Return of Thunder still quite cloudy

Whether or not the Borderland Thunder return to Fort Frances may be a matter forced into the hands of the courts. At a meeting here last Wednesday (Feb. 1), 50 people turned out to address the difficulties supporters are having in their attempts to resurrect the Thunder. Former Thunder general manager Brent Tookenay had sent a letter on behalf of Thunder supporters to Hockey Northwestern Ontario (HNWO) requesting the team be given permission to join the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The response was an emphatic “no.” “I’m not impressed with Hockey Northwestern Ontario,” said Tookenay. “They said no [but] haven’t even given us a reason why.” Tookenay and supporters have their own suspicions as to why HNWO isn’t granting their request. “It’s [HNWO] based out of Thunder Bay [and] they’re doing fine without us, so what’s the difference if we’re involved,” he argued. “All they care about is Thunder Bay. “We got outvoted before we even got started,” he charged. But Lynn Kellar of Fort Frances, a first-time HNWO Western Zone rep, said that’s not the case. “The board’s perspective is that we have a league in the branch [the Superior International Junior Hockey League] and they want to support that league,” he explained. The Thunder had belonged to the SIJHL before they folded after the 2004/05 season because of financial difficulties. Tookenay said it would be no problem re-joining the SIJHL if there were sponsors out there who were willing to support the team. “We can’t get investors to invest in the SIJHL,” he noted. “But as soon as [there was talk the Thunder] might be joining the Manitoba league, I had people calling me offering to support the team.” So why are people willing to support the MJHL and not the SIJHL? According to Tookenay, the problem lies in the calibre of hockey, the amount of competition the Thunder faced and the fact each team would have to play each other 12 times each season. Given there were just five teams in the SIJHL, fans were losing interest when they could foresee the outcome of the game. “To have a hockey team, you need to have people in the stands,” Tookenay stressed. “Half the teams were weaker than us and it got hard to sell tickets.” Thunder supporters argue it’s not economical to re-join the SIJHL, but Kellar said it’s more than just a financial issue from the HNWO’s standpoint. “They’re worried that if they allow one team to go, then more will want to follow,” Kellar explained. “Dryden [Ice Dogs] would probably want to do the same thing and then there would be no northwestern teams in Ontario.” But Tookenay disagreed. “The league in Thunder Bay would still have four teams and it has been stated that they would run a three-team league,” he said. “Who knows if Dryden will even pursue the MJHL if we go?” he added. “They are running their franchise and we will go about our business. “We’re just trying to have a junior hockey team and HNWO [is] standing in our way,” Tookenay charged. In the meantime, Tookenay and other Thunder supporters are not ready to give up just yet. “Right now we are exploring getting a lawyer and taking this to the courts,” he said.