The NCDC’s Casper Warbirds will be moving forward in Casper. After fast action by NCDC leadership, and talks with Casper City officials, the Warbirds will continue to use the ice arena.
Insiders within Casper hockey have stated that while they support the Warbirds and do not want to see them leave the city, the action taken by the city was brought on by Chris Reaves over more than a years time.
While late payment on ice invoices is fairly common in junior hockey, Reaves late payments have been chronic. But the trouble started when Reaves publicly stated on January 1, 2025, that he would look build another arena in Casper. That statement was seen as threatening to the current arena in Casper.
Reaves doubled down on statements concerning a new arena yesterday mentioning;
“In the hours since this decision was made public, the support from the Casper community has been overwhelming. People have stepped forward offering to:
Volunteer labor, materials, and expertise
Donate steel
Help build a new rink at cost”
Of note, Reaves and his company have a three year lease that does not expire until May of 2027. It would appear that as long as the Warbirds make their ice rental payments on time, the team is safe this season and next. Following 2027, there are two one year extensions that can be voided by the city or Reaves.
One thing is certainly clear, Nick Whipps the interim director of the Casper Parks and Recreation department was very agressive in taking action with the lease termination he attempted to implement. That agressive approach was found to be improper under the terms of the lease and notice the city had provided to Reaves and his company. This action certainly brings more scrutiny to any further action taken by him on behalf of the City of Casper.
While no one is saying Reaves is innocent of anything, the action attempted by the City of Casper, is nothing short of head scratching.
The economic impact of the Casper Warbirds on the city of Casper is a positive one, likely to be measured over a million dollars per year. The disputed $6500 late payment of ice fee’s and attempting to cancel a lease is extremely short sighted.
It is not easy to replace close to thirty people living and spending money on housing, food and recreation in any community the size of Casper when they leave overnight. Losing the income from ice sales, hotel nights from visiting teams and parents, restaurant use, along with their money spent in other locally owned business in the community is not a well thought out plan.
TJHN will continue to update this story as it develops.
