When the Edmonton Oilers step onto the ice Tuesday night for a tune-up game before the league returns to action with the start of the playoffs Saturday, Ethan Bear will be wearing a special jersey.
The member of the Ochapowace First Nation will honour his Indigenous heritage by displaying his jersey name bar in Cree syllabics.
Speaking with EdmontonOilers.com about the significance of the jersey, the 23-year-old says “I feel like I will be wearing it for all those Indigenous players who came before me and those Indigenous kids dreaming of playing in the NHL.”
“As the International Chief for Treaties 6, 7 and 8, and a member of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, I cannot express my gratitude enough to the Edmonton Oilers and the National Hockey League for this most positive act of Reconciliation,” Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild said, according to the team’s website.
“The Oilers continue to lead the way with the power of sport to build good relations among our Peoples, Tribes and Nations. Coming from Maskwacis (Bear Hills), in our culture, we have a naming ceremony on which we rely for self-identity and positive self-esteem. It took us many years at the United Nations to secure the right to use our writing system Cree syllabics and to use our language for our own names for communities, places and persons.
Bear was having a solid season for the Oilers before the season was paused in March as he had recorded 21 points in 71 games while turning the heads of many with his impressive play in just his second pro season.
The game can be seen on Sportsnet at 8:30 Saskatchewan time.
