Eagles part of documentary about First Nations hockey

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What do the Lebret Eagles have in common with George Armstrong, Ted Nolan, Gino Odjik and Freddie Sasakamoose?

They?re examples of First Nations people in the sport ? and business? of hockey.

And they?re also going to be the subject of a one-hour documentary about First Nations and hockey that will be broadcast on Global Television later this year.

The changing face of the Canadian prairies means the faces on the hockey ice ?and in the hockey boardrooms ?are going to change, says Clay O?Bray, a Winnipeg film producer.

In addition to filming at the Eagledome, the three will travel across Canada for stories about Canada?s first peoples and the national winter obsession.

They?ll be interviewing the best of First Nations hockey of yesterday, such as Sasakamoose, the Saskatchewan-born Cree who was the first status Indian to play in the National Hockey League. He played a handful of games with the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1950s.

Others slated for interviews include former Buffalo Sabres head coach Ted Nolan and George Armstrong, who scored the last goal in game seven of the 1967 Stanley Cup finals, for the last Toronto Maple Leafs team to win the Stanley Cup.

They?ll also look at the present and future of Aboriginal hockey, by interviewing some players with the Eagles as well as National Hockey League enforcer Gino Odjik, who currently plays for the Montreal Canadiens.

?It?s a look at the history of Aboriginal peoples in the sport of hockey,? says Clay O?Bray, the documentary film?s producer. He and two others were in Lebret at the end of January to film scenes and interview people for the show.

The tough road many Aboriginal boys traveled to hockey stardom makes for interesting storytelling, O?Bray says.

?They?ve all been through some kind of hardship, whether they?ve been in the juniors, the minor pros or the pros,? he says.

?Getting to play professional hockey is a one-in-a-million thing, and for First Nations? boys, it?s that much harder.?

For many First Nations? boys who enjoy hockey, progressing to the higher competition ? through the midget ranks into junior, major junior and then to professional - means a culture shock. For many, it?s the first time away from home, away from families and friends.

But, O?Bray said, that road to hockey excellence has recently become easier for Aboriginal hockey players, due to changing attitudes and changing economic circumstances.

Today there are more coaching opportunities involving Native youth, and some scouts ? such as the man who discovered Odjik, Vancouver Canucks? scout Ron Delorme ? are recognizing the largely untapped talent pool on the reserves, he adds.

At one time, Canadian society didn?t expect much from First Nations people, says O?Bray. But now, especially on the ice, Aboriginal hockey players are increasingly expected to play a larger role, both on the ice, and as role models.

First Nations? growing economic clout, especially in rural Saskatchewan and Manitoba, means they?ll be the ones providing players, volunteers, and in many cases owners of junior hockey teams, he said.

?Those Native hockey teams are going to save junior hockey in the end. They?re the ones now who are building the arenas, and who are attracting the new audiences.?

First Nations own three franchises in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, while the Star Blanket Cree Nation owns the SJHL?s Lebret Eagles. One Alberta Junior Hockey League team is also owned by a First Nation.

No air time for the show has been set.