Clay Plume of the Rocky Mountain Rage

The Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League are the 2008 Memorial Cup champions. After winning the Western Hockey League crown in truly remarkable fashion, Spokane rode their momentum into Kitchner, Ontario for the 2008 Memorial Cup tournament.

In southern Alberta, the Kainai (Blood Tribe) First Nation was following one of their own, Judd Blackwater, as he and his Spokane teammates attempted to bring a second consecutive Memorial Cup title to the people of the Kainai Nation.

In 2007, the Memorial Cup was also captured by another Western Hockey League team, the Vancouver Giants. That Giants team also included another member of the Blood Tribe First Nation, Wacey Rabbit.

Since 2001 the Blood Tribe First Nation, one of four tribes from the Blackfoot Confederacy of Southern Alberta and Northern Montana, has been unlike any other First Nation community in producing great hockey talent. Four boys from Kainai have made their way to play in major junior hockey, and one has made his way to play Division I NCAA college hockey in the US.

In 2001, Clay Plume started his major junior career playing for the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL and finishing as a member of the Prince George Cougars in 2004. Clay continues to play, starring most recently in the Central Hockey League as a member of the Rocky Mountain Rage, located just outside of Denver, Colorado.

Alaska Anchorage's Winston Daycheif

Wacey Rabbit played his first full year of major junior hockey in the 2002 – 2003 season, as a member of the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL, later winning a Memorial Cup with the Vancouver Giants in 2007. Wacey is now a member of the Providence Bruins of the AHL.

Dean Shade played for the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in the 2002 -2003 season and is currently attending University in Calgary, making education his primary focus.

Judd Blackwater began his major junior career in 2005 as a member of the Spokane Chiefs, also of the Western Hockey League.

His career in Spokane ended as well as he could have wished, as a Memorial Cup champion. We’ll be watching to see where the hockey road takes Judd in the 2008-2009 season.Then there is the young man from Blackfoot Country, who decided let his hockey take him on a slightly different path.

Winston Day Chief played junior A hockey for the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the BCHL, and was then recruited to play hockey for the University of Alaska, Anchorage of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). Winston earned a scholarship to play hockey at a Division I University, playing at the highest level of NCAA college hockey in the US. Alaska is a long way from Stand Off, Alberta, but Winston is proving he can make his way mark in one of the most competitive conferences in US College hockey.

The future will certainly bring more talent out of this southern Alberta First Nation as scouts from junior teams and colleges take notice of players coming from the Blood Tribe First Nation, and other tribes of the Blackfoot Confederacy.