SPORTS FLASHBACK 1988: SPORTOPICS — Give it the inturrrn, Rrrrobbie

I told my wife I may be late, for I was curling in Morris as part of a media team upholding a tradition of excellence against a rink that included a couple of Scottish curlers.

When I got home, Anne asked if we had won. Are you kidding, I says, they kilt us…get it? Kilt Us.

The reception to that remark led me to draw two conclusions. Firstly, jokes about men in skirts aren’t funny, or secondly, you need more than a sample of Scottish jam made especially for Her Majesty to justify a trip to Morris for a four-end curling game.

It wasn’t my fault we lost. The team was equally represented by press and radio and it was the radio people who let us down.

Manitoba Junior Hockey League teams cement standings at deadline

With more than 20 games to go in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League season, there seems to be very little to be decided in the regular season.

The West Division should enjoy an entertaining finish at the top of the standings at least, as Dauphin, Virden and Neepawa were within two points for the division lead as of writing, but every other position appears safe.

Winkler’s massive deadline should put to rest any questions Selkirk could have posed them in the next eight weeks. Swan Valley shipped out their top two scorers, looking out of the hunt already in fifth in the West.

Niverville looked like a shoe-in to finish first in the East and league before adding a proven playoff performer in Marlen Edwards and I’d have guessed Steinbach would have held off Portage before they added last year’s league-MVP (Connor Paronuzzi) to their roster.

Hanover hires new CAO, brings fresh perspective to council

The RM of Hanover has hired a new CAO to replace their last CAO who was fired in May.

Ontario native Mike Primeau was hired last week to lead staff and advise council.

“Probably for each councillor it could have been a little bit different (as to what they were looking for). For myself it was his personality that certainly carried a lot of weight, but his knowledge that he comes with - Mike comes to us with a lot of knowledge,” said Reeve Jim Funk.

The RM received more than 250 applications for the role of CAO, which was whittled down to 10 and eventually three for council’s consideration. A questionnaire followed and Primeau was chosen as the perfect fit.

Rainbow Trout Music Festival takes hiatus

A southeastern Manitoba music festival is taking a year-long pause as it searches for a new location.

Rainbow Trout Music Festival, previously held at the Oroseau campground near St. Malo, announced in a Dec. 16 Instagram post its selection process for a new home is underway but it’ll need to take the year off to plan the festival’s next iteration.

“For us to just try and rush ahead, to just kind of keep on the festival’s annual timeline and offer anything less than what we’re used to, I just don’t think that our audience would be very happy and we (the festival’s board) wouldn’t be happy either,” said Margaret Banka, the festival’s co-chair.

She said the volunteer-run board begins planning three months after the previous festival is finished. When a potential new site fell through in June 2025, Banka said it was an indicator that there wouldn’t be enough time to focus on that year’s festival and plan ahead at the same time. The board has already had property owners offer their land as a location, and the volunteers are also reaching out to local tourism associations for possible sites, she said.

Edwards lands in Niverville with a bang

Marlen Edwards certainly knows how to make a first impression.

The 2006-born forward from Winnipeg had four goals in his first two games for the Niverville Nighthawks after the team added him via trade just before the junior hockey deadline, including a hat trick in his first home game.

Edwards was a massive part of the Norman Blizzard’s championship-winning team from last season, finishing third on the team in scoring and chipping in 15 points in 16 playoff games.

The 2006-born forward began this season with Minot in the North American Hockey League, but decided to return to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Reigning MJHL MVP Connor Paronuzzi returns to Steinbach Pistons

It’s not often a Manitoba Junior Hockey League team can add last year’s most valuable player to their roster mid-way through their season, but that’s exactly what the Steinbach Pistons have done.

Connor Paronuzzi is back playing for the team after a stint with the Brooks Bandits of the non-affiliated B.C. Hockey League. The MJHL has been losing high-profile players left and right to the BCHL throughout this season, including Pistons forward Brody Green, who left just as Paronuzzi returned.

“When he called, it was a very pleasant surprise and we knew immediately what that answer would be in terms of welcoming him back,” Steinbach head coach and general manager Paul Dyck said.

Paronuzzi posted 29 goals and 64 assists in 58 games last season for the Pistons, breaking the franchise assist and points in a single game record en route to his MVP award. In 29 games with Brooks this season, Paronuzzi had 18 points, even picking up an assist in the Bandits’ final game before the Christmas break against Sherwood Park.

PHOTO GALLERY: Steinbach hosts elite curling event

The 2026 Players’ Championship in Steinbach, Jan. 6-11, was the second-most attended Grand Slam in the tour’s history, with five of the six final draws selling out, and fans buying up standing room tickets.

Access CU announces focused funding grants for schools

Manitoba schools have the opportunity to receive funding for special projects once again this year after Access Credit Union announced the return of their focused funding grants.

For the second consecutive year, Access CU will give away a total of $250,000 in 10 separate $25,000 grants to schools.

This year’s initiative is dedicated to supporting school recreation and wellness programs, saying they chose those themes because improvements will ensure that both students and communities have safe, supportive environments to connect, grow and thrive together.

All K-12 public schools in Manitoba can apply for the grants and applications can come from parent advisory councils, school administration, teachers and school divisions.

COLUMN: Beyond the Shelter – Inside Agape House: Who we are and why this work matters

Every community deserves to be a place where people feel safe, supported, and believed. At Agape House, that belief guides everything we do.

Agape House is a community-based organization serving individuals and families impacted by domestic violence, sexual violence, and family violence across the Eastman region. People come to us at different points in their lives — some during moments of immediate crisis, others when they are ready to begin healing through counselling, education, or outreach support. No matter how someone connects with us, our goal is to meet them with compassion, dignity, and safety at the centre of every interaction.

We provide a range of services that are completely free of charge. These include: 24/7 crisis support; residential shelter services for individuals fleeing violence; individual and children’s counselling; sexual assault counselling; community outreach and education; and ongoing support and advocacy. Each program plays a unique role in addressing the immediate impact of violence while also helping people build pathways toward safety and long-term wellness.

Our approach is survivor-centred and trauma-informed, recognizing that each person knows their own life best and deserves a respectful, supportive environment to make decisions that promote their safety and healing. We also work closely with community partners, including health services, first responders, schools, and local organizations, because collaboration strengthens the support network available to survivors.

Southeast Event Centre hits ‘Grand Slam’ with curling event

Any questions the Players’ Championship in Steinbach would be a roaring success attendance-wise were put to bed in the first draw of the event.

The Grand Slam of Curling, used to mostly empty seats during morning mid-week games, advised the Southeast Event Centre not to stock up too much food and drinks and they didn’t expect to need a banquet space for fans in between draws early in the event.

When 1,000 people piled into the SEC to watch Tuesday, Jan. 6, calculations had to be quickly changed on the fly.

The Steinbach event was the second-highest attended event in Grand Slam history, which dates back to 2001. Capacity crowds piled into the rink for not only the playoffs, but also the final draw of the round robin.