The Winnipeg Thunder was a professional basketball franchise based in Winnipeg , Manitoba , from 1992 to 1994. The Thunder played its inaugural season in the World Basketball League , which folded before the schedule ended. The club then joined the nascent National Basketball League , where it played for the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
19-566: The Thunder enjoyed considerable public and corporate support at the outset, which later dwindled due in part to league instability and increased competition in the local minor-league sports market, following the establishment of the Winnipeg Goldeyes baseball club. The club's financial backers included Sam Katz and John Loewen . The Thunder played its home games at the Winnipeg Arena . It would eventually be succeeded by
38-575: A smoked delicacy and commonly called Winnipeg goldeye . There have been two separate and distinct baseball teams based out of Winnipeg to use the Goldeyes name, each playing in different incarnations of the Northern League. They first played in the original Northern League from 1954 until 1964. During that time, the Goldeyes were a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and they won
57-536: Is a baseball stadium in Winnipeg , Manitoba , Canada . It is located adjacent to The Forks , near the city's downtown , and is home to the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association . Blue Cross Park has a seating capacity of 7,481, as well as 30 luxury skysuites, a picnic area, and an open patio overlooking the field from the right field corner. An Indian cuisine restaurant is located on
76-543: The American Association of Professional Baseball , which they joined in 2011. Previously, the Goldeyes were members of the Northern League from 1994 until 2010. The Goldeyes were champions of the Northern League in 1994. They are also three-time champions of the American Association; having won in 2012, and back-to-back in 2016 and 2017. The team is named after the goldeye , a fish usually served as
95-640: The Rogers Communications acquisition of Shaw Communications, the Winnipeg Goldeyes announced a new 10-year naming rights partnership with Manitoba Blue Cross on November 8, 2023, with the ballpark being renamed Blue Cross Park. The ballpark served as the main baseball venue for the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg. The host Canadian squad captured the bronze medal, which was their best finish ever, up to that point. Cuba won
114-660: The Winnipeg Cyclone , which represented the city in the International Basketball Association from 1995 to 2001. The Thunder's mascots were Kaboom and Baby Boom. WBL NBL This article about a basketball team in Canada is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Winnipeg Goldeyes The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a minor-league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba , Canada. The Goldeyes play in
133-567: The 1999 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Goldeyes played its 2020 season home games at Newman Outdoor Field , and April–July home games in the 2021 season at The Ballpark at Jackson . Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders Manager Coaches [REDACTED] Disabled list ‡ Inactive list § Suspended list Roster updated August 10, 2024 Transactions Shaw Park Blue Cross Park (formerly Shaw Park )
152-576: The 2021 season out of The Ballpark at Jackson in Jackson, Tennessee , the former home of the Jackson Generals . However, Jackson Mayor Scott Conger notified the teams that the Generals lost their authority to manage the city-owned ballpark when they lost their affiliation with Minor League Baseball and that they were issued an eviction notice to leave the stadium after May 30, nine days after
171-541: The Goldeyes' May 21 home opener. On June 1, the Goldeyes entered into a new license agreement with the city to continue use of the facility. On July 22, the Goldeyes were granted permission from the federal and provincial governments to return to Shaw Park for games beginning on August 3. From 1994 to 1998, the Goldeyes played their homes games at Winnipeg Stadium , a Canadian football stadium retrofitted for baseball. The team moved into CanWest Global Park (now Blue Cross Park ), their own baseball-only facility, prior to
190-543: The Wingnuts won the series in game four after a ground-out won the game and the team began celebrating on the mound. However, the umpire had called a balk and the strike was re-thrown; the Goldeyes tied the game later in the at-bat and forced a marathon 17-inning game. This was the longest game in American Association history, which they won to play a game five. The Goldeyes would seal back-to-back championships with an 18–2 victory over Wichita at home in Winnipeg. In 2020,
209-450: The addition of the skysuites and concession space. The right field stands, patio, and restaurant were completed as part of the final phase in 2003. As part of the final expansion, the City of Winnipeg was required to reroute Pioneer and Water Avenues . A record attendance of 8,668 occurred on August 29 during the 2005 season. Winnipeg-based CanWest Global purchased the naming rights to
SECTION 10
#1732782978659228-453: The ballpark when it opened in 1999. CanWest Global Park later became Canwest Park after the media company's name change in 2008. Shaw Communications acquired the ballpark's naming rights when it acquired Canwest's broadcasting assets from bankruptcy court in 2010. The ballpark was renamed Shaw Park prior to the 2011 season. The Shaw Park name was retained even though Shaw sold its media division to Corus Entertainment in 2016. Following
247-460: The distance beyond the outfield fence. The Red River flows northward beyond the left field fence, on the far side of Waterfront Drive. Trains can be frequently seen and heard passing the ballpark, as it is built inside a curve of the main CN Rail line running through downtown Winnipeg. Blue Cross Park, originally named CanWest Global Park, opened on May 24, 1999, replacing Winnipeg Stadium as
266-404: The home of the Goldeyes and the city's premier baseball facility. It was built in three phases. The first phase saw the stands completed along the third base side to the left field wall and halfway along the first base side, giving the stadium a seating capacity of 6,140. The second phase, completed in 2000, saw the first base stands partially extended, increasing seating capacity to 6,300, and
285-539: The league announced that the Goldeyes would compete as one of six teams in a condensed 60-game season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic . However, they would not play games at Shaw Park , and were instead based at Newman Outdoor Field (thus sharing a home field with the Fargo Moorhead RedHawks). Due to continued border restrictions, the Goldeyes announced plans to initially play home games during
304-515: The league championship three times (1957, 1959, and 1960). The Goldeyes returned to the Short Season-A Northern League for one season, 1969, as an affiliate of the expansion Kansas City Royals , but they did not return in 1970, and the entire league shut down after the 1971 season. The Goldeyes name was resurrected in 1994 when the independent league Rochester Aces of the new Northern League relocated to Winnipeg. It
323-553: The team would jump to the American Association after the 2010 season. The Goldeyes captured their first American Association championship in 2012, sweeping the Wichita Wingnuts in the finals. The Goldeyes fueled their rivalry with Wichita in 2016, when they defeated the Wingnuts in game five in Wichita for their second American Association championship. Next season, the teams would meet again; this matchup looked as if
342-452: The third floor. A Goldeyes retail store and the baseball club's offices are also located within the ballpark. The playing field has a natural grass surface and a traditional dirt infield. The outfield dimensions are symmetrical, with distances of 325 feet (99 m) from home plate to each foul pole and 400 feet (120 m) to straightaway centerfield. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Esplanade Riel bridge are visible in
361-428: Was decided the team would take on the name of the former Winnipeg team in honor of the past. In their inaugural season in Winnipeg, the new Goldeyes captured the Northern League championship. The Goldeyes became the longest tenured franchise in the Northern League following the departure of the St. Paul Saints , Sioux City Explorers , and Sioux Falls Canaries to the breakaway American Association in 2005; however,
#658341