A group of Anishinaabe youth earlier this month had the opportunity to show their homeland to a visiting youth hockey team from Toronto.
The youth at Whitefish River First Nation, about 45 miles west of Sudbury, loved the opportunity to show their new friends what life in northern Ontario was like.
“Like some kids don’t know how to ice fish or snowshoe,” said Brayson McGregor, 11.
The home-and-home exchange program between the two hockey clubs was all about introducing young players to new experiences and making new friends. The organizers also hope it will promote understanding between the two teams, who are so far apart.
The visit from February 3rd to 5th was the second part of the exchange. In November, a youth from Whitefish River visited Toronto, and Brayson said he still remembers the differences.
“They don’t have as much bush as we do,” he said.
A youth worker said the Whitefish River children were so excited to see their Toronto friends that they tried to remember their secret handshake.
Hockey Skills Camp
The Scarborough Ice Raiders U11 team traveled about 500 kilometers north to the First Nation. The community invited the visiting team to language classes, community festivals, and snowshoe hikes.
Both teams also attended a Three Nolans hockey skills camp, a hockey program led by former NHL coach Ted Nolan and his two sons.
Two hockey teams, the Scarborough Ice Raiders U11s and one from the Whitefish River First Nation, attend a Three Nolans hockey skills camp. (Mark Bochsler/CBC)
Ted Nolan said he participated in a similar exchange program in the 1960s when his Garden River First Nation hockey team visited Oakville, Ontario.
“They were like us, didn’t look down on us; [They] we felt very comfortable,” said Nolan.
His trip included the opportunity to watch the Maple Leafs train at the Maple Leaf Gardens. But Nolan’s exchange didn’t include players from Oakville who went to his home community. Nolan said he would have liked to show off his community, too.
Ted Nolan, a former Garden River First Nation NHL coach, attended a hockey exchange program in Oakville as a child in the 1960s. (Oakville Beaver)
Social activities
The Whitefish River kids got this chance and took their peers to slide and ice fish, and the community hosted a powwow for the two teams.
“It was fun going to the powwow social because I saw all the Scarboroughs and my friends at that dance and it was pretty cool,” said Deacon Jacko, 10.
Steve Whitaker, director of the Whitefish River school, said he hopes both groups of children will grow from the experience.
He hopes that Indigenous culture will not seem so alien to non-Indigenous children and that children will leave the community with a greater sense of who they are.
A youth holds up a pike he caught during an ice fishing lesson at Whitefish River First Nation. (Mark Bochsler/CBC)
“This will encourage pride in who they are and help build that sense of identity,” Whitaker said.
He helped organize the exchange program with Mike Purdy, director of the Greater Toronto Hockey League.
Purdy said he hopes that with the success of this pilot program, in the future they could give other northern communities greater access to the sport. He said he hopes the kids will form some lasting friendships.
Source: www.cbc.ca
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