Odjick never forgot his roots. He told me that he felt at home on a reserve surrounded by like-minded people. NHL opinion
, Bryan Trottier, Stan Jonathon and George Armstrong, to name a few. He would be followed by Carey Price, Jordan Tootoo, Ethan Bear, Zack Whitecloud, Brandon Monture and the list keeps growing. In 2006, I did a television series on Indigenous athletes.
Odjick was on the list, and we travelled to his home on the Kitigan Zibi First Nation that is adjacent to the town of Maniwaki, Quebec. Odjick was busy at a charity golf tournament held annually in his name, so we met with his father, Joe Odjick, known to all as Papa Joe. When I got to know this friendly, gregarious man, it became apparent that he was Odjick’s rock.Article content Montreal Canadiens Gino Odjick warms up before the game against the New York Rangers in Montreal on Oct. 15, 2001.Papa Joe coached Odjick in minor hockey and was his biggest fan. He attended the residential school at Spanish, Ontario where his number was 29. Throughout his career, Odjick would wear number 29 to honour his father. I interviewed Odjick at his home on the reserve, which was a log home in a beautiful setting on the lakeshore. Odjick grew into hockey, gaining talent over the years. He began his junior career with the Hawkesbury Hawks, a tier 2 junior team where he got the reputation as a physical defenceman. The fans nicknamed him the Maniwaki Mauler or the Algonquin Assassin. He played two seasons with the Laval Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. While he played for Laval, he stayed at the Mohawk community of Kahnawake, a decision that he would make throughout his career.Article content In 1990, he was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks and he moved to the left wing. His linemate was Pavel Bure, the Russian Rocket. Odjick played for the Canucks for eight seasons and his job was to protect Bure. They were both outsiders — Bure from Moscow and Odjick from a reserve. Their friendship blossomed. They wereOdjick never forgot his roots. He told me that he felt at home on a reserve surrounded by like-minded people. He lived on the Musqueam reserve in Vancouver and, following his hockey career, he managed their golf course. I travelled with him to the Mount Currie First Nation located close to Whistler, where he was the guest of the high school. His message was to pursue whatever your goal is and not get sidetracked by drugs or alcohol.Article content He described his hockey career and how much time he spent practising and conditioning. It wasn’t just a simple matter of lacing up your skates. Earlier in the summer of 1995 he walked from Calgary to Vancouver on what he called a spiritual journey of healing. Odjick insisted on as many stops on First Nations as possible. In total, they stopped at 14 communities to raise awareness about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. He was well received by everyone from the elders to the youth. It meant a lot that he took the time to visit them. To the average fan he was the enforcer, but there was much more to Odjick than that. One night he got two goals and an assist and, despite Bure feeding him the puck at every opportunity, he couldn’t get the hat trick.Article content He told me that if he had got into a fight, he would have had a Gordie Howe hat trick, but he didn’t even get in a fight that night. I asked him what he regarded as the highlight of his career. He told me that he had a penalty shot against Calgary in 1991. He scored on goaltender Mike Vernon and tied the score 3-3. It was on home ice and the crowd went wild.Oiler defenceman, Tom Poti, battles for the puck against New York Islanders’, Gino Odjick.Doug Cuthand is the Indigenous affairs columnist for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and the Regina Leader-Post. He is a member of the Little Pine First Nation.
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