SASKATOON, Sask.-In late May, 64 teams of gamers from Indigenous communities across Canada squared off against each other on Playstation's NHL 20 series for a chance at a cash prize and being announced as the country's best Indigenous online hockey team.
"It's the neechi Stanley Cup of online gaming," Cameron Edwards, one of six players from the Lake Manitoba Eagles team, told CBC News about the Fred Sasakamoose "Chief Thunderstick"National Hockey Championship online.
The annual Fred Sasakamoose tourney, organized by Fred's son, Neil, is usually held in the spring in Saskatoon to honor its namesake, one of the first Indigenous hockey players to play in the National Hockey League. When the on-ice tournament schedules for April was cancelled, Sasakamoose was messaged by a young person suggesting an online event. More than 160 entries were received for the 64 spots, with a focus on regional representation from Indigenous communities across the country.
"After everything that's been going on-with everyone being self isolated-it's a great way to get the communities involved without actually being in one place," Chiwetin Blacksmith, a left-winger for the Carleton University hockey team, who hopes to continue playing professionally, told CBC.
The tournament featured 126 games total beginning Friday night, with the championship game scheduled to be played on Sunday night.
The team's captains will be responsible for live streaming their own games, with the live stream links posted on the Fred Sasakamoose tournament Facebook page.
The tournament entry was free. Players will be playing for a first place prize of $2,000 and a trophy.
