A Saanich Junior B hockey club has forged a new relationship with the five Wsanec First Nations, with help from an emerging star player with roots in the Nuu-chah-nulth community.
On Nov. 14, members of the Peninsula Panthers joined Sidney RCMP and Central Saanich Police Service for a ballhockey game at the Tsawout Recreation Centre.
Leading the Panthers contingent was 17-year-old Ditidaht First Nation member Connor Logan, who is having a breakout season in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.
Logan said he was more than happy to serve as a catalyst to bring the event about.
“If it helps bring the Panthers –and the community–closer to First Nations, it’s supporting a great cause and I’m totally down for it,” he said during the warm-up. “It’s great to see all these kids out here, and I am totally pumped up to have my Panthers teammates here with me.”
Part 1 of this series: http://www.hashilthsa.com/news/2013-11-18/young-ditidaht-hockey-star-charts-course-bright-future
See Photos at: http://www.hashilthsa.com/gallery/connor-logan-peninsula-panthers-vancouver-island-junior-hockey-league
As an added bonus, each Wsanec youth who turned out to play or watch received a free ticket to the Panthers game the following evening against the visiting Nanaimo Buccaneers. The Buccaneers also have a stellar First Nations player, Lynden Eddy, which made for a special match-up.
Becky Wilson is the recreation administration assistant for Tsawout First Nation. Wilson said Tsawout youth held a ballhockey event with the Sidney RCMP last year, and it helped build bridges between the police and the community.
“This year, Peter [Panthers owner Zebersky] asked if we could join forces and put on a game for First Nations youth,” Wilson said. “So this will be the second year Tsawout youth have played the RCMP. This time, though, we have invited the other four Wsanec Nations [Tsartlip, Pauquachin, Tseycum, and Malahat].”
Zebersky said the idea to work with First Nations youth had percolated for a while.
“We've had a number of First Nations youth on our team. I would like nothing better than to have three or four or five First Nations boys on our club,” he said. “We had conversations with the RCMP, and Connor was a natural to link us with First Nations.”
Along with the expanded youth roster, the police presence expanded to include members from the Central Saanich Police Service.
And by game time the visitor's bench was also packed with members of the Peninsula Panthers, wearing their game jerseys.
“I invited the boys to come out. I expected maybe four or five guys. This is just about our whole team,” Zebersky said in the pre-game introduction.
For Geraldine Edgar-Tom, grandmother of Connor Logan, the gathering stirred a whole range of emotions. A member of Ditidaht who attended the notorious Alberni Indian Residential School, Edgar-Tom said she could never envision such an event during her youth, despite being a member of an athletic family.
“I never witnessed anything like this in my time. Being a First Nation in my time, I wouldn't have been able to sit with you or talk to you,” she told the guests in a pre-game address. “For all of you Panthers who have come here, and for the RCMP, it is very heart-felt for me.”
Edgar-Tom gave thanks to the many people who have recognized Connor's talent and have given him the opportunity to develop his skills. She encouraged all of the assembled youth to believe in themselves, and to seek out the opportunities that flow from their sports, their music and culture, and especially, their education.
“There is a lot of potential and a lot of opportunity. I would like to inspire you, and I know it is not an easy road. But it can be a road of development, of understanding, of drawing people to you to further your education and to do the things that you want to do.”
Edgar-Tom is also skilled in the traditional arts of carving and weaving. She presented Tsawout youth representative Tevy Norris and Sidney RCMP Sgt. Wayne Conley with paddles.
Logan then presented one of his grandmother’s cedar-bark hats to Addie Elliot, a member of Tsartlip First Nation who was selected to sing the national anthem at both events. She donned the hat to deliver a stylish rendition of O Canada.
As for the game itself, Connor was on the floor for the opening face-off and almost immediately tucked the orange ball past netminder Jesse Sampson for the game's first goal. While it looked like the event could prove to be a rout, the Wsanec players, ranging from nine to 16, put on a spirited attack and soon found the range on the Panthers net.
At the other end, Sampson tightened up his game and made some highlight-reel saves.
During the second intermission, Zebersky presented Tsawout First Nation operations manager Rick Hanak with a framed Panthers jersey adorned with the Tsawout logo.
“We wanted to make sure this night would not be forgotten,” Zebersky said. “We are really happy to see all of you who showed up and we hope that we can develop a closer relationship.”
Becky Wilson then drew for a special prize, a signed Dallas Stars game jersey bearing the name and number of forward Vern Fiddler, who is of Metis descent, and a teammate of former Panthers Jamie and Jordie Benn. A delighted Chelsey Mills, a member of Pauquachin First Nation, donned the jersey to cheers.
With the electronic scoreboard out of action, no one appeared to be keeping track of the actual score, and for the final few minutes, both benches packed the floor for a bit of good-natured chaos.
On game night Friday, dozens of those same Wsanec youth flocked to the Panthers-Buccaneers game at Panorama Recreation Centre. In an emotional address to the crowd prior to the ceremonial face-off, Zebersky said he had been deeply moved by Edgar-Tom’s recounting of her residential school experience the previous evening, and it only reinforced his commitment to building ties with First Nations on the Saanich Peninsula.
“I went home last night, and her words really resonated with me,” Zebersky said. “I’ve done a lot of things with the Panthers, and with the [BCHL] Victoria Salsa, when I was coach and [general manager]. This is the most important night we’ve ever had.”
Asked to say a few words before the game, Logan kept his remarks simple and to the point, welcoming the crowd and encouraging First Nations youth to take advantage of the opportunities available through sport and through their culture. Later, he would let his stick do the talking.
B.C. Green Party leader Adam Olsen, who is a member of Tsartlip First Nation, was invited to drop the puck in a ceremonial face-off between the Buccaneers’ Lynden Eddy and the Panthers’ Logan. The former Junior hockey executive stayed away from politics in his brief address to the First Nations youth.
“There’s a lot of opportunity out there, folks, and you have to go out and work hard to get it for yourself,” he said. “I think if you ask these young hockey players, they will tell you they know they have to work hard to get where they want to go. And that is the key.”
Panthers fans did not go home disappointed. Eddy opened the scoring for the Buccaneers in the first period, then, in the second period, it was the Connor Logan Show. Logan set up the Panthers’ first two goals, then scored one of his own in heavy traffic in front of the Buccaneers’ net. They went on to win the game 4-2.
On Monday, Zebersky said the two-day event has really impacted him personally.
“It couldn’t have been better. I said to Coreen (wife and club president) that it has really changed my personal feelings in a lot of ways. I’ve had the opportunity to meet with members of the First Nations community, and I’ve really come to appreciate the people,” he said.
Zebersky said he intends to hold another First Nations Appreciation event next year, even though he expects Connor Logan to make the jump to the BCHL, in his pursuit of a college hockey scholarship in the U.S.
“He’ll be playing in that league for sure next year, and he is going to be an NCAA scholarship player,” he said.
