Orange jerseys bring extra meaning for Raiders’ Clarke

Clarke lost his father when he was 13 and later moved to Winnipeg with his mother as he pursued his dream of playing professional hockey. With the cost of training, travel and equipment adding up, people and businesses in his home community stepped in to help.

“My mom’s great, and my reserve, the people, everybody that is involved with me and my hockey career,” Clarke said. “It’s not cheap and it’s not easy for a single parent to support me because hockey is super expensive.”

He also received sponsorship from his community and connected with Indigenous-owned companies across Canada that helped cover some of the costs.

That support was particularly important for a young player coming from remote Norway House, located on the northeast side of Lake Winnipeg.

Clarke credits people including David and Nicole Bouchier and Russell Budd of Norway House with helping him along the way.

“I’ve been very fortunate with the people that I’ve met through hockey,” he said.

Now Clarke is trying to provide some of that same encouragement to the next generation.

Along with former Kelowna Rockets player and Montreal Canadiens draft pick Hayden Paupanekis, Clarke is among the hockey players from Norway House giving young athletes there someone to look up to.

When he gets the opportunity to return home, Clarke holds hockey camps for local children.

“Whenever I have time to go back home, I actually do a hockey camp during the Christmas holidays and beginning of summer right after the season’s over,” he said. “So many kids come out and so many kids look up to me.

“It’s a great feeling for myself, knowing that I can lead for these kids and show them that anything’s really possible.”

That connection to home will be especially visible Wednesday when Clarke and the Raiders take the ice in orange jerseys featuring Indigenous imagery.

The jerseys include animals representing the seven sacred teachings along the waist and sleeves.

For Clarke, the imagery also creates an opportunity to share more about his culture with his teammates and the community.

“They might ask, ‘Why is there a bear?’ or ‘Why is there a turtle?’ or ‘Why is there a feather on it?’” Clarke said. “It’s not only those things that are on it. There’s a deeper meaning behind it.”

He said he’s looking forward to explaining those meanings to his teammates.

“I always look forward to this week and especially this game.”

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com

by Nick Nielsen

Orange jerseys bring extra meaning for Raiders’ Clarke

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