The countdown is on in advance of the 48th annual Little Native Hockey League tournament, pitting over 250 First Nations teams across Canada against each other.
Members of Aamjiwnaang, along with sponsor Hydro One, took part in a game of shinny Thursday morning at Sarnia Arena to mark 50 days until the start of play.
Aamjiwnaang is this year's host First Nation, although the event has become so big that it's held in Mississauga annually.
Chief Chris Plain said the kids benefit greatly, both from a health and social standpoint.
"We had a former leader in our community, a longtime councillor who is no longer with us named Les Henry. He had a saying that said 'kids in sports stay out of courts,'" said Plain. "We'll hear that every once in a while from community members, we know where it originated from. Now, we actually hear Little NHL executives say this when they're going out in other communities."
Kyle Jackson, who won the championship with Aamjiwnaang in 2008, said he has great memories.
He's now playing in the National Lacrosse League with the Rochester Knighthawks.
"Having played in it, and having a large Native presence on my current team, we talk about Little NHL all of the time and our experiences there," said Jackson. "It was great to take your families and go away for a little bit and be able to play hockey against other Native American individuals."
Jackson said there are a lot of people that played in Little NHL their entire lives and never won a championship. "I played two years and won a championship in my first year, so people kind of dislike me for that simple reason. Some people work so hard for it, and it's their sole means of playing hockey. When they don't get to win the championship, they're pretty distraught about it. I rub it in their faces a good amount."
Former NHLer Jason Simon played in the tournament for nearly eight years in the 1970s.
He had an important piece of advice for today's kids.
"Because I've had 50 concussions in my career, I think it's very important that the youth understand that if they get a bump in the head they need to tell their mother or the coach that they might be suffering from concussion symptoms."
The event gets underway on March 8 and continues through the weekend.
