Opaskwayak Cree Nation will no longer be funding the OCN Blizzard, but the team is unwilling to go down without a fight.
In a statement released last week, the MJHL club announced its intention to continue operations for next season, despite not having official backing from the First Nation.
“The Board of Directors have no intention to let the team cease operations at the end of the season, and will be taking the recent news to the community and allowing them to have a voice,” said the team in the statement.
The Blizzard’s board of directors will hold a community meeting on Jan. 5, inviting OCN council and Chief Christian Sinclair. Fans and former players have also been invited.
Several figures from the Blizzard’s history have commented on the team’s situation. MJHL commissioner Kim Davis spoke with the Winnipeg Free Press last week, saying he had spoken with OCN leaders to try and keep the team going.
“As days go on, there may be some interest that comes forward,” said Davis. “That may also include some revised form of local ownership in the community.”
Davis, who was born in Flin Flon, said he is committed to keeping the league’s northernmost team on the ice.
“We want to maintain the current number of franchise and/or grow, so that’s where our focus will be over the next while,” he told the Free Press.
Meanwhile, former Blizzard player Jordin Tootoo has also weighed in. Before making it to the NHL, Jordin and his brother Terence played for 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,” said Tootoo in a series of tweets. “That season, we were able to experience winning a championship together, which is something I’ll never forget.”
The Blizzard have played in the MJHL for 20 seasons, winning five consecutive Turnbull Cups as league champions from 1998-99 to 2002-03. This season, the Blizzard have 47 points in 36 games, ranking them third in the league.
Opaskwayak Cree Nation had announced the Blizzard would fold at the end of this season.
