1907/08
Outside of hockey, the Iron Range experienced one of the biggest labor disputes in Minnesota history during the offseason. From July 20th to August 15th nearly 15,000 Mesabi Range miners went on strike in an attempt at getting higher wages, an eight-hour workday, & safer work conditions. The strike was primarily led by Finnish immigrants, leading mining companies to stoke the flames of ethnic tension amongst the immigrant workforce to discourage worker solidarity. In the end the strike failed to accomplish all of their goals, but they did get a 10% pay raise and 8 hour work days. Unfortunately, a lot of striking miners, particularly Finns, were blacklisted and had difficulty finding work after the strike. The Mesabi Iron Range Strike of 1907 laid the groundwork for future labor organizing on the Range.
There were three clubs in the cities who built new rinks to call home. After two years on Medicine Lake, the Plymouth Hockey Club announced their move to 250 seat Plymouth Creek Park. West St. Paul is also moving off a lake, moving from Thompson Lake into the 250 WSP City Rink. And finally we have White Bear Lake who are moving off the town's namesake lake and into White Bear Ice Rink which has bleacher seating for about 250 spectators.
We also had 2 expansion clubs and 8 existing teams make identity changes. Both expansion clubs are set to join the Red River Hockey League which now has 11 members and will play a 30 game schedule with each team playing the rest of the league 3 times. Teams that get two home games against an opponent one year will play two on the road against them the next year.
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Barnesville Hockey Club
The Barnesville Hockey Club is based in Barnesville, MN. Barnesville is a city of 1,300 located about 25 miles southeast of Fargo. It is a small farming community best known for their potatoes which grow plentifully in the fertile Red River Valley.
The team will wear brown sweaters with orange shoulders and a big orange B on the front. Their socks are also brown and contain two thick orange stripes. Their home games will be played at the 250 seat Barnesville City Rink.

