Habs game to be aired in Plains Cree

EDMONTON 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 Rogers Hometown Hockey 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.

The event comes on the same weekend when the Rogers Hometown Hockey festival stops at the Enoch Cree Nation near Edmonton.

“This initiative also coincides with UNESCO’S declaration of 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages,” said Jean La Rose, chief executive of APTN. “Supporting that declaration is incredibly important to us as we continue to serve Indigenous Peoples and work toward reconciliation.”

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., is known as one of the Cree voices of hockey because of his experience calling Indigenous hockey tournaments and games. Wood, from Saddle Lake, Alta., is one of the founders of the Northern Cree Singers, referred to by some as the “Indigenous Rolling Stones.”