Miles Morrisseau
ICT

The NHL playoffs are underway and there is a good chance the cup will be raised by an Indigenous player once again.

In fact, there is a good chance that Zach Whitecloud, Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, will become the first Indigenous player to repeat as Stanley Cup champion since Bryan Trottier, Métis Nation, won back-to-back cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992.

Whitecloud was a key part of the Vegas Golden Knights’ success in last year’s playoffs adding to the solid defense and scoring the winning goal in game one of last year’s finals. Whitecloud took the cup home to the Sioux Valley as each player on the winning team gets to have the Cup for a day.

The Knights come into the playoffs as a wild card and will face off against the Dallas Stars who finished on top of the Western Conference. Don’t let the wild card position fool you, the Knights have held the same group together and added more talent before the trade deadline.

Scott Taylor is editor in chief of Game On magazine which recently named Whitecloud its Indigenous Player of the Year. He believes that Vegas can repeat, “But I doubt they will. Too many banged-up players,” Taylor tells ICT. “Zach missed 21 games, but was very good when he played.”

Credit: Members of the Vegas Golden Knights pose with the Stanley Cup after the Knights defeated the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. The Knights won the series 4-1. (AP Photo/John Locher)

It was the Florida Panthers who were defeated in last year’s finals with Vegas winning the series 4-1.

Brandon Montour, Mohawk, Six Nations of the Grand River, had a record setting playoff run last year but the only accolade that matters is winning Lord Stanley’s Cup. Montour had another great season with Florida finishing second in scoring on defence despite missing 10 games with injury.

“I love Florida. They’re among the favorites for sure,” Taylor said. “And Brandon Montour is a superb hockey player — fast, smart, tough. He has all the tools.”

The Panthers are taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a battle of Florida. The Lightning are near the end of their competitive window but there is still a lot of talent and pride on the team that won back to back Cups in 2020 and 2021.

The Panthers have kept together the group that took them to last year’s finals and they are definitely a favorite to come out of the East and challenge the championship again.

Credit: Florida Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour (#62), center, celebrates his goal with teammates Matthew Tkachuk (#19) and Aleksander Barkov (#16) during the third period of Game 1 of the National Hockey League second-round playoff series against against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto, on May 2, 2023. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Washington Capitals squeaked into the playoffs earning the final wild card spot in the east. T.J. Oshie, Anishinaabe, will have a chance to win another Cup along with future hall of famer, Alex Ovechkin. Oshie is closing in on 700 points after his 15th Season. “Very good player and a good player for a long time,” Taylor said. “Could be on the edge of the Hall of Fame.”

Ethan Bear, Ochapowace Cree Nation, is currently on the NHLPA players assistance program but he remains on the Capitals roster and could dress if Washington goes deep. The odds may be stacked against them, but the Panthers were in the same position last year and they dropped all the top contenders in the east on their way to the finals.

The Capitals face off against the New York Rangers who finished at the top of the league this season, winning the President’s Trophy. The Rangers are trying to win their first Cup since 1994.

Credit: Washington Capitals right wing hockey player T.J. Oshie, Ojibwe, works out during practice at the team's facility in Arlington, Virginia, on Sept. 15, 2017. The team won the Stanley Cup in 2018, the first and only win for the Washington franchise, and they're back in the hunt in the 2022 playoffs. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Conner Dewar, Métis Nation, was a trade deadline acquisition for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who made few deals to bolster their squad. Dewar and the Leafs will be facing off against their long-time nemesis the Boston Bruins.

The Leafs haven’t beaten the Bruins since the team’s glory days over a half century ago. The last time Toronto won the Stanley Cup was in 1967; Boston has beat them in every playoff series since 1959.

The championship drought in Canada’s largest city is the longest in the NHL and one of the greatest droughts in professional sports.

The Leafs have not raised the cup since 1967 when George Armstrong, Mohawk, was their captain. Armstrong hoisted the Cup four times and was inducted into the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame.

A sad note from the year was the untimely passing of Chris Simon, Ojibway, who was one of the more colorful players in the league during his time in the NHL. He was known to be an enforcer, but he had skills and could put the puck in the net. He also wore his hair long and you could see him flying around the ice looking to score or slam someone into the boards.

He scored 144 goals to go along with 1824 penalty minutes. Simon won the Cup in 1996 with the Colorado Avalanche. He was 52.

The Stanley Cup is considered one of the hardest championships to win in professional sports with the winner having to win 16 games with the speed and physicality of the game at fever pitch.

The Stanley Cup finals are tentatively scheduled to begin on June 3.

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Miles Morrisseau, Métis, is a special correspondent for ICT based in the historic Métis Community of Grand Rapids, Manitoba, Canada. He reported as the national Native Affairs broadcaster for CBC Radio...