Fred Sasakamoose - Call Me Indian: From the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHLs First Treaty Indigenous Player

I admired Fred Sasakamoose for decades before I had the chance to meet him. When I was young, my father would tell me stories about him. When my dad first saw Fred play, it was the early 50s in Moose Jaw, when Fred was playing junior with the Canucks. In those prairie towns in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, hockey was the main entertainment. It was the lifeblood of the town, everyone went and watched hockey games on Friday and Saturday nights. There is nothing better than live hockeythese days, you can watch any game from almost anywhere, but it isnt the same as seeing it unfold at breakneck speeds right before your eyes. Watching the game is so much more exciting when you can feel the impact of every hit, hear the echo of every shot. After my dad saw Fred play for the first time, he came home and told me that he had just watched the fastest skater he had ever laid eyes on. That Freddy Sasakamoose was faster than a jack rabbit. Thats what a lot of people still remember about Fredthat he was so incredibly quick. If you ask NHLersthose lucky enough to play with Fredabout him, to this day they all say, Oh my god could he skate, oh my god could he fly. That is quite something, to have people still talking about your skating seventy years later. My dad spoke about Fred with such reverence, such pride, the stories he told stuck with me. He was so proud that this fast, star player was First Nations. I kept that pride and inspiration with me as I embarked on my own hockey career, and when I was a kid I used to practice saying his name because it was hard to pronounce. I knew one day that I would meet him, and I wanted to be able to say it.

Fred will always be a hero in my life, and I kept his inspiration top of mind as I went on my own NHL journey as both a player and later as a coach. He is a pioneer and hero for all First Nations, Mtis, Inuit players; he was fast and strong and his shot was intimidating. He had a massive impact on my life, and the prospect of finally meeting the man who was a legend in my mind was a bit daunting. Fred is a huge part of hockey history, Indigenous history, and an inspiration to so many people, but more than thathe is nice. Its quite something to meet your boyhood hero, but it just blows your mind when your boyhood hero turns out to be nicer than you had even imagined they would be. I think thats a big part of what made Freddy and guys like himlike Gordie Howe, Jean Bliveau, Stan Mikitasuch great hockey players: they are just really good people.

When I finally met Fred, we were at an event in Frog Lake, speaking to First Nations kids; I think it was in the early- to mid-2000s. This man I had heard about for so long, the man who everyone spoke of in legendary terms, was now right in front of me. The first thought I had was, Where is all the grey hair? Fred was in his 70s at that point and looked so young and handsome. He had boundless energy and wasnt shy at all. After we both gave our talks, I told Fred about my dad coming home and saying that he skated like a jack rabbit, and Freddy looked at me and said, Bryan, you wont believe this, but when I was at school, the priests would say, Skate like you are chasing rabbits.

Now, thats how we greet each otherwe say, Chasing rabbits?

I was quite small when my dad first started telling me about Fred. I had a hard time pronouncing his nameSasakamoose is a tricky name for a kid! I grew up knowing that he was the first full Treaty Indigenous player to break into the NHL. That meant a lot to me and to all of us. It made us all really proud of our heritage. When my siblings and I were in school and playing sports, kids would call us names. Kids can be awful when you are different. But Freds accomplishments made us proud, seeing Fred succeed made my dad beam. When he watched me play, my dad would tell me Fred would be so proud to see you play, and that would make me beam.

The name-calling and discrimination that we experienced as kids was different from what Fred went through. Fred will tell you about it in this memoir. My dad, who is Cree Mtis Chippewa, went through similar experiences when he was younghe and Fred are of the same era. The things that happened to them when they were young are truly horrible. They were too young to really understand what was going on, but that doesnt change the pain that was inflicted. Seldom do we ever talk about discrimination from that time, and everything that happened. I didnt face the same things in the NHL that Fred faced, because he did it before me.

I love talking to First Nations communities and sharing stories from my career and my journey to the NHL, but one of the highlights is bumping into Fred, which happens often at these events. Fred is the kind of guy who, when he is speaking to you, makes you feel like you are the centre of the universe. You can ask him one question and he will go on for ten minutes talking to you like you are the dearest friend to him in the world. Every time I bump into Fred my cheeks get sore from smiling. He always has so many stories. One that I really love, which youll get to read in this memoir, is from when Fred was playing junior hockey with two teammates who were particularly special to him, and how he made sure that he honoured them when he made it to the NHL. Thats the kind of guy Fred isif you are dear to him, if you had an impact on his life, he never forgets you. Those linemates who meant so much to Fred, they all experienced discrimination and jealousy, and supported each other through it.