The Alexis Hockey Cup brought Aboriginal players from as far away as the Yukon to Whitecourt

Chief Tony Alexis of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation grew up loving hockey just like many other Canadians. “Alexis has always been a hockey community. Back in the early 50s, people would play teams from other First Nations communities on the lakes or wherever else they could set up a game. It eventually evolved to playing on the outdoor rinks and then into organized hockey where we are at today,” he explained.

Throughout the month of April, Alexis players have been traveling around the province taking part in different tournaments. “At the beginning of April, we had minor hockey in Calgary and we had teams from every division that went there from initiation to juniors. We also played the same divisions in Edmonton a couple of weeks ago and last weekend was an event for the adult teams.” Chief Alexis said this week they wanted to host their own.

“We’ve always been in hockey and we should be hosting an event like this. We call it the Alexis Hockey Cup and part of it is to honour all those who enjoy hockey and who love to watch hockey. That includes all the players, parents, coaches, trainers, and all the grandparents who love hockey. It’s to honour them all.” Set over three days (April 27 to 29), the tournament featured 12 senior men’s teams and eight each of old timers and women’s teams. To play, skaters needed to be over the age of 18 and have either Native or Metis status. With a $20,000 payout, the weekend was set to be exciting with lots of great hockey to watch.

“We want to introduce our hockey community to the Town of Whitecourt and to start building this here. Teams from as far as the Yukon are coming out this way to play so the word is getting out and we expect more teams to come play as we go forward,” said Chief Alexis. “One of our members, Reggie Cardinal, even played with people like Paul Kariya and played in the AHL.”

Chief Alexis said that having someone like Reggie as a role model for the youth is very meaningful because not only did he play professionally but he also acquired scholarships for post-secondary schooling which is something that he wants the youth to pursue for themselves. He said that as the tournament grows they will be able to do more to support their youth. “In the future as we get more partners we’ll raise money to support our youth hockey because we really want to encourage that. Having activities for young people is important for us.”

Chief Alexis said the staff at the Scott Safety Centre were top notch and that they really appreciated their hard work to help make the tournament a success. He also wanted to give a shout out to the organizing committee for bringing it all together. “I want to acknowledge our committee and the great work they did. Felix Kootenay co-ordinated this whole event with his team and they are a young group of volunteers from the Alexis Nakota First Nation. They, too, are participating in the event. Part of their work is to take part in extra-curricular activities and they chose this event to support and help.”