Hockey in Canada is a religion. We all go to worship at one temple or another, if not we are watching a service on TV. It doesn’t matter whether its Major Junior, Junior A, B or C, communities are known to support every level throughout Canada historically.
Years ago I remember going to Junior B and Junior C games in Ontario and being blown away by sometimes more than 2000 people in the seats. It really was a breath taking sight.
In todays age and economy though, every level has teams fighting for their financial lives.
You can add the Wheatley Sharks to a growing list of teams across North America who are experiencing financial hardships for many reasons.
The Wheatley Sharks finished last in Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League attendance numbers averaging only 172 fans per game. This after switching home game nights from Mondays to Saturdays in the hope of boosting attendance.
The team is now holding a special meeting this coming week regarding the future of the organization.
On the teams Facebook page it was posted:
“There will be a special meeting regarding the future of the Wheatley Sharks Junior “C” hockey team Thursday, February 19th upstairs in the Wheatley legion at 7 pm. If you have an interest in helping in any way with keeping this team in the village of Wheatley then your attendance at this meeting is strongly recommended”.
The Wheatley Sharks could be on the move to another community as early as next season if additional support and interest is not found.
TJHN will update this story as it develops.
