Native Hockey Alberta championships wrap up in Edmonton

Nearly 5,000 hockey players from more than 300 hockey teams took over Edmonton rinks this weekend. CTV News Edmonton's Evan Kenny reports.

Thousands of Indigenous hockey players came to Edmonton over the weekend with the goal of winning Alberta’s Native Hockey provincials, and the expectation of making lifelong friends.

“I played as a kid, and I remember all my teammates. We’re still friends now,” said Julia Collins, a representative of Native Hockey Alberta. “Our kids are playing and our grandkids will be playing in this tournament.”

Kida from Treaty 6, 7 and 8 First Nations, Metis settlements and communities across Alberta came to Edmonton for one of the biggest hockey tournaments in western Canada.

“It’s amazing to see this because we don’t have this kind of representation for our kids, and it’s great for them to have a tournament where they can make memories,” said Collins.

“You get to come out here and a lot of them represent their nation, their settlement or First Nation, so that’s who they want to play for, and they have a lot of pride going home with that gold medal.”

Teams with players aged seven to 21 competed at dozens of rinks across Edmonton Thursday to Sunday.