The Battlesheep

Hockey Team

 

          
Pre-Sheep (1)

Crests & Labels

Team Pics (3)

Fight Pics (4)

Pictures (5)

Pictures (6)

Off Ice Pics (7)

B&W Pics (8)

Statistics

 A powerhouse in the mid-1970s, the University of Manitoba Battlesheep were consistently among the best college-level hockey teams in North America. Founded by Mike Teillet, the Battlesheep recruited players so serious about their hockey that they could be found practicing at 2am Fridays. As Art Watanabe explains: "We took advantage of any ice time we could find. There were so many talented young players trying to make it onto the Battlesheep, you felt you had to keep practicing, just to stay on the team."

In 1979, the Battlesheep disbanded after problems recruiting high performance athletes within the Canadian University system. As Battlesheep alumnus Stefan Szuminsky, a.k.a. "The Steffer", said: "We would rather disband the team than play a lower caliber of hockey."

Two ex-Battlesheep, John Teillet and Glen Armstrong were instrumental in founding the Red Army in 1980. With the Battlesheep ceasing operations, The Red Army capitalized on the pool of talent that was suddenly available and quickly snatched up the best of the Battlesheep. Several of the Red Army veterans are alumni of the University of Manitoba Battlesheep.

While the Battlesheep were in existence, the University of Manitoba (UofM) became a focal point for hockey talent in Canada, bringing the hockey world's attention to the UofM. It cannot be a coincidence that only two years after the Battlesheep were established, the UofM's Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) team, the Bison, won their first ever GPAC championship. In fact the Bison won back-to-back championships in 1975-76 and 1976-77.

When the Red Army was established in 1980-81, drafting several players from the Battlesheep, the UofM was once again in the hockey world's spotlight. And once again within 3 years, the Bison were winning GPAC championships (1983-84 & 1984-85). It is interesting to note that since the Red Army left league play in 1986-87 and stopped drafting UofM alumni, the Bison have not won a championship.