Miles Morrisseau
ICT
The greatest prize in the hockey world is going to a First Nation this summer. The only question is, which one?
Will it be southern Ontario and a parade for Brandon Montour on the Six Nations of the Grand River? Or will the Stanley Cup go half a country away with Zach Whitecloud to the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation in southern Manitoba?
The answer will be revealed in seven games or less, starting with Game 1 Saturday, June 3, of the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup finals.
It will be a first-time championship for either Montour’s Florida Panthers or Whitecloud’s Vegas Golden Knights, since neither have won the Stanley Cup. The Panthers went to the finals in 1996, losing to the Colorado Avalanche, and the Knights had a shot back in 2019 and lost to the Washington Capitals.
“I’m definitely watching,” former NHL player and APTN analyst John Chabot, Kitigan Zibi Algonquin, told ICT.
“I watch those two; I watch every indigenous guy,” he said. “And the fact that they played such huge contributors to their teams has been phenomenal. It’s been so fun to watch. I’m not invested in either team. I’m invested in whoever wins the cup of those two guys … They’re well worth the mantle that is kind of being put upon them as kind of helping our youth move forward.”
Related:
— Zach Whitecloud and Knights clinch Western Conference title
— Mohawk hockey star reaches Stanley Cup Final
— Cree hockey player wins international gold medal
The series marks the first time in more than 40 years that two Indigenous players have faced off in the finals. The last time was when Bryan Trottier, Métis, and the New York Islanders took on Reggie Leach, Ojibwe, and the Philadelphia Flyers.
Leach had already taken home two cups, and that year Trottier took the cup, the first of four for him and the Islanders. Much like the Panthers and Knights this year, they were first-time champions.
Hard to beat
Montour and Whitecloud both play defense, making it interesting to watch how the styles of the two players will compare over the series.
Montour is the leading offensive defenseman in the series with 6 goals and three assists and plus minus of three, Whitecloud has 1 goal and four assists but leads defenseman in the playoffs at a plus 11.
The physicality of the game continues to build, and both players can play a physical game and a skills game. It will be interesting to see who has a bigger impact.
It’s not likely that any other D-man is going to catch Montour, whether he scores another goal or not. He also leads all remaining players in ice time, averaging nearly 28 minutes a game with more than 500 shifts.
“Even the way he played against Toronto, the numbers weren’t as big, but you look at his decisions with joining the rushes — decisions that have all gotten better,” Chabot told ICT.
“He’s got the confidence of his coach. He has more of an understanding of when to use what he has. And I think that is when he started scoring against Boston, it wasn’t like he was jumping into the play, he was just picking the spots really well,” Chabot said.
Whitecloud is third in plus/minus overall and shares the lead amongst defenseman with teammate Alec Martinez. He has one goal and four assists, and is averaging nearly 19 minutes of ice time per game.
Whitecloud, who was signed undrafted out of Bemidji State University’s hockey program, played one game during the Knight’s inaugural season. He then spent the next two seasons with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. He did not play on the 2019 team that lost the Stanley Cup to the Washington Capitals. If he had, he would have faced off against TJ Oshie, Ojibwe, who took home the cup that year.
“He’s always had it in him and he’s shown at different levels that he could score and he can move the puck and sometimes, like Brandon, you’re put into situations where you have to feel out how you’re going to be most effective,” Cabot said of Whitecloud’s development. “You don’t do that when you’re first-year. You don’t do that when you’re second and third. You kind of figure it out as your career goes on.”
Chabot said Whitecloud is building on what came before.
“Whitecloud is a top-four guy, and now that he’s got the confidence, he’s now expanding his repertoire to include what he’s done in his minor league (days), in his university days where he’s able to implement more of that into his game,” Chabot said. “I don’t think it’s a surprise to him and people that know him. It just seems to be a surprise to people who haven’t had the chance to follow him through his whole career.”
Six Nations
All eyes are on Montour in Six Nations of the Grand River, where signs are up around the community calling on their local hero to bring home the cup.
“It means a lot to the community right? Because he’s from Six Nations and to just be playing in the NHL is an achievement in itself and to be playing for a Stanley Cup. It’s pretty awesome,” Josh Isaac, vice president of the Six Nations Minor Hockey Association told ICT.
“We’re happy for him and we hope he does win the Cup.”
Six Nations of the Grand River is the largest Indigenous community in Canada and is the only reserve in North America where all six Iroquois Nations live together. The six nations are the Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca, Tuscarora, Cayuga and Mohawk.
The First Nation has more than 26,000 members and nearly 12,000 living in the community, which sits on 45,600 acres along the Grand River in southern Ontario.
Montour is known to be a big supporter of community events and even found a way to participate in the recent celebration during the long May weekend in the midst of the playoff run.
“On the long weekend, his mom had videos and tagged him so he could watch the parade that we had going through Six Nations,” Isaac said. “And he just wanted to watch it outright. That was pretty awesome and they put it on Sportsnet and everything.”
Dakota territory
In Dakota territory, everyone will be watching Whitecloud, with the community hosting watch parties at the local veteran’s hall.
Sioux Valley is home to the largest Dakota Nation in Canada and is located on the Assiniboine River about 150 miles west of Winnipeg, Manitoba. It has a population of just under 2,500.
“Sioux Valley Dakota Nation is filled with immense pride and joy as we commemorate the remarkable accomplishments of community member Zach Whitecloud in the NHL,” SVDN Chief Jennifer Bone told ICT.
“Sioux Valley Dakota Nation has long been a loyal supporter of Zach Whitecloud throughout his hockey journey. We are proud to have witnessed his growth and development, from his early years with the Virden Oil Caps to his college career with the Bemidji State Beavers.”
The chief said Whitecloud’s development grew out of the support and foundation he received.
“Several factors have contributed to Zach’s remarkable success in reaching the NHL,” Bone said. “The influence of his father, Tim Whitecloud, as a great athlete in hockey, baseball and other sports, has undoubtedly played a significant role in shaping Zach’s athletic abilities and work ethic. Additionally, Zach’s deep connection to his Dakota culture has provided him with a strong foundation of values, resilience, and perseverance that have propelled him forward.”
— Game 1: Saturday, June 3, Panthers @Golden Knights, 8 p.m. EDT
— Game 2: Monday, June 5, Panthers @Golden Knights, 8 p.m. EDT
— Game 3: Thursday, June 8, Golden Knights @Panthers, 8 p.m. EDT
— Game 4: Saturday, June 10, Golden Knights @Panthers, 8 p.m. EDT
— Game 5*: Tuesday, June 13, Panthers @Golden Knights, 8 p.m. EDT
— Game 6*: Friday, June 16, Golden Knights @Panthers, 8 p.m. EDT
— Game 7*: Monday, June 19, Golden Knights @Panthers, 8 p.m. EDT
*If necessary
Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute $5 or $10 today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT’s free newsletter.