Empowerment Through Sport: Newfoundland and Labrador’s Team Nainimiut’s Unforgettable PWHL Playoff Experience

The U15 Team Nainimiut hockey team from Newfoundland and Labrador ventured into a life changing experience when they were able to travel to Montréal. On this trip, they explored the new city, listened to important panels that dealt with topics outside of hockey, and enjoyed all the hockey they could imagine from an AHL game to a PWHL playoff game. The trip was a way to empower indigenous youth through sport and discussions with indigenous figures including hockey players and leaders in the community and was jam packed with fun and adventure but also with a sense of inclusion for the young players.

The trip of a lifetime came to be because of a partnership between the PWHL and Air Canada. Their initiative aims to inspire young athletes from underrepresented communities and foster the transformative power of hockey via inclusion and leadership.

Former professional hockey player Saroya Tinker, the Manager of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives & Community Engagement for the PWHL and host of the program "Breaking Down Barriers," helped put the trip together. The show is described as "a television series [that] showcases the individuals and organizations who are committed to changing hockey culture. Each episode spotlights and celebrates those who are committed to fostering positive social change within the sport from professional to minor hockey levels."

Tinker believed it was imperative for the girls to see players that look like them in the league playing the game they all love, especially after the girls had already been virtually mentored by recently retired PWHL player, Victoria Bach. "Seeing it on TV is one thing, but when you go and actually get to see Bach, your mentor that is playing, it gives you a whole other perspective," she said.

Julie Dickers, the Principle of Team Nainimuit, grew up playing hockey in Canada and chaperoned the team of nine girls on the trip. Some of the players had never left their hometown and others hadn't gone further than the city of Happy Valley Goose Bay. But everyone was excited to embark on this new adventure.

The group was given what Dickers called the "royal treatment." Every evening involved dinner at a different restaurant. They toured the Bell Centre, home of the Montréal Canadiens, getting a glimpse of what NHL life is like. The team toured the city, rode the Ferris wheel, ate hand crafted ice cream, and took a spontaneous trip to see the Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket play. The girls loved watching the team play and enjoyed the atmosphere during the game and even afterwards. "There was a DJ outside the arena afterwards playing loud music and we were there with nine girls and they couldn't believe it," Dickers described the environment outside Place Bell. "It was the first time they had seen a party outside the arena. We were telling them we had to go and they wanted to go back."

The girls were all having a blast while in the city so much so that Dickers tried to be mindful of how the players’ parents were feeling being away from their daughters during the trip, even if the girls weren’t all that mindful themselves. "I would try to tell them 'you need to talk to your mom today' [or] 'your mom wants to talk to you' [but] they didn't want to call them," Dickers explained with a laugh.

And why would the girls want to check in with mom and dad when exploring a new city?

One of the most exhilarating moments of the trip was when the players attended practice and a playoff game between the Charge and Victoire.

Before they even arrived at the arena, the players met Ottawa's Jocelyne Larocque and Victoria Bach. As two indigenous players in the PWHL, Larocque and Bach took the time to talk to the girls knowing they were from the same background and it was something the players were excited to take part in. Dickers said because of that same background, there was a sense of appreciation from the players to be recognized by two important indigenous players.

The team then headed off to morning skate where they met players from both teams while watching them practice. After they talked to more players, got autographs, and asked them questions. Some were interviewed by local news on their trip during morning skate. Being given that time by the players made the girls feel involved and connected to the pros in ways they had never been before. "They were happy to be recognized," Dickers said.

The game night's festivities began with a trip down the tunnel for high fives from the Victoire as they headed onto the ice. With the music blasting and the lights flashing, the girls shared an exciting moment with the team before their playoff game. 

Treated to a suite that had enough food, treats, and dessert for multiple servings, the players got their fill while taking in an environment they hadn't seen before; professional women's hockey played in front of thousands of fans.

"The whole experience was crazy… you're in the arena and seeing what's going on all the time. It's a party, they play crazy dance music and everyone is dancing," Dickers said of the experience during the playoff game. For the girls to be able to see professional women's hockey in person and see the playoff atmosphere along with the crowds is what Tinker felt was one of the most inspiring aspects of the trip.

Who would have guessed a once-in-a-lifetime experience that popped up in the email account of Dickers, to travel to Montréal with Team Nainimiut to watch the opening game of the playoff series between the Ottawa Charge and Montréal Victoire, would turn into a life changing experience to see professional women's hockey up close, meet players like them, and find a sense of inclusion in the sport they love.

The trip wasn't solely about hockey. There was also a leadership talk at the Air Canada headquarters where the all-woman panel discussed their leadership positions, including an airline pilot, a member of the Montréal Victoire staff, and Tinker.

One of those talks was with Na’kuset, an indigenous community organizer and executive director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montréal.  The discussion with her, Dickers described, was touching because of the similarities between her Cree culture and the Inuit culture of the hockey team. Na’kuset, a survivor of the Sixties Scoop, shared stories that were at times sad to listen to but relatable for the team to hear as Inuit.

"The girls respect[ed] each and every discussion," Dickers said of the presentations the players attended. "They took it all in. Even when I thought they weren't paying attention… They talked about it afterwards and about how much they learned."

Tinker said the panels were also a way to show the players that there are other paths to take when it comes to sport if playing professionally isn't an option. "We know not everybody's going to be a professional hockey player, but to know that they can thrive in other areas of the community, whether it's in sport or not, is important. For them to see that there is representation beyond their community and name that will support them… there's so much more to hockey, there's so much more to sport than playing the game."

As a member of the PWHL front office staff, Tinker understands the continuous need by the sport as a whole to involve underrepresented communities. She knows of the fight to establish a professional women’s league and the fight by people of color who have been pushing their way into the sport as well. While the league currently has three black players, six indigenous players, and this season has no Asian representation, like it did in its first season. “It's lacking,” she said of the small numbers of representation this past season in the PWHL. “In order for the game to grow and continue to improve, everyone should be welcome.”

While the trip will be commemorated by an episode of “Breaking Down Barriers” in the fall and will stay with the players as they grow up and work their way up to pro hockey, this initiative is part of what the PWHL hopes to continue to do to support the community in surrounding areas.

The league is working on their social responsibility pillars that will be announced at a later date with one of the pillars being inclusivity as Tinker explained. It's part of the PWHL's efforts to be involved and to navigate ways to put those social pillars to good use.

"We're always trying to reach back into the community," Tinker said about how the league is contacting communities, nonprofits, and hockey teams they want to collaborate to help one another. "There's a lot of work to be done on the community side but the beauty of it is that we're molding it and showing how we want to be."

“Building it from the ground up is the most exciting piece. We wouldn't have a fanbase if we weren't inclusive and that's a fact."