WHL arenas to shame. There is also a new arena being built in Steinbach. Shovels are in the ground, the Junior A team has been very well supported, and with 17,000 people in city limits, and a strong population, commercial and industrial base in the surrounding area. If Swift Current can be viable, Steinbach could absolutely be successful as a WHL market.  The WHL governors have options. They should look at all of the possibilities when making its decision. "Good is not good when better is expected." — Vin Scully

The Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings are pleased to announce that the 2023 Black and Gold Gala (formerly The Sportsman’s Dinner) presented by Q Country is scheduled for Thursday, March 23rd, at the  Victoria Inn. The event, which had been held annually to raise money for the hockey club’s Player Development Fund is returning. It may be a month away, but tables are already filling up quickly. Next month’s Dinner will feature former Brandon Wheat King and NHL alumni Matt Calvert and comedian Kelly Taylor. The Wheat Kings are currently selling full tables of 8 at $1200 per table and individual tickets at $150. Any interested fans or businesses looking to attend should contact Mike Filipchuk at the Wheat Kings office at 726-3535 or by email at mike.filipchuk@wheatkings.com On the ice, the Wheat Kings are in the hunt for the WHL playoffs. There are several big games remaining inside of Westoba Place including SpongeBob Night vs Prince Albert Raider, ACC Night vs Red Deer Rebels, and the Feb 24 match-up vs Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats. You can secure your tickets by contacting the Wheat King office at 204-726-3535 or online at ticketmaster.ca

Bradley "Scoob" Schoonbaert is finishing his final USPORTS season with the Calgary Dino's on a high note to quote Jerry Seinfeld with 25 points in 25 games.  Not to mention Connor Gutenberg whom is in his second season with Calgary has over a point a game. Gutenberg Schoonbaert will graduate and will be playing hockey next season in Europe. Now the interesting thing is the Dino's have put together an amazing streak of 23 wins in a row as they head into playoffs. Former Wheat King coach Mark Howell is the head coach of the Dino's and has hopes of a National Championship on March 19th in Charlottetown P.E.I. where nationals are being hosted. Mark Howell

(City of Brandon PSA) The City of Brandon is excited to announce that crokicurl, a new outdoor sport, is now available at Brandon’s Community Sportsplex (30 Knowlton Drive). Crokicurl is a large-scale hybrid of curling and the board game crokinole. Iconic in its octagonal form, the rink combines the familiar red and blue painted rings of a curling sheet and the structure of a crokinole board. In the crokicurl version of the game, rocks are used instead of discs. The game is played by teams trying to score points by throwing stones into the center of the ice where the circles are marked. The highest circle is marked with twenty points. The object of the game is to accumulate the most points through shooting the rock into the center button and positioning the rocks on the playing surface, so they remain within the highest scoring circle at the end of the round. The crokicurl rink is open daily from sunup to sundown, on a first come, first served basis. The City asks all members of the public to be respectful of other players and limit your time to one hour. Before players start their game, players must attend the front desk at Brandon’s Community Sportsplex where they will get access to the rocks. Skating on the ice is PROHIBITED. Those that do not comply with our rules will be asked to leave the premises. For further inquiries, residents can call Brandon’s Community Sportsplex at 204-729-2471.

It's been over 3-years since MENTALLO last found himself inside a wrestling ring in Brandon. The 26-year vet of the squared circle will be appearing on the upcoming Cloud 9 Wrestling show in Brandon on February 25th and he is looking forward to entertaining the fans of Brandon once again. The first time he wrestled in Brandon was back in 1998. "The fans of Brandon are very supportive and enjoy attending pro wrestling events in their town" said MENTALLO who lists the ACC College Gymnasium followed by the Keystone Center Amphitheatre as his favorite venues to wrestle at in the city. "They both have very different atmospheres from each other" he added. MENTALLO estimates that he's probably in the ring anywhere from 150 to 175 times a year. Notable opponents over his lengthy career include: AEW Superstar Kenny Omega, WWE Superstars AJ Styles & Seth Rollins, Japanese Legends Jyushin Liger & TAJIRI, Lucha Libre Legends Super Crazy & Ultimo Dragon. You can catch the Zombie Killer MENTALLO, and the rest of the stars of Cloud 9 Wrestling, live and in person at the Great Western Roadhouse (1125 18th St) on Saturday February 25. Advance tickets are now on sale here.