Advertisement

NHL game to be broadcast in Plains Cree language later this month

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price stops Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook during second period NHL hockey action in Montreal on Thursday, December 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

History could be made later this month with the broadcast of what’s believed to be the first NHL game called in the Plains Cree language.

The game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes is to air on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network on March 24.

APTN will use Sportsnet’s production capabilities to air the program featuring Cree commentary and analysis.

Sportsnet vice president Rob Corte called it a “momentous broadcast.”

“We are truly honoured to have the opportunity to work with APTN to celebrate Canada’s Indigenous communities and the shared passion for hockey that unites us all,” Corte said in a news release.

READ MORE: Edmonton ceremony honours Order of Canada appointment for Fred Sasakamoose, first Indigenous NHL player

Watch below: (From Dec. 29, 2017) The NHL’s first Indigenous player, Fred Sasakamoose, comments on what being appointed to the Order of Canada means to him.

Click to play video: 'Fred Sasakamoose on being appointed to the Order of Canada'
Fred Sasakamoose on being appointed to the Order of Canada

The broadcast will come on the same weekend that the Rogers Hometown Hockey festival stops at the Enoch Cree Nation near Edmonton.

Story continues below advertisement

Jean Le Rose, chief executive of APTN, said it’s a great combination.

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“We hope it will be the opportunity for us to get into a conversation about maybe having a weekly game in the language… and possibly more opportunities for other languages,” he said in an interview.

It also coincides with UNESCO’s declaration of 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages, Le Rose added.

“We feel the timing was absolutely perfect to highlight at least one language,” he said.

READ MORE: Cree app launched to help preserve indigenous language

Watch below: (From March 10, 2017) The Athabasca Tribal Council was brainstorming ways to encourage more young people to learn indigenous languages. As Emily Mertz explains, they decided to create a translation app.

Click to play video: 'How an app may help preserve the Cree language'
How an app may help preserve the Cree language

David Proper, executive vice president of media and international strategy with the NHL, said the partnership between Sportsnet and APTN will serve Canada’s Indigenous communities and all hockey fans across the country.

Story continues below advertisement

Saskatchewan broadcaster Clarence Iron will do the play by play, while musician Earl Wood will host the studio show alongside game analyst and NHL alumni John Chabot.

Iron, who lives in Pinehouse, Sask., and works for CFNK radio as a program host, has become known as one of the Cree voices of hockey because of his experience calling Indigenous hockey tournaments and local games.

Drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1980, Chabot spent eight seasons in the NHL and played more than 500 games with Montreal, Pittsburgh and Detroit. He went on to coach in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before spending two seasons as an assistant coach for the New York Islanders. He has also worked as a studio analyst for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games with APTN and as a coach on APTN’s hockey series, Hit the Ice.

Woods comes from Saddle Lake, Alta. and is one of the original founders of the Northern Cree Singers, which is referred by some as the “Indigenous Rolling Stones.”

The Cree-language commentary and analysis will be produced at APTN’s studio in Winnipeg with a live Sportsnet feed of the game.

Although it’s believed to be the first NHL game called in Plains Cree, it’s not the first time games have been broadcast in another language.

READ MORE: Teenage business owner aims to revitalize Blackfoot language

Watch below: (From March 16, 2018) A 16-year-old clothing line creator from the Siksika First Nation plans to use profits from his business to fund language lessons for youth. Blake Lough reports.

Click to play video: 'Indigenous teenage entrepreneur aims to revitalize Blackfoot language'
Indigenous teenage entrepreneur aims to revitalize Blackfoot language

Sportsnet contributes to the national production of Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition.

Story continues below advertisement

Its sister station, OMNI Television, also offers a wide range of programming in more than 20 languages including news, current affairs and entertainment shows.

Sponsored content

AdChoices