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All Time Best First Nations Team

Eagle Eye Cherry

Eagle Eye Cherry

guitar player
Feb 19, 2006
6,345
2
Montreal
If one were to assemble a all time best in history team full of players of first nation descent and other aboriginal players, what would the line-up look like?

the 1st line without a doubt would be

Simon-Trottier-Leach
Bourque-Chabot-Cheechoo
Asham-Fiddler-Tootoo
Jonathan-McCormick-Odjick

Redden-Souray
?-?
?-Rivers

Price
Bacashua

Any ideas?
 
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Thank God someone mentioned George Armstrong already but no one has even mentioned the best of them all, Johnny Bucyk. He would easily be the 1st LW.

Redden and Price I had no idea had a native background though.

Ted Nolan might deserve a spot, I know he doesnt have a wealthy NHL profile as a player but you could probably find a spot for him, if not then he would be a lock as a coach I think
 
Big Phil said:
Thank God someone mentioned George Armstrong already but no one has even mentioned the best of them all, Johnny Bucyk. He would easily be the 1st LW.

Redden and Price I had no idea had a native background though.

Ted Nolan might deserve a spot, I know he doesnt have a wealthy NHL profile as a player but you could probably find a spot for him, if not then he would be a lock as a coach I think
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Bucyk is probably the only athlete nicknamed "Chief" who doesn't come from a first nations background. He's Ukranian. Don't know how he got the nickname though.
 
Grant Fuhr is half African Canadian/half Native. Theo Fleury is Metis. Add Gerald Diduck and Rich Pilon to the defense.

You can add a few more enforcers too with John Kordic, Sandy McCarthy, Craig Berube, and Mike Peluso.
 
justsomeguy said:
Bucyk is probably the only athlete nicknamed "Chief" who doesn't come from a first nations background. He's Ukranian. Don't know how he got the nickname though.
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I know he's Ukrainian, but is he half native or something as well? He definitely has a darker complexion than you would expect from someone of Eastern European descent. And wearing a native head dress around probably wouldn't go over too well if he wasn't in some way native.

bucyk_77371.jpg


johnny%20bucyk.jpg
 
Big Phil said:
Thank God someone mentioned George Armstrong already but no one has even mentioned the best of them all, Johnny Bucyk. He would easily be the 1st LW.

Redden and Price I had no idea had a native background though.

Ted Nolan might deserve a spot, I know he doesnt have a wealthy NHL profile as a player but you could probably find a spot for him, if not then he would be a lock as a coach I think
Click to expand...

Brandon Nolan is still a decent player as well. Watched him in Oshawa he had some good moments.
 
justsomeguy said:
Bucyk is probably the only athlete nicknamed "Chief" who doesn't come from a first nations background. He's Ukranian. Don't know how he got the nickname though.
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Yeah he was part of the "Uke" line but he has some native in him. I don't know what side of the family is the Ukranian side (I suppose perhaps his father's with the name Bucyk) but if you really wanted to do some digging I'm sure you would find some native on his mother's side.
 
Big Phil said:
Yeah he was part of the "Uke" line but he has some native in him. I don't know what side of the family is the Ukranian side (I suppose perhaps his father's with the name Bucyk) but if you really wanted to do some digging I'm sure you would find some native on his mother's side.
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Check this quote out from his Legends of Hockey page: http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080...198101&type=Player&page=bio&list=ByName#photo
He was nicknamed "the Chief" after a Boston sports cartoonist mistook him for a native Canadian because of his dark features. Bucyk loved the nickname and it stuck.
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Notice how it says "mistook" him for a Native Canadian. I've read a lot about Johnny Bucyck and never read anything about him being Native Canadian, lots of mention of his Ukrainian descent. You and arrbez are making the same mistake that Boston cartoonist made and assuming he's Native because he looks kinda Native when he actually isn't.
 
Dale McCourt
Everett Sanipass
Gary Sargent
Frank St. Marseille
 
bruinsfan46 said:
Check this quote out from his Legends of Hockey page: http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080...198101&type=Player&page=bio&list=ByName#photo


Notice how it says "mistook" him for a Native Canadian. I've read a lot about Johnny Bucyck and never read anything about him being Native Canadian, lots of mention of his Ukrainian descent. You and arrbez are making the same mistake that Boston cartoonist made and assuming he's Native because he looks kinda Native when he actually isn't.
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Never heard that story. I suppose it could have some merit to it. My mistake was the decades that Bucyk has been called "Chief" from pretty much everyone and going on the assumption that he has a native background. I can remember a story about Orr and the first time he met Bucyk he introduced himself and said "Hello Mr. Bucyk." Johnny said "you don't call me Mr. Bucyk, you call me John or Chief." It just seems weird that thousands of people could be mislead by Bucyk's nickname and the name continues on. Hard to not believe he has native in him though when his career was revolved around that name
 
Addiions and Explanation

Fred Sasakamoose - Chicago 1953-54, Tim Jacobs - Seals mid 1970's, Robert Simpson - Atlanta, Pittsburgh, St.Louis - late 1970's mid `80's. Alexandre Burrows of the Canucks. Kyle Chipchura - Ukrainian/Metis.

BTW - John Bucyk is Ukrainian. Although pure Ukrainians are extremely rare as there was a mingling of the tribes in eastern Europe - Ukrainian,Russian, Polish, Kazak, etc.
Ukrainians from the mining regions or the Carpethian mountains tend to have a dark complexion.
 
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