SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA : On January 22, 2013 it was announced that the CCHL's (Corfield Canosa Hockey League) Thunder Bay Timberwolves would be moving south in the summer of 2013 to Saint Paul, Minnesota to play in the Xcel Energy Center.
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The hockey club will be renamed the MINNESOTA NORSEMEN.
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Minnesota was one of the locations that Owner/General Manager, Blake Wendt scouted out five years ago when he ended up moving what was then the Hoboken (NJ) Bashers to Thunder Bay, Ontario.
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"Minnesota is my home," said Wendt. "I was born and raised in Duluth and it was a tough decision to not come back five years ago. The arena deal package presented to us from the City of Thunder Bay was just too good to pass up at the time." An arena deal that has since fallen through. Playing five seasons in the 1951-built Fort William Gardens (3,371 capacity), and no immediate plans to build the promised 15,000 seat, harbor-view arena was too much for Wendt and his club to endure.
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"The fans in Thunder Bay have been wonderful. We hope that some of them make the drive down Highway 61 and I-35 to Saint Paul and continue to support the players that they've grown to love."
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Officially, the Minnesota Norsemen will not become "real" until after the 2013 CCHL Draft. Wendt has said though, that the yet-to-be introduced new uniforms will be unveiled when they make those picks this summer.
