EDMONTON, Alberta — When the puck drops at an Edmonton Oilers home game and before 18,000 fans sing “O Canada” in unison, the crowd hears some words from Chief Willie Littlechild.
Video screens at Rogers Place will play a message from Littlechild welcoming the crowd to Treaty 6 territory, the homeland of the Metis and Inuit and the ancestral territories of the Cree, Dene, Blackfoot, Saulteaux and Nakota Sioux peoples.
“Acknowledging our history on this land is an act of reconciliation and we honour those who walk alongside us,” Littlechild said, concluding with “kinanaskomitin” (thank you) in Cree.
The land awareness video, a tradition that began in 2021, will air on national television in the U.S. and Canada during the Oilers' Stanley Cup Final against Florida and will be broadcast widely across North America. Littlechild called it an important step, but it's just one part of the Oilers' outreach efforts with First Nations tribes and Indigenous communities in central and northern Alberta, which has expanded significantly over the past decade.
“There's been a lot of progress,” said Littlechild, who has served on the board of the team's community foundation for nine years. “The Oilers are really pioneers in the country, and across the National Hockey League, when it comes to Indigenous inclusion and access.”
Much of this comes out of the report of Canada's National Truth and Reconciliation Commission, an investigation conducted over six years between 2007 and 2015 following the settlement of the country's largest class-action lawsuit over the treatment of Indigenous children sent to residential schools. Littlechild said one of the findings was a call for private industry, including sports, to build better relationships with Indigenous communities, citing efforts in inclusion and business as evidence of progress.
“We're not just doing this to check a box on the calendar,” Tim Shipton, executive vice-president of the Oilers Entertainment Group, said Wednesday. “The First Nations communities in northern Alberta are important. We have tribes just across the oil fields and members of our communities are passionate members of our fan base.”
Edmonton Oilers right wing Connor Brown (28) scores a goal against Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the first period of Game 5 of the NHL Hockey Stanley Cup Finals in Sunrise, Florida, Tuesday, June 18, 2024. Photo by AP/Wilfredo Lee
Littlechild said Indigenous girls' hockey in particular has been given a boost through initiatives such as the Oilers hosting an Indigenous hockey festival and working with Edmonton's Inner City Youth Development Association and Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Association.
The land awareness video is one piece of the puzzle, and just last week, Little Child of Quebec City received comments from fans who saw it on television during these playoffs.
“This is a really important step in advancing reconciliation through the power of sport,” Littlechild told The Associated Press by phone. “The message that there is an opportunity to build good relationships through a sport like hockey is really important to Indigenous peoples in Canada and the U.S., and we've done that and I think it's really appreciated by Indigenous peoples across the country.”
Shipton, who heads up the Oilers' Indigenous outreach efforts, said since the video first aired on Oct. 13, 2021, other organizations and teams have reached out and the response has been positive, both locally and across the country.
Connor McDaniel and Zach Hyman of the Edmonton Oilers talk during a press conference after Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 18, 2024. The Oilers defeated the Panthers, 5-3. Photo by AP/Rebecca Blackwell
“This is something that brings in new people, people from out of town, people from other teams in the league, and it really sparks a conversation about why we're doing this and what it means,” Shipton said. “And it sparks a conversation about what we can do from a reconciliation standpoint.”
Florida attendees
Panthers home attendance this season has reached a new record of 1,000,160 fans, surpassing the one million mark for the first time with Tuesday night's sold-out Game 5.
The Panthers would be happy to stop there.
The only way that number could go up this season is, of course, if there's a Game 7 in Sunrise on Monday night.
Florida can win the Stanley Cup with a win against Edmonton on Friday. The team hosted a viewing party at the arena for Game 6, and about 16,000 people showed up to watch Game 4 with the scoreboard and on-ice footage. (No, they don't count toward the season attendance.)
Bouchard overtakes Coffey
Evan Bouchard, who had three points in the Oilers' Game 5 win, increased his playoff total to 32, second only to captain Connor McDavid among playoff scorers. It also marked the most points by a defenseman in a single postseason game, surpassing Hall of Famer Paul Coffey, now an Oilers assistant coach.
“(Bouchard) has been very important throughout the series and throughout the year,” head coach Chris Knobloch said, noting that the 24-year-old's shooting from the point is key to the team's potent power play. “He's a good shooter, but he's also a very smart hockey player who can see the ice well and make the next pass.”
Save the building
Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito had something of a viral moment late in Game 5, hurling a bottle of water at a wall in frustration after McDavid's goal hit the open net to seal the win for the Oilers.
When Panthers coach Paul Maurice heard it, he expressed some very funny, very unnatural concern.
“Were the people at the Bottled Water Association upset? Are they going to cancel the building?” Morris asked.
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Reynolds reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. With files from The Canadian Press
