Westman Radio Ltd. is proud to announce that Brandon Wheat Kings hockey is returning to Q Country 91.5 FM (Q Country) and 880 AM. Q Country has been the radio home of the Wheat Kings for a combined total of 27 years. Dating back to 1985, CKLQ has been synonymous with the most exciting moments in Wheat Kings’ history, including the Ed Chynoweth Cup Championships in 1996 and 2016 and Memorial Cup appearances in 2010 and 2016. “This is a great opportunity for Q Country listeners to re-engage with the Wheat Kings brand,” said Westman Radio Ltd General Manager Brian Wortley. “When people think Q Country and CKLQ, they think Wheat Kings Hockey. We were there when Marty Murray scored 43 goals in 93,’ and now he’s leading this franchise into a new era…an era that we’re proud to be a part of moving forward.” Fans can hear all 68 regular season games on Q Country 91.5 FM and 880 AM, and online at qcountryfm.ca. Each game night will include a pre-game and post-game show. “The Wheat Kings and Q Country go together, in my view,” said Wheat Kings General Manager Marty Murray. “As a young man, this is how I stayed in touch with the Wheat Kings. It's how everyone stayed connected to the team, and it just feels right to be going back.” The Wheat Kings open the WHL Regular Season on Saturday, September 24th, versus the Winnipeg ICE. You can hear all the action starting with the pre-game show at 6:30 p.m. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m.  

Too often in our community we find children with disabilities relegated to the sidelines, being a fan rather than a participant, simply because of the lack of opportunities present for them. VOLT Hockey is the perfect opportunity to change that for kids that just want to same opportunity as their peers. By establishing a program called VOLT Hockey in our community, it will allow children to be a participant rather than just a fan. It will allow them to be part of a team. It will allow them to play in a sport where their disability is not debilitating and most importantly, it will provide them an outlet to be social, make friends and have fun in a safe and inclusive environment. VOLT Hockey is an accessible form of hockey, played in a specially designed Hockey Sport Chair by people with a variety of disabilities including Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Osteoporosis and Dwarfism. VOLT Hockey is played by over 50 teams in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden and now, it’s reaching communities in North America and having the ability to put Brandon on the map in Canada as one of the few in Canada at the grassroots level. VOLT Hockey is the ultimate team sport for physically disabled children and young adolescents. It is played by children with many different types of disability from around the age of six. What they all have in common is the love for speed and the appreciation of the community and friendships across the clubs. Many players deal with great physical limitations in their everyday lives. But on the VOLT hockey court they only face challenges in the form of opponents and teammates all the while feeling like part of a team in an inclusive environment. If you would like more information, would like to volunteer or donate, please email us at Westmanvolthockey@gmail.com

Looking to buy-trade-sell some sports cards or memorabilia? CK Sports Cards will be holding a 1-day show at the Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre (3550 Victoria Avenue) on Saturday October 22, 2022 from 10am-4pm. Come check out vendors that will be showcasing cards and memorabilia from all you favorite sports. Their first show in Brandon (July 30) had 12-15 vendors including a couple from Saskatchewan and one from Toronto. Admission tickets are available at the door for $2 or online on their website for $1. Vendors interested in setting up a table can contact the host here.

When is a dollar a dollar to a professional hockey player? That is one question which was left out when the National Hockey League created its hard salary cap after the 2012-13 lockout. It’s not just a question of who’s face is on that dollar. Whether the face on that legal tender is Her Majesty, a past Canadian prime minister or a now deceased president of the United States, teams are allocated their cap space in U.S. dollars. But there are other factors which come into play.  Several NHL markets, particularly in the sunbelt, are located in low-tax states, where residents of La Belle Province are taxed back into the stone age. If the decision to play in Las Vegas or Montreal turns into a purely financial decision, it’s Vegas Baby. And you can’t really blame someone for making that choice.  Just how much of a difference can this make? Using the ADP Canadian Payroll Calculator, a $1,000,000 contract turns into a net pay of $493,335.20 in Quebec, $521,843.77 in Manitoba, and $551,965.39 in Alberta. However, in Florida, Texas and Nevada, that million-dollar payday becomes $641,022 (using the salaryaftertax.com calculator). These figures are just for argument’s sake, as a good accountant with knowledge of tax law will get more precise figures. But if you had a limited number of years to make a million dollars a year, would you leave $150,000 in someone else’s pocket? Probably not.  There are actuaries out there who have crunched the numbers to figure out what the premiums are to insure Gene Simmons’ tongue, Troy Polamalu’s hair, and to guard against an alien abduction. It should be possible to figure out what the tax differences are in NHL markets. The next step to financially even up the playing field for all NHL teams is to have a differentiated salary cap.   The end result of that change is simple. Those in high-tax markets get to spend more. Those in low-tax areas get to spend less, so that a dollar earned is actually worth the same across the league.  You can’t bring South Beach to Portage and Main. How could you? The city can’t figure out what to do with that intersection. You can’t bring summer heat to a chilly Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal in January. Those geographic differences and travel challenges will remain. But the financial inequities can — and should be — addressed.

After appearing in 3 games in his underage season, Clarke Caswell is looking to step-in and make a difference on the ice every game and help his team build a successful season during his first full Western Hockey League campaign in 2022-23. The 16-year-old, Brandon, MB native and 6th overall pick from the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft picked up 1 assist in his 3 games with the Broncos last season. He also amassed 35 goals and 88 points in 38 regular season games with the Brandon Wheat Kings U18 AAA club. For Caswell, the difference in the game between playing with the Brandon Wheat Kings U18 AAA club and junior hockey was noticeable including the pace of the game and how much stronger the players were at the next level. To prepare for the upcoming season he has spent a lot of time in the gym getting stronger physically so that he is able to transition much smoother into the next level. He has also been practicing a lot on the ice a lot and building up his speed and skills to match the players in the WHL. Overall, Caswell believes he needs to work on his physicality and strength to become a better all around player. Another adjustment Caswell indicated he will have to make in his rookie campaign will be balancing the long travel schedule, total games played, and schooling requirements of a being a student athlete in the WHL. "Only visiting Swift once during my first game I didn't get too see to much of the city but my favorite place so far is the arena as it is is a nice facility" said Caswell when asked what his favorite places were in Swift Current from his visits to date.