Meet Indigenous Hockey

2024 Dream Nations Cup Results:

Mens: Third Place

Women’s: Fourth Place

The First of Its Kind

The Dream Nations Cup started as an invitational international ice hockey tournament to celebrate and emphasize the sport’s emergence in non-traditional hockey markets. One of the most exciting aspects of that mission is that the event has the honor of hosting several firsts for international hockey. 

One such story is the Indigenous Hockey team led by 1996 NHL draft pick Ryan Davis. Davis is an Ohsweken, Ontario native who is now an advocate for Six Nations sporting development. Although Davis has retired from hockey, he also had the chance to compete with the team he put together at last year’s Dream Nations Cup.

Apart from Davis, the team comprises players from both the USA and Canada with indigenous roots, notably those from Haudenosaunee heritage. The Haudenosaunee is another name for the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy, an alliance between the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. The Haudenosaunee peoples traditionally inhabited lands in New York State and Ontario and, at the height of their influence, also held lands in Quebec, Pennsylvania, and the Ohio Valley. 

Davis says this is a good opportunity to involve more Indigenous athletes to compete under their own nation amongst other national teams.

Ryan Bahl, Dream Nations Cup Hockey Director, agrees with Davis and says the team’s inclusion is vital to the tournament’s mission.

“Having the Indigenous Hockey Team at the Dream Nations Cup was a privilege and inspiring. We built this event to celebrate hockey in emerging and under-represented markets.” Bahl said, “The Indigenous community has always been such a strong part of hockey history, and we’re happy to give a platform for that to be recognized and celebrated.”

Indigenous Hockey’s Rich History

The men and women who take the ice under the Indigenous Hockey sweater are the first to represent Indigenous hockey in an international event. That being said, they’re far from the first people with indigenous heritage to make a significant mark on the game of hockey. 

It’s vital to note that hockey is a sport with a multicultural background that developed at different points in time worldwide. As such, pinpointing any particular time or place where hockey was invented isn’t easy. That being said, it’s impossible to tell the story of the history of ice hockey without the indigenous peoples of North America. 

The Mi’kmaq, a First Nations people Indigenous to Canada’s Atlantic provinces, are thought to have carved the first-ever hockey sticks in the 1800s. The Mi’kmaq also played a game similar to ice hockey that many experts consider to be a precursor to the sport called Oochamkunutk. The Mi’kmaq game was played on ice in the winter and had rules similar to ice hockey’s early regulations.

Beyond the earliest evolutions of the game, people with indigenous roots continue to play a vital role in the hockey community. Fred Sasakamoose, born in the Big River First Nation, became a trailblazer as one of the first notable Indigenous NHL players in the 1950s with the Chicago Blackhawks. Sasakamoose grew up on the Ahtahkakoop Indian Reserve before being separated from his family and taken to a residential school. Sasakamoose’s resilience and ability to endure through that system made him an inspiration to countless people.

Since Sasakamoose broke the barrier as the first First Nations player with treaty status, several players with Indigenous roots have left their mark on the NHL. Carey Price (Ulkatcho First Nation), Zach Whitecloud (Sioux Valley Dakota Nation), TJ Oshie (White Earth Nation) and Brandon Montour (Six Nations) are just some of the many indigenous hockey players who are currently or have recently played in the NHL. Ethan Bear (Ochapowace Cree) made history in 2020 when he became the first player to wear a jersey with his name spelled in Cree syllabics during an exhibition match.

Of course, several women with Indigenous backgrounds are also making waves in the hockey community. Jocelyn Larocque (Métis) was the first Indigenous athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics’ women’s ice hockey tournament. Jamie Lee Rattray (Métis) and Abby Roque (Wahnahpitae First Nation) are also notable pioneers of Indigenous women’s hockey.

The Indigenous Hockey team participating in the Dream Nation’s Cup is the latest to carry on the tradition of Indigenous peoples being hockey trailblazers. The team may be the first of its kind, but they certainly have bigger goals for the future. 

Strong Foundation For a Bright Future

The Indigenous team may have been competing in their first event, but that didn’t stop them from making immediate waves. The men’s team finished third in the tournament, beating Egypt in the Bronze medal game after falling to the eventual champions by just one goal. 

The group was led by a trio of forwards (Kessler Skye, Ben Huffman and James Mattson) who all scored at a point-per-game clip. Defenders Tie Jacobs and Jace Lombardo also tied for second in the tournament in scoring from defenders, each registering five points.

Going into their second appearance at the event, the team will once again enter a men’s team into the expanded field. Given their strong talent base, the men will play in the Division 1 section of the event.

The Dream Nation’s Cup is an excellent event for Ryan Davis’ outfit to get started at, but the plan is for these teams to reach even greater international glory. Davis iterated those plans with a strong message for the future of Indigenous hockey.

“We just aren’t recognized or included,” he said. “I want teams in this tournament, in IIHF championships, in the Olympics. That’s my ultimate dream. That’s my ultimate vision. I say this is just the beginning for us.”