Pro women’s hockey team stages Indigenous Heritage contest

When Marian Jacko was asked to be involved with an historic hockey game, others she wanted to be included immediately popped to mind.

Jacko, the first Indigenous person to serve on Hockey Canada’s board of directors, was one of the honoured guests invited to be part of the ceremonial opening faceoff for the Toronto Sceptres’ Indigenous Heritage Unity Night on March 19.

Wilton Littlechild, who had served as the commissioner for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, also took part in the opening faceoff during the game at Toronto’s Coca-Cola Coliseum.

The Sceptres are one of the three Canadian franchises in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), a six-team circuit, which includes three American teams.

“When I was asked to provide some input into this game, I immediately had the image of jingle dress dancers, because I feel like it's the women that are going to bring healing to our Nations,” said Jacko, a member of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory in Ontario.

“And the fact that this is now a professional women's hockey league is absolutely extraordinary. I think that this is the right space for the healing to happen. And so, I've invited some friends who are jingle dress dancers to come and dance and perform and bring some of that healing medicine to the game tonight.”

Members of the Kawartha Lakes Jingle Dress Dancers performed during the first intermission of the contest, which the Sceptres won 2-1 over the visiting New York Sirens.

This is also the first year the two other Canadian franchises in the PWHL will have Indigenous celebration games.

The Ottawa Charge held their match on March 11. And the Montreal Victoire will stage their contest on March 23.

PWHL officials asked Jacko to provide some input into both of these other outings as well.

“The Ottawa game turned out really well,” she said. “I didn't go but I had made some introductions so they had some (Indigenous) representation there, so that was really amazing. And in the process, I also made one connection for them for Montreal and hopefully that will pan out.”

The PWHL currently includes five Indigenous players. Jacko is hoping that number grows soon.

“That's something I'm working for,” she said. “That's actually the reason for my existence is to increase the number of women playing in this game. I see this game, this beautiful game of hockey, being transformative. It is for me. I think this is a transformative space, especially for Indigenous women and girls.

“And I've said it many, many times before. When you read all of these commissions of inquiry, read all these reports and it's all about these dire circumstances, like just by virtue of being Indigenous. I, myself, I'm 12 times more likely to go missing or go murdered. But we need to change that narrative. And we need to change it to I'm 12 times more likely to be successful in my chosen career, 12 times more likely to go from the bench to the boardroom. And that's really why I'm so passionate about this game.”

Before joining the board of directors for Hockey Canada in 2022, Jacko was serving as the president of the Little NHL, the largest Indigenous youth hockey tournament in Ontario.

She took a leave of absence from that role to fulfill her Hockey Canada duties.

But she is still involved heavily with the organizational details of the Little NHL. A record 270 teams from across the province competed at this year’s event, held earlier this month, primarily at rinks in Markham.

“I'm still there working behind the scenes, volunteering where I can,” Jacko said. “And that's something I feel very passionate about, is the women in the game of hockey.”

As for Littlechild, who lives in Maskwacis, Alta., the Sceptres’ Indigenous game was the first PWHL match he had attended in person.

But he’s watched several other league contests on TV.

“It's amazing,” he said. “For example, when they hosted them in Edmonton, it was amazing and was an immediate sellout. So obviously there's a lot of desire to both watch and support women's hockey.”

The Sceptres and Charge squared off in a neutral-site game in Alberta on Feb. 16. That match was held at Rogers Place, the home of the National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers.

There’s been talk the PWHL will be expanding in the near future. Littlechild believe Alberta could support a team. And possibly even two clubs, one in Edmonton and one in Calgary.

“We currently support men's professional hockey in both cities and so there's no doubt about the capacity to hold another team in either or both cities,” he said. “And there's other opportunities as well, for example, Red Deer, or the north or southern part of the province possibly could have a team. So, yeah, I think expansion would certainly lend an opportunity for more athletes.”

Local Journalism Initiative Reporters are supported by a financial contribution made by the Government of Canada.