(ANNews) 鈥� Fred Sasakamoose, one of the first Indigenous athletes to play in the National Hockey League, died on November 24, 2020 at age 86 after 小蓝视频 hospitalized with COVID-19.
Tributes to Fred poured in from the countless people whose lives he had touched ranging from Indigenous leaders to NHL teams and politicians.
Justin Trudeau honoured the Indigenous pioneer by saying, 鈥淔red Sasakamoose survived the residential school system, became the National Hockey League鈥檚 first-ever Indigenous player, and inspired many with his stories of suffering and success. He leaves behind an incredible legacy.鈥�
鈥淢y condolences to all who are mourning his passing today.鈥�
The Federation of Saskatchewan Indigenous Nations tweeted. 鈥淲e are at a loss today. Fred Sasakamoose was a legend with humble beginnings. He will be dearly missed.鈥�
鈥淲e are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Fred Sasakamoose. Fred holds a special place in the history of our great game,鈥� tweeted Hockey Canada鈥檚 Tom Renney.
Brigette Lacquette, the first First Nations woman to play for the Canadian women鈥檚 Olympic hockey team, said, 鈥淗is story is just simply amazing and to have that perseverance and determination to get to where he [did] 鈥� it鈥檚 pretty crazy to think what he has overcome.鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檚 a very humble man, soft spoken, and could really make you feel like you鈥檝e known him your whole life. [He] was just an amazing person and someone that I鈥檓 very glad that I crossed paths with,鈥� said Lacquette.
Neil Sasakamoose, Fred鈥檚 son, said in a Facebook video, 鈥淭he COVID virus did so much damage into his lungs, he just couldn鈥檛 keep responding鈥e just couldn鈥檛 keep up.鈥�
Sasakamoose played 11 games with Chicago in 1953-54 and was the founder of the Chief Thunderstick national hockey championship for young Indigenous players.
Former Philadelphia Flyer and Stanley Cup champion Reggie Leach said, 鈥淎 lot of people say he only played 11 games. But those 11 games were everything to our First Nations people.鈥�
鈥淔red was the kindest man that you鈥檇 ever meet. And so down to earth,鈥� Leach said
鈥淗e inspired many with his life story. Despite the hardships, he always had a smile and a kind word for everyone. To give back, he visited many First Nation communities and hosted a tournament to showcase the talents of up and coming Indigenous hockey players. His family meant the world to him as he always spoke with love about them.
鈥淗e treated everybody the same. There were no colour barriers or anything. He just treated everybody the same. And I wish the world would do that also.鈥�
The Chicago Blackhawks paid respects to the pioneer in a Twitter post that read, 鈥淭oday we lost a luminary in the hockey world with the passing of Fred Sasakamoose. Fred inspired many across the sport and North America after becoming one of the first Indigenous-born athletes to play in the NHL when he played 11 games with the Blackhawks in the 1953-54 season.鈥�
Sasakamoose will also be remembered for his humanitarian work as a residential school survivor. He had a tremendous impact on the work of Canada鈥檚 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
Two years after the TRC started traveling across Canada to hear testimony from residential school survivors, it visited Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, for three days. On that third day, Sasakamoose gave his testimony.
Commissioner Marie Wilson spoke of Fred by saying, 鈥淭here was a point in the commission where I thought to myself, what if we do all this work and we bear witness to people spilling literally blood, sweat, and tears, and nothing changes and nothing happens?鈥�
However, after Fred鈥檚 testimony, Wilson believed that the work would never be in vain. 鈥淔or those who are participating and for those who are taking part and for those who were in the room, things were shifting and things were lightening and things were transforming,鈥� she said. 鈥淔red Sasakamoose epitomized that.鈥�
鈥淚t was an encouragement to us. It was an encouragement to the room,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淎nd it was, I think, just such a snapshot of his generous, generous character to push through his own difficulties and to have a lot to offer to everyone around him.鈥�
鈥淭hat鈥檚 how I remember him.鈥�
