Did First Nations invent hockey ?

Hockey birthplace

Five hundred and some kilometres to the north of Yellowknife rests the community of Dél̨ın̨e (population 550), also unofficially known as the birthplace of hockey.

In 1824, Sir John Franklin and his crew were wintering at what was then called Fort Franklin. In a diary entry, he mentions his men passing the time with games of hockey played on the ice. This is the first “recorded” mention of Hockey in Canada… That we know of. Although Nova Scotia also stakes a claim to Canada’s favorite game!

Fred Sasakamoose

Frederick Sasakamoose, CM (December 25, 1933 – November 24, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was one of the first Canadian Indigenous players in the National Hockey League,[3][4] and the first First Nations player with treaty status.[5] He played 11 games with the Chicago Black Hawks during the 1953–54 season; the rest of his career, which lasted from 1953 to 1960, was spent in various minor leagues. After his playing career, Sasakamoose became involved in Indigenous affairs, and served as chief of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation for a period. He was later recognized for his work, including being named a member of the Order of Canada.

First Indigenous players

A New York Times story from 2018 suggests that Tony Gingras along with brothers, Magnus and Rod Flett, might have been the first Indigenous players to win a Stanley Cup in 1901 and 1902, when they played for the Winnipeg Victorias. Gingras along with both Flett brothers were Métis, according to The Times.

Since then, there have been numerous Indigenous players who have won a Stanley Cup. They include four members of the Hockey Hall of Fame: George Armstrong, Theo Fleury, Grant Fuhr and Bryan Trottier. Other Indigenous players to win a Cup include Dwight King, Jamie Leach, Reggie Leach, Jordan Nolan and Chris Simon.

Oshie is the most recent Indigenous player to win a Stanley Cup when he helped the Capitals beat the Golden Knights to win the first title in franchise history during the 2017-18 season.

The first games

The first two games of the season, and in league history, took place in Ottawa and Montreal on the evening of December 19, 1917. The visiting Montreal Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators 7–4 in Ottawa, with Joe Malone scoring five of Montreal's seven goals.[12] In Montreal, the unnamed Toronto team lost to the Montreal Wanderers 10-9. [13] Harry Hyland had five goals in the Wanderers' victory, which would be their only one in the NHL. The game in Montreal was played in front of only 700 fans.