Windspeaker Sports Briefs - August 2012

NHLers on move

A pair of Aboriginal players who are National Hockey League veterans found themselves with new teams on Canada Day. Both Sheldon Souray, who is Metis, and Jordin Tootoo, who is Inuit, signed contracts with new clubs on July 1, the first day free agents could ink new contracts.

Souray, a defenceman, agreed to a three-year deal worth $11 million with the Anaheim Ducks. And Tootoo, a forward, joined the Detroit Red Wings, also on a three-year contract, worth $5.7 million.

For the 36-year-old Souray, who is from Elk Point, Alta., the Ducks will be his fifth NHL team. He spent last season with the Dallas Stars, where he earned 21 points, including six goals in 64 games.

The other NHL clubs Souray previously played for are the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers. He’s appeared in a total of 748 NHL contests, since breaking into the league during the 1997-98 campaign with New Jersey.

As for Tootoo, a 29-year-old who was born in Manitoba but grew up in Nunavut, he’s spent his entire NHL career so far with the Nashville Predators.

He had a career high 30 points in 77 games this past season. In total, he’s appeared in 525 matches with the Predators.

Golfers needed

Golfers are being sought for this year’s fundraising tournament organized by the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples’ National Youth Council. The event, scheduled for Sept. 19 in Ottawa, is called the Harry Daniels Memorial - Youth Fundraising Golf Tournament. It will be staged at the Cedarhill Golf and Country Club.

Proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Aboriginal Youth Achievement Awards, which is also organized by the council. The registration fee is $150 per golfer. Also, four-person teams can register for $500. The registration fee includes green fees, a golf cart, lunch, dinner and entertainment. And those who are interested in helping out the event but do not wish to golf can pay $50 for the dinner. Sponsors and donations for the tournament are also being sought. More information is available by calling Jenna Burke or Mary Ann Belanger at (613) 747-6022.

Star stays in Ontario

Byron Katapaytuk will be continuing his hockey career in his home province. The 21-year-old Cree starred with the Fort Frances Lakers, members of the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL), the past three seasons.

Katapaytuk led the league in scoring this past season with  85 points in 52 games, and was rewarded by being chosen as the SIJHL’s Player of the Year. Katapaytuk was also the league’s top point-getter in the playoffs. He collected 18 points, including 11 goals in 15 matches. But he came up one step shy of winning the SIJHL championship as the Lakers were defeated by the Wisconsin Wilderness 4-3 in their best-of-seven final series.

Several Division III teams from the United States had expressed interest in the offensively gifted forward for next season. But Katapaytuk, a native of Moose Factory, Ont., has decided to play his university hockey in Canada. He’ll suit up for the Nipissing University Lakers, who are based in North Bay, Ont.

The Lakers compete in the Ontario University Athletics, a league that features 19 teams. Nipissing was one of the better squads in the circuit this past season, posting a 17-7-4 record.

Akwesasne loses team

It appears that a Mohawk community in eastern Ontario will no longer have its minor professional hockey team. Though an official announcement has yet to be made, the Akwesasne Warriors are no longer listed as a team in the Federal Hockey League (FHL).

The Warriors played two seasons in the FHL. And the Akwesasne club won the championship in the FHL’s inaugural season.

As for this past year, the Warriors placed fifth in the regular season standings. And the Akwesasne club had its season come to an end when it was defeated 2-1 in its best-of-three opening playoff series versus the 1000 Islands Privateers, a club based in upper New York state.
The Warriors played the majority of their home games the past two years at the A’nowara’ko:wa Arena.

League possibly expanding

The Canadian Lacrosse League could feature even more Aboriginal squads in its second season.
The league’s two Aboriginal entrants, the Oshweken Demons and Iroquois Ironmen, met in the championship final this past April in the league’s first season. The circuit had six clubs compete in the 2012 season.
League officials are hoping to expand the number of teams in 2013. Both Akwesasne and Kahnawake have been mentioned as possible expansion clubs.