Fred Sasakamoose

Frederick "Chief Running Deer" Sasakamoose, CM (born December 25, 1933) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was the first Canadian indigenous player in the National Hockey League,[1] and the first First Nations player with treaty status.[2]

Fred Sasakamoose
Born (1933-12-25) December 25, 1933
Ahtahkakoop, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Right
Played for Chicago Black Hawks
Playing career 1954–1960

Early life

Sasakamoose is of Cree descent.[3] He grew up on the Ahtahkakoop Indian Reserve in Saskatchewan and learned to play ice hockey at an Indian residential school in Duck Lake, Saskatchewan. He was one of 11 children, where only five survived throughout childhood due to smallpox.[4]

Hockey career

Sasakamoose's skills were first recognized by a priest in Montreal who became the sports director at the Indian residential school Saskamoose was attending. The priest pushed Sasakamoose to improve himself, and he went on to develop an extraordinary left-handed shot as a result.[3] However, the discipline was characteristic of the harsh nature of residential schooling as witnessed by Sasakamoose himself in the Survivors Speak Report of the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission:

He said that the priests who ran the school were from Québec and loved hockey. During the winters, the boys had the opportunity to skate every day. But the school staff employed the same sort of discipline in sports as they did in every other aspect of school life. According to Sasakamoose, "The priests never talked twice. The second time, you got the strap. But Father Roussell had a dream. He told me, 'Freddie, I'm going to work you hard, but if you work hard, you're going to be successful.'

In 1953, Sasakamoose was selected as the most valuable player in the junior Western Canada Junior Hockey League while playing for the Moose Jaw Canucks, scoring 31 goals in 34 games in the 1953-54 season.[3] He then made his debut in the NHL for the Chicago Black Hawks at Maple Leaf Gardens the night of February 27, 1954. At time, there were only six NHL teams and Sasakamoose was one of only 125 players.[5] He played with the Blackhawks for 11 games[6] during the rest of the 1953–1954 season, and in following years played in the minor leagues.

Post-hockey life

After retiring from ice hockey, Sasakamoose became a band councillor on his home reserve and later chief for six years. He has also been extensively involved in the development of sports programs for indigenous children.[7] Since 1961 and beyond, he used his fame to promote opportunities for youth in sports which included ice hockey, long-distance running, track and field, soccer, and basketball.[3] In 2002, he was honoured by the Blackhawks at a home game. He was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in the builders category in 2007.[8][9] He has also been inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame, Meadow Lake Wall of Fame, FSIN Circle of Honour and the Canadian Native Hockey Hall of Fame.[10] He has been acknowledged for achievements and contributions by both the Assembly of First Nations and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN).[3] He was also a founding member of the Northern Indian Hockey League. He became a member of the Order of Canada in 2018.[11]

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References
  1. "Fred Sasakamoose was native NHL pioneer". Edmonton Sun.
  2. "Sorry Fred, but Henry came first - A few facts regarding aboriginal hockey players". sihrhockey.org. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  3. Brissenden, Constance. "Fred Sasakamoose". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  4. "Fred Sasakamoose: Survivor, trailblazer, leader, hero" – via The Globe and Mail.
  5. Malenstyn, Ken (2005). Chiefs and Champions - Fred Sasakamoose. Big Red Barn Entertainment/Full Regalia Products.
  6. "Fred Sasakamoose hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com.
  7. "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Fred Sasakamoose". www.hhof.com. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  8. "Inductee Directory". Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  9. "Indigenous athletes inducted into SK Sports Hall of Fame". www.eaglefeathernews.com. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  10. "Frederick "Fred" Sasakamoose". Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  11. "Order of Canada member Sasakamoose continues to push for opportunities for Indigenous youth". www.eaglefeathernews.com. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
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