Windspeaker Sports Briefs

BLACKWATER'S TRAVELS
You'll have to forgive Judd Blackwater if he has difficulties remembering the names of all his teammates this season.
That's because the 21-year-old, who is in his first season as a professional hockey player, has suited up for four different squads in two different leagues.
Blackwater, who is from Alberta's Blood Tribe, concluded his junior career last season, helping the Western Hockey League's Spokane Chiefs win the Memorial Cup.
As for this season, Blackwater started off the year with the California-based Fresno Falcons in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).
He ended up appearing in 30 games for the Falcons and scored 14 points, including five goals.
Then, just before Christmas, Blackwater was in limbo as the Falcons folded. But about a week later, Blackwater joined another California franchise in the ECHL, the Stockton Thunder.
Blackwater, however, was on the move again in late January. That's because the Thunder loaned Blackwater to the Rockford IceHogs, in the higher calibre American Hockey League (AHL).
Blackwater registered three goals in his nine games with the Illinois-based IceHogs before being returned to Stockton.
Soon after coming back to California, Blackwater was on the move once again. This time the Thunder loaned him to another AHL franchise, the Rochester Americans.
Blackwater had earned two points (one goal, one assist) in his first six games with the Americans, who are based in New York.
All this moving around is new to Blackwater, who had spent his three WHL seasons with the same organization, the Washington-based Chiefs.

LITTLECHILD INTO HALL
One of the founders of the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) will be honoured in late May in Red Deer, Alta.
Willie Littlechild has been chosen as one of the 10 individuals who will be inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame this year.
Induction ceremonies are scheduled for May 29.
Littlechild is a Cree from the Ermineskin Nation in Hobbema, Alta.
NAIG was just a glimmer in Littlechild's eye as far back as 1975, when he attended a National Indian Athletic Association meeting in Reno, Nevada. The meeting was held to help establish sporting competition among Aboriginal people.
Littlechild also travelled to Sweden in 1977 to a meeting of the annual Assembly of the World Council of Indigenous People, where it was agreed to promote large-scale Indigenous Games. The North American Indigenous Games took much effort to get organized, but were rolled out for the first time in 1990.
Other inductees into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame this year include boxer Scotty Olson, Paralympian wheelchair basketball player Jennifer Krempien, Olympic skeleton gold medallist Duff Gibson, former National Hockey League player Vic Stasiuk, ex-Canadian Football League player Larry Robinson and Olympic rower Heather McDermid.
Others entering the hall of fame via the builders category are Doug McKenzie, Dave Williams and Jack Daines.
Littlechild had previously received the Order of Canada in 1998.

REDDEN IN BIG APPLE
Perhaps Wade Redden did indeed know things wouldn't be quite right in the nation's capital this season.
After spending his first 11 National Hockey League seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Redden joined the New York Rangers this past off-season.
And no doubt Redden, an Aboriginal defenceman who hails from Lloydminster, Sask., is undoubtedly pleased he's no longer with the Senators, who have underachieved, to put it mildly, this season. In fact, Ottawa is expected to not even qualify for post-season action.
As for the Rangers, they've also had an up-and-down season. Following a strong start, the club went into a funk past the midway mark of the year and ended up firing head coach Tom Renney.
John Tortorella, who coached the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup in 2004, was then brought in to handle the Rangers' bench.
Around mid-March, Redden and the Rangers were in a tough battle trying to earn a playoff spot. New York was one of six teams within six points of each other, jockeying for the final four playoff positions in the NHL's Eastern Conference.
Redden had contributed to the Rangers' cause by collecting 22 points (three goals, 19 assists) in his first 62 games with the squad.

NATIONALS IN ALBERTA
Alberta's Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation will play host to this year's Canadian Native Fastball Championships.
The national tournament will be held in Whitecourt, Alta.
Those clubs that wish to compete have until July 15 to register.
The tournament will begin on July 31 and continue until Aug. 2.
A total of four divisions will be contested at the Canadian event. Besides the men's and women's divisions, there will also be masters categories (for those players aged 40 and up) for both sexes.