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\u2019s how the Little Native Hockey League tournament \u2013 frequently just called the Little NHL \u2013 was born. The inaugural tournament was held in 1971 in Little Current, the largest town on Manitoulin Island, which is the home to… <\/p>\n
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\u2019s how the Little Native Hockey League tournament \u2013 frequently just called the Little NHL \u2013 was born. The inaugural tournament was held in 1971 in Little Current, the largest town on Manitoulin Island, which is the home to... <\/p>\n