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HALIFAX -- Coming off a two-season stint in Niagara Falls, the former Blackwater Wolfish/Niagara Falls Rapids are officially known as the Halifax Oilers.
After the town of Blackwater rejected multiple proposals for building a new stadium for the franchise, the team moved to Fallsview Stadium in Niagara Falls on a short-term lease while the franchise searched for a permanent home that matched up geographically with the Fisherman Eastern Division.
The city of Halifax were able to win the bidding for the franchise by spending over $300M to renovate an old football stadium to support over 40,000 fans for 162+ baseball games. With that issue squared away, what about the future of the franchise on the baseball field?
Jose Restovich, a sure-fire hall of fame bound pitcher, has decided to retire from the game of baseball. Despite having a terrific season for the Rapids, he felt there was nothing more to prove as an active baseball player. He retired with 303 career wins, 2.97 ERA and over 2,500 strikeouts. Last season, the Rapids lost Ken Gossage in similar fashion coming off their Battle of the Beer Championship.
Hall of Fame bound strikeout king Hooks Fife elected to remain with the Halifax Oilers along with his battery mate from last season, Hector Koenig. They will be joined by team captains James Clark and Ian Demmitt who are both coming off down years.
The front office in Halifax will decide in the coming weeks if they wish to try to re-tool their roster and make another big run at the championship OR trade away some of the veteran players and rebuild. Either way, we expect a huge turnout at Halifax Oilers Ballpark for the upcoming 2025 season.
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