Frederick Sasakamoose, (December 25, 1933November 24, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was one of the first Canadian

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

players in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

, and the first

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

player with treaty status. He played 11 games with the

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

during the 1953–54 season; the rest of his career, which lasted from 1953 to 1960, was spent in various minor leagues. After his playing career, Sasakamoose became involved in Indigenous affairs, and served as chief of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation for a period. He was later recognized for his work, including being named a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

Early life

Sasakamoose was born in the Big River First Nation to Roderick and Judith Sasakamoose, and grew up on the Ahtahkakoop Indian Reserve in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

. At his birth, he was given a Cree name by an elder which when translated, means "to stand firm". In his early years, Sasakamoose developed a close relationship with his paternal grandfather, Alexander Sasakamoose, who could neither speak nor hear. As a five year old, the young Sasakamoose was taught how to skate by his grandfather, who had tied bob skates over the young boys moccasins. He was one of 11 children, of whom six died in childhood from

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

. When he was six years old, Canadian authorities forced Sasakamoose and his brother into a truck and took them to an Indian residential school in

Duck Lake, Saskatchewan Duck Lake is a town in the boreal forest of central Saskatchewan, Canada. Its location is north of Saskatoon and south of Prince Albert on highway 11, in the rural municipality of Duck Lake. Immediately to the north of Duck Lake is the sout ...

. It was there he learned to play ice hockey. He is the great-great nephew of Chief Ahtahkakoop, who was brother to his great-grandfather Sasakamoose.

Hockey career

In 1944 Sasakamoose joined the Duck Lake

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

team. Sasakamoose's skills were first recognized by a priest in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

who became the

sports director The title of sports director can refer to the director of a live sports broadcast. It can also refer to an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. Director {{Job-stub ...

at the Indian residential school Sasakamoose was attending. The priest pushed Sasakamoose to improve himself, and he went on to develop an extraordinary left-handed shot as a result. Sasakamoose had a troubled time at the school: when he was nine he was raped by fellow students, and detailed other punishments by the school officials. While Sasakamoose became one of the star players on the school's team, he left Duck Lake at the age of 15 and so feared returning to the school that he didn't believe at first when a priest had a hockey scout visit his home. Ultimately Sasakamoose did meet the scout, and at the age of 16 joined the junior

Moose Jaw Canucks The Moose Jaw Canucks were a junior ice hockey team based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. They were one of the founding members of the ''Western Canada Junior Hockey League'' (known today as the Western Hockey League) in 1966 following a rebell ...

, who played in the Western Canada Junior Hockey League. After scoring 31 goals during the 1953–54 season he was named the league's most valuable player. During the season he made his NHL debut with the

, playing November 20, 1953 against the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

. Sasakamoose played two games with Chicago at the time before being sent back to junior, though he was called up again a few months later after Moose Jaw's season ended in February 1954. Sasakamoose played 11 games for the Black Hawks that season, recording no points. The rest of his career was spent in various minor leagues.

Post-hockey life

After retiring from ice hockey, Sasakamoose became a band councilor of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, serving for 35 years, and spent one term (6 years) as Chief. He was also extensively involved in the development of sports programs for Indigenous children. Starting in 1961, he used his fame to promote opportunities for youth in sports which included

, long-distance running,

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

, soccer, and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

. In 2002, he was honoured by the Blackhawks at a home game. He was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in the builders category in 2007. He was also inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame, Meadow Lake Wall of Fame, FSIN Circle of Honour, and the Canadian Native Hockey Hall of Fame. He was acknowledged for achievements and contributions by both the

Assembly of First Nations The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is an assembly of Canadian First Nations (Indian bands) represented by their chiefs. Established in 1982 and modelled on the United Nations General Assembly, it emerged from the National Indian Brotherhood, ...

and the

Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), formerly known as the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, is a Saskatchewan-based First Nations organization. It represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan and is committed to honouri ...

(FSIN). He was also a founding member of the Northern Indian Hockey League. He became a member of the

in 2018.

Death

Sasakamoose was admitted to hospital in

Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada, after Saskatoon and Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because ...

, where he was diagnosed with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

on November 20, 2020. He died four days later due to complications from the virus during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan The COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan is part of an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19], a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Timeline Chief Medical Offi ...

. He was buried at the Ahtahkakoop First Nation Cemetery in Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, Ahtakhakoop, Saskatchewan. He married Loretta Isbister in 1955, and had nine children. At the time of his death, Sasakamoose's memoir, ''Call Me Indian'', was being finished, and had a scheduled release date of April 6, 2021.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Source:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sasakamoose, Fred 1933 births 2020 deaths 20th-century First Nations people 21st-century First Nations people Calgary Stampeders (WHL) players Canadian ice hockey centres Chicago Blackhawks players Cree people Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada First Nations sportspeople Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan Indigenous leaders in Saskatchewan Indspire Awards Members of the Order of Canada New Westminster Royals (WHL) players