After 20 seasons, the OCN Blizzard appear set to fold.
A statement released by the Opaskwayak Cree Nation Tuesday said the MJHL team will cease operations at the end of the 2016-17 season.
“The announcement comes after careful deliberations with Opaskwayak Cree Nation representatives from administration and finance, who presented recommendations to the Opaskwayak Cree Nation leadership,” the First Nation said in a press release. “Based on the information presented, the decision was made to proceed with winding down on the operations of the OCN Blizzard.”
Despite the announcement, there appeared to be hope the Blizzard might still be saved. According to one report, a meeting was to be held late Wednesday to see if the community wanted to take over the team from the band. No decision had been announced as of The Reminder’s
press time.
Early in their history, the Blizzard were a dominant force in junior hockey, winning five consecutive Turnbull Cups as MJHL champions from 1998-99 to 2002-03. The team reached the RBC Cup in 2002, making it to the final game before losing to the Halifax Exports.
Throughout their history, the Blizzard made a concerted effort to build and support aboriginal hockey programs in the North. Many players from small northern communities and reserves played for the club, including some of the team’s most successful alumni.
Those include the Tootoo brothers, Jordin and Terence, who played for the team in 1998-99. The two were the first of several players from Nunavut to suit up for OCN. Several others, including Ryan Constant and Konrad McKay, came from northern Manitoba.
The Blizzard count nine players from northern Manitoba on their active roster, including captain and University of Maine commit Brady Keeper, originally from Cross Lake.
