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Player dies in crash
An Aboriginal Junior A hockey player died in a car crash on the Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation during his Christmas break. Myles Cameron, a defenceman with the Yorkton Terriers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, died on Dec. 23. He was 20. Cameron was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a rollover. He was the only one of five people in the car that died.
Cameron was in his first season of playing in Yorkton. He appeared in 26 games for the Terriers and had scored one goal. Cameron had returned to the Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation as the Terriers did not have any games scheduled between Dec. 19 and 29, during the Christmas holidays. Cameron had also played four games this season with a Junior B squad, the Ochapowace Thunder of the Prairie Junior Hockey League.
Tootoo enters program
It remains to be seen when and if Jordin Tootoo will return to the National Hockey League. The 27-year-old, the first Inuit to play in the NHL, voluntarily entered the league’s substance abuse program in late December. Tootoo has played a total of 411 NHL games, all with the Nashville Predators, since breaking into the league during the 2003-04 season.
Tootoo had appeared in 32 matches this season. And he had recorded 10 points (four goals, six assists) in those contests. A fan favourite because of his rugged play, Tootoo was anointed with a catchy moniker during his junior days—The Tootoo Train. He spent four years starring with the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings before turning pro.
Tootoo registered 71 and 74-point seasons during his last two years with the Wheat Kings. Also of note is the penalty minutes he collected those two seasons, 272 during the 2001-02 campaign and 216 the following year.
The Predators had chosen Tootoo in the fourth round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.
Nashville’s general manager David Poile issued a statement saying there was no timetable for Tootoo’s return. Though he is not playing, Tootoo will continue to receive his full salary as long as he stays enrolled in the substance abuse program. And if he does so he will not face any punishment from the NHL. Tootoo had signed a two-year contract extension, worth $2.5 million, with Nashville this past February.
Curling program expands
An introductory youth curling program expanded to include four Aboriginal elementary schools in northern British Columbia. The Capital One Rocks & Rings program is designed to expose children to the sport in the hopes that they decide to take up curling. There is no participation fee required.
The expansion of the program into the B.C. schools was made possible through a partnership between the KidSport Aboriginal Youth Program, Curl B.C. and the Canadian Curling Association’s Discover Curling program.
In mid-January the program went to Aboriginal schools in Greenville, Kincolith, Canyon and New Aiyansh. During the school sessions, the program participants are not actually curling on ice. Instead they utilize unique floor curling equipment, where they get a sense of the nuances of the sport. These sessions are held in school gyms. Those who were interested did have an opportunity later on during the week to have some on-ice instructions at the Terrace Curling Centre.
The program also sees various high school students and adults from the community trained to become instructors. And since the program leaves equipment behind with each community, games can be played at any time.
Aboriginal company honoured
An Aboriginal company was thanked by the B.C. government in early January for donating wood that was used to build the medal podiums at last year’s Vancouver Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.
Pat Bell, the Minister of Forests, Mines and Lands, presented officials from the Iisaak Forest Resources with a shadow box. It contained a wood tray similar to the ones utilized during the presentation of Olympic and Paralympic medals.
It also included a photo of athletes celebrating on the podium and a book featuring all of the podiums.
Iisaak Forest Resources is owned by the five First Nations in Clayoquot Sound. Those First Nations are Ahousaht, Hesquiaht, Tla-o-qui-aht, Yuu-tluth-aht and Toquaht.
Among those who celebrated their medals on the Coastal Western Red Cedar podium harvested in Clayoquot Sound were three Canadian freestyle skiers. Alexandre Bilodeau and Ashleigh McIvor won gold medals in the men’s moguls and women’s ski cross, respectively. And Jennifer Heil was a silver medallist in the women’s moguls.
A total of 23 podiums were produced for the two Games. They were made from 18 wood types donated from across B.C.
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