BHS & CHS Forced To Clean Out Their Hockey Locker Rooms

I ran across a Facebook post yesterday that caught my eye from a Bismarck Demon hockey parent and booster.

After 32 two years of using the same locker room at VFW arena in Bismarck, the Bismarck High Demons and the Century High Patriots were asked to clean out their locker rooms.

That means hoards of hockey equipment, like heavy skate sharpeners, breezers, pads, helmets, gloves, and more were moved to the basements of the schools.  The schools will no longer have an assigned locker room for games and practices.

As one parent told me, this will be kind of like Squirts hockey again.

You will show up to the rink and find out what your assigned locker room is.  This is going to make it very difficult for both teams, as they will have to carry around extra equipment to practices and games.  Imagine what it's like to have to carry a heavy skate sharpener around to the rinks in January.  Not something the coaches are looking forward to.

So, why is this happening?  Good question.  With 4 rinks available, you would think some sort of arrangement could've been made with Bismarck Public Schools and Parks and Rec.

Let me disclose that I do have a dog in this fight.

I have a son who plays hockey for Bismarck High.  Bismarck High will be playing the majority of all of its home games at Capital City Ice Complex/Wachter arena this year.  It only makes sense, since the rink is in close proximity to the school.  The only exceptions will be games with Century & Legacy.  Those would still be at VFW.  It was hoped that Bismarck Public Schools and Parks and Rec would allow Bismarck High to have their own locker room at Capital Ice Complex.  After all, the Bismarck Demons boosters have invested a significant amount of dollars to help build that arena.  They've been paying $2,500 dollars a year and vowed to invest up to $25,000.  Another private donor was going to invest another $25,000 for a total of $50,000.  Since they've yet to get an answer from BPS or Parks and Rec about the locker room, they've stopped paying the $2,500 a year payments.

Here's the sign that has hung in the Bismarck High School hockey locker room at VFW for 32 years.  They were hoping to be able to hang this at Capital Ice.  As you can imagine there are some pretty hard feelings from Bismarck High School parents.  I would imagine the same is true for Bismarck Century parents.