The Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings have returned home.
After spending the past week in Assiniboia, the team were back at Crescent Point Place for their final home game before the Christmas break after crews from the City of Weyburn repaired the ice plant at the arena.
Due to the issues with the ice plant, which included a pair of ammonia leaks, the team temporarily relocated to Assiniboia – about a 90-minute drive west along Highway 13, to play their remaining home games of the calendar year. In a short period of time, the town managed to find billets for the players and helped accommodate the scheduling of games at the Southland Co-op Centre.
“I can’t say enough good about it,” said Red Wings head coach Cody Mapes about the time in Assiniboia. “It’s been unbelievable. They’ve been great hosts. They’ve bent over backwards for us here to make sure that everything we needed was here for us. And the people here, the crowd here tonight was unbelievable. There was not a spot to stand on that rail tonight.”
“It’s kind of been surreal, honestly,” said Ryder Burns. He is the sales and marketing director for the Red Wings. “I didn’t expect his much support and hard work from people this quickly. They don’t even really know us, and they opened the doors instantly, and it’s been nothing but support from everyone in Assiniboia, so it’s been a wonderful time here.”
The team, which was renamed the Assiniboia Weyburn Red Wings for the duration of their stay, visited the schools in the community, took part in activities whenever possible, and tried however they could to make it a home, even if it was temporary. On the ice, the Red Wings did what they could to pay tribute to the community that took them in as well. They came out wearing the jerseys of the Assiniboia Rebels senior team for warm-ups Friday night – a 3-0 win over the Kindersley Klippers. They also saluted the fans after every game.
After spending the week in the town, the Red Wings are now on their way back home, with repairs at Crescent Point Place being completed ahead of schedule. This will mean the team has the chance to play their final home game of 2024 in Weyburn.
Mapes noted there was a lot of hard work that went into making the past week possible, and hard work that made it possible to return home.
“We have such a strong board that backs the hockey team, it backs the staff,” Mapes commented. “I can’t thank them enough to help make this happen. The people at home that travelled out to games, whether it was on the fan bus or travelled on their own, thank you, guys. The guys at the city that got things sorted out at the rink. It was so good to see the city, the rink employees, come to the game on Saturday night. That’s a pretty heartfelt moment when it all comes full circle. The people at the city working in the background that nobody sees, they’ve been through the wringer here the last few weeks, and they’ve stayed positive with us.”