Two minutes for speaking out on arena

Knights boss griped about Terry Sawchuk closure; city says move only ‘for safety’

Barry Bonni, president of the River East Royal Knights, arrived to his office at Terry Sawchuk Arena Friday to find himself locked out.

A longtime team official in Manitoba’s hockey community says he’s being punished by the City of Winnipeg for speaking out about the poor condition of one of its rinks. Barry Bonni, president of the River East Royal Knights, has occupied an office at Terry Sawchuk Memorial Arena for more than four decades. On Friday, he was locked out. “They’re on the war path,” Bonni said.

Earlier this week, the city announced it was shuttering the arena for the season due to structural issues found by inspectors, derailing the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League club’s home games. Hours after saying city staff “dragged their feet” on getting the arena inspected and repaired, and showcasing the empty rink to media, Bonni said the locks to the building had been changed.

The former coach, who called himself a “prompt-paying and loyal tenant of the barn,” said the move was “nonsense,” and he’s now in the midst of moving half a century of hockey history out of the space.

The city closed the Terry Sawchuk Memorial Arena due to concerns about the beams that support the roof over the ice surface and spectator seating.

The executive director of Hockey Winnipeg called the new development concerning. The story continues with details of the arena closure, concerns about its condition, and the club’s efforts to find a temporary home. The city said it was working with the club to provide alternate ice. Bonni said he didn’t expect to be forced out. An interview request with a representative from the city was not accommodated. “We’re working with our consultant to determine which parts of the arena remain safe to access and what sort of corrective action must be done,” the city said in a statement. “Any use of the arena that requires access to removed equipment should make arrangements directly with their city contact.”

The city said an inspector’s statement the move was not intended to be punitive. “We do apologize for the inconvenience Mr. Bonni is experiencing. That said, while work is underway to determine the scale of repairs required we are limiting access out of an abundance of caution.”