ARTICLES BY Daniel Coyle

Cree Hockey News and Notes

  Kapuskasing Flyers Bring Their Winning Ways to Gatineau   The AAA Kapuskasing Flyers of the Great North Midget League finished 2011 on a high note, putting together a combined record of 8-1-1 in both GNML games and games played at the Waterloo Golden Puck Tournament, recently held in Waterloo, Ontario.   There are a ... read more ››

Kin power

While it is not unusual for families to get together to attend the CREE Senior Hockey and Broomball Tournament, for the Cooper boys the tourney is truly a family affair. At this year’s event, no less than three generations of the Cooper family are participating.   Allan Cooper participated in his 30th ... read more ››

A winter gathering

  The 31st edition of the CREE Senior Hockey & Broomball Tournament took place in Val-d’Or and Senneterre December 8-11. And as usual, the attendance of an estimated 3000+ people from Cree communities across northern Quebec and Ontario transformed Val-d’Or into the Cree Nation capital – at least for a weekend.   This ... read more ››

Fun on ice

  The CREE Senior Hockey Tournament was not the only tournament held over the weekend of December 8-11. Taykwa Tagamou Nation Recreation also presented its first Annual Aboriginal Hockey Tournament that weekend at the Tim Horton Events Centre in Cochrane, Ontario.   The inaugural edition of the tournament saw 12 teams vying for ... read more ››

Bridging the generations

  The trickster has long played an important role in the oral traditions of Aboriginal peoples around the world. For some, the trickster may be a dangerous or destructive being, for others, an adventurous and humorous friend. In either case, the trickster is typically a creative force and an important part ... read more ››

Christmas report card

The National Hockey League is approaching the 1/3 mark of the 2011-2012 season. Here is a quick look at how NHL players of Aboriginal descent are performing so far this season. All the players’ stats below were recorded on December 5. Aaron Asham – Pittsburgh Penguins, RW Métis Hometown: Portage La Prarie, Manitoba GP   ... read more ››

Coping with grief

The First Nations and Inuit Suicide Prevention Association of Quebec and Labrador (FNISPAQL) recently held its annual conference in Montreal. This year, the Dialogue for Life 2011 Conference marked the 10th anniversary of the association and brought together hundreds of frontline workers from Aboriginal communities across Quebec, Labrador and the ... read more ››

Back on track

  If you ask young Cree hockey fans today who their hockey idol is, most will say Jonathan Cheechoo. Born and raised in Moose Factory, Cheechoo was the first Cree player to be drafted by an NHL team when he was taken 29th overall by the San Jose Sharks at the 1998 ... read more ››

Battling for ice supremacy

For the first time in the 31-year history of the CREE Senior Hockey and Broomball Tournament, two non-Native teams faced off in the tournament’s Class A hockey final. After posting identical records of 3-0 with 13 goals for and 3 goals against, Team Val-d’Or and Bar Chez Frid of Amos ... read more ››

Eye on the prize

  The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has produced some of the finest hockey talent in the world. As part of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), “The Q” is a league where only the most talented and dedicated hockey players can play. This year, one of those players is Deverick Ottereyes. Raised ... read more ››

Determination pays off

  Sports have long provided a way for young people to get an education. Many teenagers have left their homes in Cree communities so that they can participate in their sport of choice at the highest level possible. As elite athletes, they can take advantage of Sport-Études and scholarship programs that ... read more ››

Puck fun

  The hockey season is now in full swing. And there are no better indicators of that then the recent announcements of upcoming Aboriginal hockey tournaments in Ontario and Quebec. The Annual CREE Senior Hockey and Broomball Tournament is back for its 31st year. Scheduled to take place from Thursday December 8 ... read more ››

Making an impact

  Quebec hockey fans may best remember John Chabot as a young centre for the Montreal Canadiens. Indeed, Chabot has enjoyed a hockey career as an NHL player and coach that can be considered successful by any standard. Today, Chabot is still deeply involved in the game, but not behind the bench ... read more ››

Marrying sports and studies

Alexander Hester, a sixteen year-old hockey player from Waskaganish, is off to a fast start this season. But that fast start has not only been on the ice, it has also been in the classroom. Hester is one of over 1200 young hockey players who are part of the Quebec ... read more ››

Shooting for the top

  Silas Neeposh has had a busy year. In addition to attending school, the 18-year-old from Mistissini has also been very busy pursuing his hockey dream. Currently, he is patrolling the blue line for the Kahnawake Condors of the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League. The Condors jersey is not the only one ... read more ››

“Half the Number of Players – Twice the Athlete”

The James Bay Eagles capped a successful 2011 football season with a Junior championship at the recent 6 Nations Challenge, held in Prince Edward Island in late August. But this isn’t your typical brand of football. The 6 Nations Challenge, launched in 2010, is an annual competition that brings together some ... read more ››

Improving the game

Twelve-year old Judith Neeposh of Mistissini will soon get her first taste of international hockey competition. A member of the Cree Nation Bears AAA Girls Under-14 hockey team, Judith was recently invited to travel in January to Saco, Maine, where she will try out for a spot on the East ... read more ››

Sports and youth

On August 4, TMSI Sports Management held its 2011 Appreciation Day at eQuinelle Golf Club in Kemptville, Ontario, just outside Ottawa. For the last five years, TMSI has worked closely with the Cree Health Board’s Youth Healing Services to provide a variety of sports and wellness programs targeted at young ... read more ››

Working hard for the dream

While most people are still enjoying summer sun and outdoor activities, hundreds of young hockey players reported in early August to training camps across Canada in preparation for the start of the 2011/2012 Major Junior Hockey season. One of the players in attendance at the training camp of the Quebec Major ... read more ››

The up-and-comers

Training camps opened this month for teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Western Hockey League (WHL). Among the hundreds of 16- to 20-year-olds attending these camps are a number of young hockey players from Cree communities across Canada. Waskaganish’s Brett Hester is attending ... read more ››

Bruins get the deal done in the Skag

The business of the NHL never stops, even in Waskaganish. While in town as a guest instructor for the True North Wellness Hockey Camp, Boston Bruins prospect Ryan Spooner signed his first professional contract with the NHL’s Stanley Cup champions. Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft ... read more ››

Better living through hockey

It may have been mid-July, but more than 120 young hockey players who gathered in Waskaganish for the fifth annual True North Wellness Hockey Camp only wanted to get on the ice. Jointly sponsored by Ottawa-based TMSI Sports Management and Ollson Sports Group, the True North Wellness Hockey Camp provides ... read more ››

Driving for funds

It was a beautiful start to the summer season as Quebec Native Women Inc. (QNW) hosted the organization’s 5th Annual Golf Tournament. Once again held at the Caughnawaga Golf Club in Kahnawake, this year’s tournament attracted more than 100 golfers and raised over $15,000, which QNW (www.faq-qnw.org) will use to ... read more ››

FORE!

Spring has finally arrived, and with it the start of golf season, a time when golfers’ hopes spring eternal. Like most golfers, I dream of improving my game; straightening the hook out of my drive, owning the greens and, dare I say, breaking 100. However, as is the case with ... read more ››

Double gold for Wemindji

Two teams from Hockey Abitibi-Témiscamingue reached the top of the podium, winning gold at the 2011 Inter-regional Hockey Championships, much to the delight of the James Bay Cree community of Wemindji. The Atom A Wemindji Future Wolves and Midget A Wemindji Paint Hills both swept their competition in the Laurentides-Lanaudière ... read more ››