While the Portage Islanders gear up for another season and hope to build on some past successes, there will be one opponent they will not match up with in 2024/2025 - the Altona Maroons.
The Maroons, a charter member of the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League, will not put a team on the ice for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
It became official Tuesday night at the league’s fall meeting in Carman.
SEMHL commissioner Tom Vatrt informed the league executive and the 10 other teams that due to a lack of players, the Maroons would not be able to compete in season 73.
The team will take a one-year leave of absence, ending a streak of 72 years of senior hockey in Altona.
The original five teams during the SEMHL’s inaugural 1951-52 season were the Altona Maroons, the Letellier Rogues, Morris Stampeders, Emerson Athletics and St. Jean Flyers.
While the Rogues, Stamps, Athletics and Flyers fell by the wayside, the Maroons were always there, even during the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League’s lean years.
The low point was the 1999-2000 season when the SEMHL consisted of only three teams - Altona, Morden and Carman.
The league soldiered on and so did the Maroons.
Altona won 11 SEMHL championships during their remarkable 72-year run.
Now the Maroons home and away hockey jerseys will stay in storage.
Hopefully for just one season.
“It’s hard,” said Jim Dick who took over the team’s coaching duties last season. “The club has been around since 1950 and it’s the oldest member of the SEMHL, but you look over the last couple of years and the writing was on the wall. It’s a hard thing to take that’s for sure but you’ve got to pick your battles.”
Since the SEMHL expanded to 10 teams with the addition of the Ste. Anne Aces, Red River Wild and Ile des Chenes Northstars in the fall of 2022, the Maroons have won just five of 36 games and finished last both seasons.
Dick said trying to win games against teams like the Warren Mercs, Morden Bombers and two-time defending champion Aces with way less than a full roster to work with was almost impossible.
“We probably played half of our games, at home and on the road, with less than nine forwards and maybe four or five defensemen. You can usually hang with those teams for a period and-a-half or two periods but you’re just out of gas. A couple of those teams have really good players on them, and we had some good players too but you’re tired at the end of the second period. You’re done.”
Jim Dick played his minor hockey in Altona; shared time between the pipes with Ed Belfour when they both played for the Winkler Flyers in the MJHL; played for the St. Cloud State University Huskies in Minnesota and then enjoyed a stellar SEMHL career playing goal for his hometown Maroons.
He stared down the likes of Shane Moffatt, Gregg Waldvogel, Rob Hamm, Dale Rempel and Scottie Knutson during his playing days in the SEMHL.
“When I played, we came to all the practices, we were at all the games, and it seems like there is more in life going on now with newer players. I get it. With family and job commitments – they’re not getting paid so it’s just different. It’s hard to get that commitment out of the guys.”
For the first time since the winter of 1951, Maroons fans will not get a chance to watch their favorite team play at Sunflower Gardens.
“I think that’s changed too along with the players,” remarked Dick. “I look at last year and some Saturday nights we’d have 70 people, maybe 100 people. When I was growing up the old barn was packed. I would guess 500, 600 people packed in there. Again, there’s just different things for families to do and I think people work way more than 50 years ago. I think those all contribute to those things. I’m going to miss it.”
Dick was asked what would need to happen in order for the Maroons executive to go to the SEMHL’s fall meeting in September of 2025 and announce...we’re back.
“That is a great question. I’m not sure what the answer is but you’re going to have to have a commitment from at least 16 guys that are committed to be there night in and night out. We had commitment from nine or 10 guys, and you can’t make that work. It’s just too hard. I think you need a commitment from 16 guys that are going to be there.”
“If you look over the years, before Winkler and Red River were in the league, we probably had a bigger area that we drew players from," added Dick. "Should they be playing in Altona – no. Not if there is a team in Winkler and not if there is a team in St. Jean. Over the last few years our drawing area goes down and it’s hard to get guys and get a commitment.”