The plight of the Weyburn Red Wings serves as a cautionary tale for Flin Flon.
As various media outlets have reported, the Wings are in dire financial straits, with question marks surrounding their survival.
The organization – one of the SJHL’s original teams – is $180,000 in debt this season, with more bills to come.
Declining attendance, rising travel and equipment costs, and even the falling price of oil – Weyburn is an oil town, after all – are all taking their toll.
“You can’t pinpoint exactly when the team’s financial woes started, but it came to a head this month,” Red Wings President Larry Tribiger told Global News earlier this month, underscoring the suddenness of the problem.
Tribiger put the odds at 50/50 as to whether the Wings will be able to play next season.
Flin Flon hockey fans can certainly sympathize. Our own Bombers have been through their share of financial impediments over the years, but fortunately have always come out on top.
I remember writing a letter to the editor to this newspaper back in 1998 after reading an article about the Bombers’ uncertain future.
I was and still am only a casual fan, but I still very much appreciate how much this team means to our community’s identity and way of life.
I am sure that the Red Wings mean as much to Weyburn as the Bombers mean to Flin Flon.
May Weyburn find ways to ensure SJHL hockey remains in their community. And may other SJHL communities, including Flin Flon, be reminded that these teams need our continued support to make a go of it.
