Another big year for the northern Ontario's NAN Cup

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Would you drive 15 hours on winter roads to play some hockey? Many players and their families who participated in the annual Nishnawbe-Aski Nation hockey tournament held in Thunder Bay did just that.

The NAN Cup is more than just a sporting event. It's an opportunity for people in remote communities to get together, learn new hockey skills and raise money for youngsters who find sports a great way to build friendships and confidence.

This was the sixth NAN Cup. As well as the tournament, coaching clinics, skills and drills clinics, and team building sessions were all part of the four-day event.

Marlene Wright, an organizing committee member, said the various teaching clinics were successful, and that having former NHL player and Buffalo Sabres coach Ted Nolan as a guest speaker was an honor.

There are very few recreation programs for NAN youth in most communities. Here, about 44 youngsters from ages four to 11 were able to participate in clinics. Students from Confederation College's media arts program attended the clinics in order to produce an instructional hockey video that will be translated into Oji-Cree.

"The video will be used in remote communities to assist coaches and players who have difficulty getting instruction in the most up-to-date techniques," said Wright. "The video should be ready by the end of March."

Wawatay Communications taped the games for television viewing.

When all the hard work was over, the Moose Cree Scrappers beat out the Long Lake Hitmen in the competitive division with a score of 10-0. Fort Hope won in the recreation division against Wahgoshig.

Seven teams participated in the competition (contact) division: Moose Cree, Long Lake, Fort William, Sachigo, Kashechewan, Lac Seul, and Sandy Lake. There were five teams in the recreation (no contact) division: Kasabonika, Wahgoshig, Aroland, Sachigo Tribe, and Fort Hope.

Only a few of these teams are used to playing indoors and good equipment is hard to come by. All of the games were hard fought and the gloves only came off a few times when tempers got out of hand.

A dedicated organizing committee worked to put this tournament together, along with many volunteers, NAN executive council and staff. Bearskin Airlines was a major sponsor of the cup with assistance from the Regional Multicultural Youth Council, Lakehead University and Confederation College.

Proceeds from the tournament went to the NAN Youth Fund to promote sports and recreational activities. There will be an effort to put some women's teams on the ice for next year's cup.