Brandon Montour didn't win the Stanley Cup but at Six Nations he'll always be a champion and a hero

Florida Panthers star Brandon Montour came very close to winning the Stanley Cup this season. And while, he's still chasing that dream, every time he returns home to Six Nations on the Grand River, near Brantford Ont., he is welcomed as a champion and a hero.

"When I was a kid — I don't really know the last person from Six Nations to make it to the NHL," Montour said. "I didn't really have that, but to become neighbours or see me at a lacrosse game. Things of that nature. It gives them that hope, I hope, that they could get there one day as well."

Montour and fellow NHL star Adam Henrique of the Anaheim Ducks held their annual golf tournament on Friday at the MontHill Golf & Country Club in Caledonia. The tournament raises money for several charities in the region that help kids stay active through sports. 

Henrique said the tournament allows them to "give back to the people who have supported them their entire careers."

Community members from Six Nations, Brantford and Hamilton were there as well as former and current NHL players including Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks and former player and coach Bruce Boudreau.

Mark Hill, elected Chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River was there to support Montour and said that during the playoffs he "noticed the young people. And their faces. Their big smiles watching the big screen while one of our own was skating around. He is so inspiring and it pushes us to our work even more."

Montour's Panthers were defeated by the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals last June. Montour established himself as a star defenceman during the season with 16 goals and 57 assists and 73 points in 80 games. In the playoffs, he scored eight goals and added five assists for 13