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Roseau v. Warroad: Rivalry Doesn't Get Political

01/07/2016, 4:15pm CST
By Steve Mann

Mayors Bob Marvin, Jeff Pelowski Embrace Tradition With Mutual Respect

While the Rams-Warriors rivalry both on the ice and inside the towns' respective rinks has, at times over the years (though not as much recently), devolved into overly aggressive physical battles, hostility and vitriol, the competition off the ice has been more friendly.

In fact, in several cases throughout their history as neighbors, the Roseau and Warroad communities have found themselves on the same side of a fight.

Two recent examples of this were the tragic flooding of the Roseau River in 2002 and a tornado that struck Warroad in 2006. The tornado was confirmed to be an F3, with significant damage left in its path. Roseau’s fire department stepped up to help, going door-to-door to offer assistance. The recovery efforts following the Roseau flood were considerable, and could have left a much deeper and negative impact if not for the efforts of the entire Warroad community.

“The river cut the town in two and 90 percent of the homes in Roseau were effected,” said Roseau Mayor Jeff Pelowski. “Warroad had a shelter set up at their arena for Roseau people who were displaced. Volunteers were bused in from Warroad and surrounding communities. Marvin Windows had a fundraiser and contributed a significant amount of money to help in flood recovery efforts.” 

Besides helping each other in times of crisis, both towns share common traits – many good and few challenging. The good: solid job opportunities (thanks in part to large, anchor companies such as Marvin Windows and Doors in Warroad and Polaris Industries in Roseau); access to outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and hiking; five total indoor hockey rinks; good schools, housing opportunity and general quality of life. The challenging: an isolated location, harsh climate and the shared struggle in northern Minnesota to sustain and eventually grow population.

“The rivalry is good fun. It goes way, way back. As far as communities go, we take punches at each other once in a while,” said Pelowski. “But in reality we work together. We need to work together. We’re all in it together. We’re both in the same boat.”

Hockey is another common bond between the two towns, and Mayor Marvin (who happens to have a limited partner ownership stake in the Minnesota Wild) believes it influences both communities in a variety of ways.  

“We’re small communities, but when someone who played here like T.J. (Oshie) or Gigi (Marvin) make it to the next level, we get behind them, the whole community follows them,” said Marvin. “Hockey has a big impact on Warroad in the winter months. Hockey in Warroad is a way of life. It’s enthusiastically pursued by the kids and the parents. And tournaments here can provide an economic boost to hotels, gas stations and other local businesses.”

While both Mayor Pelowski and Mayor Marvin implied that the rivalry has turned more affable over the years, don’t expect the two to share any friendly wagers on the games any time soon.

“There’s personal pride and community pride. But it’s not a rivalry (between mayors),” Marvin said. “I’ve known Mayor Pelowski a long time. There’s a mutual respect.”

“Mayor Marvin and myself, we give each other a ribbing once in a while, but we get a chuckle out of it,” Pelowski said. “We stick together and work together and we’re proud of that.”

Credit: Jay Hardwick.

Credit: Jay Hardwick.

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Tag(s): State Of Hockey  News