Tag hockey players

Sasakamoose remembered as a pioneer who paved the way for Indigenous hockey players

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…

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Indian hockey team reviews the nation’s rich history

Instructed by head coach Graham Reid, Indian hockey players went through the nation’s rich history at the Olympic Games during the two-week mandatory quarantine period at the national camp in Bengaluru. Indian hockey boasts of an unparalleled record of eight Olympic gold medals, six of which were consecutively won over three decades. Coach Reid reckoned revisiting them was a good way to revitalise his players’ spirit ahead of the Tokyo Games next year. “During the last two weeks, we learnt about India’s extraordinary Olympic history,” Graham Reid told Hockey India. “The players’ job was to study a number of Olympic stories and present to the group their individual learnings and what can we use as a team going forward,” Reid explained. After a month-long break, the core group of Indian hockey players has now resumed training for a long away season ahead of the Olympic Games next year. “We will be using these next few weeks to work on everyone’s development plan and focus on skill development while we can improve their aerobic base,” Reid said. “I reminded the players that every action and decision we make will help us to either get closer to…

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Anger, apathy has set in for hockey players and fans of color

But sports have taken a backseat in light of the global pandemic and anti-racism protests spurred on by the unjust shootings and deaths of Black people at the hands of police in 2020. It has led to some intense conversations at home between my dad and I, along with my mom and my siblings. We’ve even discussed what we feel athletes and leagues can do to be proactive and take action during this weird time. Ultimately, whatever had to be done would have to affect the pocketbook of those who truly carry the most influence on lawmakers and professional sports owners. Athletes like LeBron James would have to be at the forefront of change for their respective sport. But whenever the NHL comes up in conversation, my dad usually scoffs. The NHL? The last bastion for white people in sport? They’ve proven to be behind the eight-ball in their treatment of Black players in the past, so why should they be taken seriously with their attempts at supporting Black Lives Matter? Do they even care? I am thankful to cover the sport as part of my living, while also enjoying games as a general fan.…

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