THUNDER BAY – Trenton Morriseau is proud of his Indigenous heritage and excited to share it with hockey fans on March 12.
Morriseau, who hails from Fort William First Nation, on Monday donned the specially made Orange Wave Night jersey, featuring the red, yellow, black and white of the traditional medicine wheel, the Kam River Fighting Walleye excited for their March 12 debut.
The high-scoring 19-year-old, who has 17 goals and 38 points in 32 games, said Orange Wave Night said the game, against the visiting Dryden Ice Dogs, is a great way to showcase inclusion in hockey, a sport that’s not always held those views.
“It’s incredible. I’ve never had the chance to be a part of something like this, and for this moment, it means a lot to me,” he said.
“We’re going to be bringing in a Little NHL team. I used to play in Little NHL when I was a kid. I used to be where those kids used to be and I hope I can be someone they can look up to and aspire to be where I am one day.”
Orange Wave Night follows in the footsteps of the Ice Dogs Truth and Reconciliation game, held earlier this season.
As part of the effort, the team will auction off the game-worn jerseys and use the money to fund scholarships for the Fighting Walleye’s Indigenous graduates.
Morriseau said it’s a chance to let the broader community know what Indigenous people have had to endure.
“Every Indigenous person has faced some kind of racism within their life. We all need to be inclusive with each other and hockey’s a great game and everyone should have an equal part in it,” Morriseau said.
“It just shows that we can all be in this together. I’ve made life-long friends because of this game and I love it and wouldn’t change anything for the world.”
The jerseys, designed by Warrior Supply and Engineering, are spectacular, he added.
“When I first saw them, the colours of the medicine wheel, they did a really good job of that,” Morriseau said.
Fighting Walleye president Derek Geddes said Indigenous people play a huge role in the organization, from the scouting staff to the players on the ice.
“We want to be known as an inclusive organization and we think that putting this scholarship together with the great people at Warrior Supply and Warrior Engineering, and not only attract future Indigenous players to our area and our hockey team, but reward the ones who are here and do play for us to allow them to further their post-secondary education.”
Scholarships will be handed out to the team’s Indigenous graduates, the amounts chosen by the selection committee, which will include team officials and representatives of Warrior Supply and Engineering.
Geddes said they’ve got a zero tolerance policy when it comes to racism.
“We’re doing everything in our power to make sure the players who come in are comfortable, they’re not having to worry about dealing with anything in the way of bullying or hazing – any of that sort of stuff. As an organization we’ve basically said we do not tolerate that.”
The first 500 fans who enter the Norwest Arena on March 12 will receive a Ride the Orange Wave towel.
The jersey auction will go live on March 2, with the link available on the team’s website.
