By Bryan Eneas

Team Sask. honours Colten Boushie, Humboldt Broncos at Hockey Championships

May 9, 2018 | 12:00 PM

The National Aboriginal Hockey Championships are underway in Nova Scotia and players from Team Saskatchewan are honouring their province for the duration of the tournament.

Players are wearing a “CB” sticker on their helmets honouring the Boushie family, and are wrapping themselves in a Humboldt Broncos flag while they say prayers before each game. Ken Thomas, the sport, culture and recreation director for the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations is also the provincial representative for Saskatchewan at the hockey championships. He said the Humboldt Broncos bus crash on April 6 was very hard on the players.

“We had a Team Sask. player in 2015 that played … at NAHC [on the bus], so it hit the teams pretty hard here,” Thomas said.

Bringing a part of the province along with the team isn’t something new for Team Sask. Last year, Thomas said the players each wore an “OC” sticker on their helmet in honour of Elder Oliver Cameron, who passed away days before the team left for last year’s championships.

The tournament brings together the best midget-aged hockey players from across the country to compete. Thomas said Team Saskatchewan includes players from as far north as Canoe Lake and as far south as Ochapawace.

SIGA

SIGA and Northern Lights Casino main sponsors of the 31st PAGC Fine Arts Festival

14h ago

Workplace incident

City of Prince Albert pleads guilty to workplace safety violation, handed fines

16h ago

Lighting it up

P.A.'s Zablocki leads Regina to victory on Day 4 at Esso Cup

Apr 24, 2024

Thomas said he has high hopes for this year’s championships, and both the men’s and women’s teams have golden aspirations. In 2015, both teams took home the gold medals, and in 2016 the women’s team won gold.

The men’s team has a game slated for 12 p.m. eastern time against Team Atlantic May 9. Their record is 2 – 0 so far in the championships. The women’s team also holds a 2 – 0 record so far in the tournament after beating Team North 11 – 1 May 8. The women hit the ice at 3:15 eastern time May 9 against Team Eastern Door and North.

The sport, culture and recreation director said anyone can watch the games online, and the FSIN is using a social media page to keep people in Saskatchewan updated about each team’s progress.

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas