Nova Scotia hockey player named finalist for NHL's Willie O'Ree award
A Nova Scotia man is a finalist for an NHL community service award named after fellow Maritimer and hockey great Willie O'Ree.
Ryan Francis of Cole Harbour, N.S., helped launch the Indigenous Girls Hockey Program, which encourages young Indigenous girls in Nova Scotia to play the sport.
“It was also focused on creating and supporting leadership in our communities,” said Francis in an NHL promotional video.
“Sometimes their jerseys are mismatching, so when you first walk into the rink, you wouldn’t think, ‘Oh this is a team practising or this is a team playing.’ You often hear the girls refer to one another as their own team, and I think that’s something really special.”
The league announced Monday Francis is one of three finalists in the running for the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award — given to an individual who worked to make a positive impact on their community through hockey. Francis is the only Canadian finalist.
A member of the Acadia First Nation, Francis says he’s humbled to be a finalist.
“A little bit embarrassed, but in a good way. I really appreciate it and know there’s been a lot of support and a lot of really cool work that’s been done here in the community, and I’m happy to be a part of it,” he said.
Two years after co-founding the program, Francis has helped more than 190 girls from three Mi’Kmaq communities learn to play the game — girls like Erin Denny.
“Ryan has always been a good supportive coach,” said Denny. “Always helping me and guiding me to the right decisions and opening doors for me. So now he’s grown into a mentor to help me get into the coaching aspect of hockey.”
Francis is also the Indigenous Visiting Fellow at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax.
“I work with the universities trying to create more opportunities and recognition I guess for Indigenous athletes and Indigenous sport more broadly,” said Francis.
The namesake of the award, Willie O’Ree, was the first Black player in the NHL. He joined the league in 1958 with the Boston Bruins.
Originally from Fredericton, O’Ree played with only partial eyesight. He lost 95 per cent of the vision in his right eye after a stray puck struck his face while playing in the minor leagues.
You can vote, and learn more about other finalists, by visiting the NHL website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
What a U.S. farmworker’s case of bird flu tells us about tracking the infection
A U.S. farmworker who caught bird flu after working with dairy cattle in Texas appears to be the first known case of mammal-to-human transmission of the virus, a new study shows.