By Sam Laskaris Writer Back in the early 1970s racism was rampant on youth hockey teams. Regardless of their abilities, many Indigenous players were often excluded from participating on teams. And even those who did manage to get a roster spot, they would have their action limited as coaches would frequently prefer giving most of the ice time to non-Indigenous players. A group of First Nations men from Manitoulin Island decided to do something about that. They organized their own tournament and restricted it to just Indigenous players from Ontario. And that’s how the Little Native Hockey League tournament – frequently just called the Little NHL – was born. The inaugural tournament was held in 1971 in Little Current, the largest town on Manitoulin Island, which is the home to…
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