The head coach of the Winnipeg Sea Bears said the last few days have been a “whirlwind” after the team won its first championship in franchise history. “It’s a huge honour,” said Mike Raimbault, the team’s head coach and general manager, in an interview with Your Morning Winnipeg on Monday. “I mean for me to be part of the coaching staff from year one and see the build-up of [this win].” Raimbault’s words come less than two days after the Sea Bears beat the Brampton Honey Badgers 98-84 at the Canada Life Centre to claim the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) title. The championship was supposed to be a three-game series; however, it transitioned to a single-game final following the cancellation of Wednesday’s game due to condensation on Brampton’s CAA Centre’s court. Raimbault described the situation as bizarre, adding that it was “interesting” to navigate. “Once they said it was for all the marbles on Saturday, we knew we just had to fly back and get organized,” he said. “We knew that our fans would be out in full support and the opportunity to play for the championship single game, we were super excited about.” Saturday’s matchup also set an all-time CEBL attendance record with more than 12,500 fans in attendance. Raimbault said the energy at the arena was unbelievable. He described the Sea Bears fans as a “sixth man of sorts,” adding that the city’s support is a big advantage. “We say it all the time; we have the absolute best fans in the entire league,” he said. “We talk about the environment in the arena and the fans support all the time when we’re trying to convince these [players] to come and spend their summer with us.” As of now, there’s no major celebration planned to mark the Sea Bears win; however, Raimbault said he expects the trophy will be making the rounds.
