The team was founded in 2004 as the Grunthal Red Wings and based out of
Grunthal, Manitoba. The Red Wings became the Southeast Prairie Thunder, relocating to
Steinbach in 2006 and playing out of the
T.G. Smith Centre from 2006 to 2017. Since then, the team has played its home games at the
Seven Oaks and
Wayne Fleming Arenas in Winnipeg. The team have made nine appearances at the
Allan Cup, Canada's national senior 'AAA' championship. Their first was at the
2009 Allan Cup, which was played in
Steinbach, but hosted by their local rivals, the
Steinbach North Stars. The Prairie Thunder advanced to the final, but lost 4-3 in double overtime to the
Bentley Generals. Three years later, the Thunder captured their first national title at the
2012 Allan Cup in
Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. They claimed their second national title at the
2015 Allan Cup in
Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador, defeating Bentley in the final by a score of 2-0. The Prairie Thunder also participated in the
2010,
2011,
2014,
2017,
2018, and
2019 Allan Cups. The Prairie Thunder hosted the
2016 Allan Cup in Steinbach, where they finished runner-up to the Generals. Over the years, the team's roster included former professional players such as
Terry Yake,
Brad Purdie,
Justin Kurtz,
Ryan Garbutt,
Ian White,
Mark Stuart,
Ryan Bonni, and Steve Christie. The Prairie Thunder have not fielded a team since the
COVID-19 pandemic ended their 2019-20 season. ==See also==