Tributes are pouring in for Fred Sasakamoose, who died Tuesday at age 86 after being hospitalized with COVID-19.
Sasakamoose was one of the first Indigenous athletes to play in the National Hockey League.
“We are at a loss today. Fred Sasakamoose was a legend with humble beginnings. He will be dearly missed,” the Federation of Saskatchewan Indigenous Nations tweeted.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Fred Sasakamoose. Fred holds a special place in the history of our great game,” tweeted Hockey Canada’s Tom Renney.
Brigette Lacquette, the first First Nations woman to play for the Canadian women’s Olympic hockey team, said Sasakamoose paved the way for Indigenous players across the continent.
“His story is just simply amazing and to have that perseverance and determination to get to where he [did] … it’s pretty crazy to think what he has overcome,” said Lacquette, who grew up in Dauphin and whose mother is from the Cote First Nation in Saskatchewan.
“He’s a very humble man, soft spoken, and could really make you feel like you’ve known him your whole life. [He] was just an amazing person and someone that I’m very glad that I crossed paths with.”
Sasakamoose’s son, Neil Sasakamoose, said in a video on Facebook that his father died Tuesday afternoon, five days after he was admitted to the hospital. Read More