Blades cut ties with Beausejour for Steinbach
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/04/2009 (6351 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
THE Manitoba Junior Hockey League is back in Steinbach, as the Blades have severed ties with Beausejour.
Owner Mel Sonnenberg officially announced on Tuesday that the Blades, based in Beausejour the past two seasons, will move to Steinbach immediately. The team has ice time already booked at Steinbach’s TG Smith Centre arena for its spring training camp.
The MJHL’s history in Steinbach can be traced back to 1985-1988 when it was home to the Steinbach Hawks.
"We were having a hard time (in Beausejour) getting corporate support and a following in Beausejour, so we just figured we had to make a move that would be better for everybody," Sonnenberg said in a telephone interview from Steinbach, where he made the announcement.
"We had talked to Steinbach before (two years ago when he first bought the team) when we had our move from Sagkeeng and it was just a time issue. We didn’t have very much time. Ice was an issue at the time."
Sonnenberg, a Stonewall-area grain and cattle farmer, purchased the Blades from Phil Fontaine of Sagkeeng First Nation in June 2007 when they were called the Southeast Blades. Before the start of the 2007-2008 season, he moved the team to Beausejour, but his high hopes for the Blades in that community did not come to fruition. With just 13 wins in two seasons, a couple of out-of-province head coaches and a limited local following, it was a money-losing endeavour.
There are more changes to come, as Sonnenberg said the "Blades" moniker will be dropped as soon as possible.
"We don’t know for sure what it will be, but it won’t be Steinbach Blades for sure," he said, adding it’s possible the "Hawks" name could be brought back. "What we’re going to do is not necessarily a contest, but get input from the town here to see what they’d like us to name it."
The team also needs a coach, who Sonnenberg said he will name "in the very near future," adding he is considering some Manitoba natives as candidates. It will be the fourth head coach in two years under Sonnenberg.
ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca