Lake Babine Nation (LBN) Chief Wilf Adam says the proposed exhibition game in Burns Lake between the Prince George Spruce Kings and Merritt Centennials would renew local interest in hockey while boosting the economy.
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Village of Burns Lake council has recently thrown its support behind opening the hockey rink earlier this year for the proposed game and two-day series of hockey camps for kids.
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“The Village of Burns Lake did the right thing voting to get the ice in earlier,” said Chief Adam. “It makes me really happy as it’s for the young people and their development in hockey.”
Although the Spruce Kings have been involved in community and player development in different parts of B.C., Chief Adam says this would be their first time in this region.
“The Spruce Kings want to develop young hockey players west of Prince George,” said Chief Adam. “This is exciting.”
“We [LBN] will entertain them with our cultural events and traditional food,” he added.
Chief Adam’s involvement with the Spruce Kings began after an informal conversation with a Carrier Sekani Family Services employee, Allen Cummins, who had played hockey with the team’s general manager in the past.
“We were throwing ideas of how we could get the Spruce Kings out west.”
Cummins then met with the team’s general manager, Mike Hawes, who decided to discuss this idea further with Chief Adam.
“So before Christmas we had a meeting with general manager Hawes and head coach Adam Maglio.”
Present at the meeting were also Burns Lake Native Development Corporation’s general manager Chantal Tom, LBN’s youth worker Murphy Abraham, and Assembly of First Nations’ Regional Chief Terry Teegee.
“This was a great meeting as Mr. Hawes floated the idea of getting the Spruce Kings come to Burns Lake to do an exhibition game against the Merrit Centennials. It was also agreed that if the Spruce Kings come, then they will do a mini camps for player development.”
Since this meeting, Chief Adam has also connected with Cariboo-Prince George MP Todd Doherty and Prince George mayor Lyn Hall to gather support for the proposed event.
In addition, the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council — a group dedicated to improving the health and well-being of Aboriginal people through physical activity — has also expressed interest in holding additional workshops in Burns Lake, according to LBN.
The $10,000 budgeted for travel and accommodations for the B.C. Hockey League teams would be covered by the organizations backing the event - Lake Babine Nation and Burns Lake Native Development Corporation - and local businesses. The events still have to be confirmed.
According to LBN, the money raised at the exhibition match would go toward helping disadvantaged kids pay for skates and other hockey-related expenses.
- With files from David Gordon Koch