A Prairie Thunderstorm

Living as we do, where we do, creates many shared experiences amongst Manitobans.

For example, we all experience the approach of weather. We feel it in the air, and we see it in the sky as the dark clouds of a summer thunderstorm approach where we live.

It’s a natural and sometimes powerful phenomenon. It hits, passes and then the sun comes out.

As I try to organize my memories of the Winnipeg Sea Bears championship game, it is this metaphor of the thunderstorm that comes to mind.

What happened at Canada Life Centre on August 15^th was a combination of factors that created an extremely powerful summer storm.

After a slow start for us, our coaches and players jabbed and punched their way back into the game and slowly took the lead. They pressed and squeezed with suffocating defense and timely scoring. 

With a lead at the half, the TJ Pepper Band led off the entertainment with Bon Jovi’s ‘Living on a Prayer’ and the lyrics: 

“Whoa, we're half way there
Whoa oh, livin' on a prayer
Take my hand, we'll make it, I swear
Whoa oh, livin' on a prayer”. 

With all that happened in the weeks leading up to the final game, there were many times I thought we might need a prayer or two in order to get to the gates of basketball heaven!

The Sea Bears picked up where they left off as the game resumed and then something else happened. The crowd – YOU - got into the game and truly became the 6^th man.

This is something that can be coaxed a bit, but fundamentally it can only happen when a large number of random, passionate people decide for themselves to unite in a common cause.

You created thunder and lightning inside Canada Life Centre and you rained down the noise.

It energized our players and it rattled our opponents. This is the essence of Home Court.

We all came together as one, and then that magical moment happened. 

Needing just two points to win in Target Time, Xavier Moon brought the ball up the court and passed it to DJ Burns inside at the top of the key. Jelani Watson-Gayle and Isiah Osborne were lurking at the corners, but DJ kicked it out to Simon Hildebrandt who was just outside the three-point line.

From there he took the shot, and when it dropped we all exploded.

It was a moment of joy and unity because no matter who you are, what you do or where you come from, we became the champions of Canada together.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to all of you for helping us make that moment happen. 

I don’t know about you but I’m still watching that sequence and looking at all the pictures and videos from the game. When it starts to get colder outside those images and the feelings it evokes will make us all feel warmer.

But time marches on and we have to start preparing for the 2027 season. We will celebrate our fifth anniversary as a team, and we get to do it with championship rings and raising a banner! Stay tuned for more details.

On Friday August 21st we’ll be in Killarney opening a new outdoor court with Buckets and Borders along with a giant statue of our mascot Churchill!

Speaking of Churchill, we’ll actually be in Churchill on September 9-10 with the trophy and Coach Raimbault running kids camps and spreading our good cheer.

Our annual Locker Room Sale is on Sunday August 23rd at Sport for Life. This is where you can get the real game-worn Sea Bears stuff. Season ticket members get a preview at 11 am and doors are open to the public at 1 pm.

The trophy will be making its way around the community, and we’ll make sure you know where it’s going to be. By the time we send it back to the league we want it covered in Manitoba DNA!

We’ve got a great Mondetta line of clothing coming this fall, so watch for that.

We’ll be active in the community in many different ways, and on September 25th we’ll reveal two brand new outdoor painted courts at Gordon Bell High School as part of our partnership with Buckets and Borders. 

As soon as we learn to drive the Tundra Buggy properly, without knocking things over, we’ll be having it make appearances at various places in the community. If you see us in traffic, please be patient!

The men’s and women’s USport teams at Winnipeg, Manitoba and Brandon get going later in the fall and if you’re looking for a basketball fix, remember that we’ve got Sea Bears footprints in those organizations. 

Season tickets for 2027 are on sale now and more ticketing information will come as the schedule for next season is developed.

Finally, as we close out the 2026 season, I just can’t thank enough our office staff, coaches, players, team support staff, game day crew, volunteers, community crew and all the staff at Canada Life Centre for helping us make it happen. 

They, you, all of us came together and made it rain on August 15th, 2026. 

Thank you.

David Asper

Owner, Winnipeg Sea Bears.

Prairie Dirt. Canadian Shield. Wheatfield Soul. Champions.