How an Ont. hockey dad is changing Indigenous youths’ lives nationwide

What began with eight hockey bags and a few sticks nearly a decade ago has grown into a nationwide movement that’s giving thousands of young athletes in Indigenous communities the chance to play Canada’s game.

In his Richmond Hill home on Thursday, campaign founder Graham McWaters showed CTV News the scope of the operation he started after a simple observation he made right here in Simcoe County.

• Learn more about Graham’s mission here: Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive

“About 11 years ago I was at a hockey tournament in Midland, Ontario, with my son Ryan, and we saw people coming out of the rink with garbage bags as duffle bags. Nobody had a proper hockey bag,” McWaters recalled. “I saw a father fixing a helmet outside, and it didn’t even have a mask on it.”

That moment sparked an idea and a mission that has grown to touch many people’s lives across Canada.

With the help of fellow hockey parent Rosemarie McKenzie, McWaters launched the Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive in 2015.

What started as a single delivery to Beausoleil First Nation on Christian Island has now grown into a massive grassroots initiative supporting over 60 Indigenous communities across the country.

Each year, McWaters and a growing network of volunteers collect and distribute more than 1,000 bags of gently used and new equipment. From helmets to sticks and skates to pads, every child gets an equal share.

“We’ll make sure everyone gets the same allotment of equipment,” McWaters explained as he walked CTV News through the process. “We’ve had at least three or four community leaders tell us that ever since we started giving them the hockey gear, we’ve been saving and changing lives.”

The drive has reached as far as Behchokǫ̀, Northwest Territories, 4,500 kilometres away where in 2023 a shipment of 100 bags and 200 sticks made the journey by train and truck.

Thirty-two skids of hockey gear went to six northern Manitoba Indigenous communities, thanks in part to an introduction by retired NHL star and Stanley Cup champion Reggie Leach.

“Today (Thursday) I had two people contact me who wanted to host their own hockey drives,” said McWaters. “I’ve turned it into a turnkey operation where I even provide them with the tags. When they have the gear sorted, I go pick it up and bring it to our warehouse.”

Community partners have stepped up to help with the logistics, including CN Rail, which assisted with long-distance deliveries.

Hockey associations across Ontario regularly co-host equipment drives, gathering loads of bags at a time.

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It’s not just about hockey; it’s about hope for McWaters.

“To me, doing the hockey drives and distribution has changed my life because I’ve met so many wonderful people,” McWaters said to CTV News. “It’s about opportunity. It’s about giving every child the chance to play.”

The next big delivery happens this Saturday in Barrie, where nearly 500 bags and 1,000 sticks will be handed out privately to 16 Indigenous communities at Access Storage.

The long-standing drive started in 2014, and five years later joined forces with Their Opportunity, a national children’s charity that delivers and subsidizes local sport for development and community engagement programming.

To learn more about the Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive, click here.