Stanley Cup makes surprise visit to Enoch Cree Nation

A former Calgary Hitman player and the Stanley Cup made a surprise visit to a school in Enoch Cree Nation, Monday morning.

Students were given the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Stanley Cup.

“I can feel my heart pumping like that’s the same cup that Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Marc-Andre Fleury, all of those legends got to touch the cup, Wayne Gretzky, and my fingerprints are on that cup,” said Draven McDonald, a Grade 10 student at Maskêkosak Kiskinomâtowikamik school.

“It’s amazing. There aren’t many schools that get this opportunity and when you’re a part of it, it’s a different feeling. It’s awesome, its anticipating, its adrenaline-inducing, its a different feeling.”

Hockey players, Brent Dodginghorse and Andrew Ference were there to sign autographs and meet the students. Dodginghorse also shared his experience with discrimination and racism on the ice as an Indigenous hockey player.

“Today is just a day to tell them a little glimpse of what I went through, and discrimination, and diversity and racism in hockey, but also use it as a tool to empower our non-Indigenous people to educate them. At the end of the day, it was just to support our youth and really empower Indigenous kids and people of colour,” explained Brent Dodginghorse, Former Calgary Hitman player and Indigenous sports motivation speaker.

Dodginghorse says it’s important to be proud of your identity and background, and hopes to empower Indigenous youth by sharing his story. 

“Events like these are really raising awareness. Are we there yet? No, I don’t think we are there yet, but the way I see it is, if we build that understanding amongst sports communities, and build that understanding amongst the world, together everybody can achieve more,” said Dodginghorse.

“To educate people, you have to tell people what you’re going through. And the feeling you going through as a hockey player or as a person, you go through these emotions or the flight where you want to leave hockey, or the freeze which I went into where I didn’t tell anybody. I chose not to tell anybody, and now I want to use it to educate people. So now the education part is so important.”

Although he’s unable to follow his dream as a hockey player, McDonald says he was inspired by what Dodginghorse had overcome.

“It’s hard because the last time I played hockey I had a very serious knee injury, but it makes me want to follow my dreams in coaching,” said McDonald.