Youth from northern Manitoba skate with former NHLers ahead of Jets game celebrating Indigenous culture

A 15-year-old girl from Northlands Denesuline First Nation says while she doesn't go skating too often in her northern Manitoba community, she appreciated the chance to lace up next to former NHL players Ray Neufeld, Trevor Kidd and Gerard McDonald on Saturday morning at an outdoor rink just outside Winnipeg.

"I'm not that good, so when I do try, I am having fun because I am practising," said Taylynn Tssessaze, who was among about 50 Indigenous youth from remote and northern communities in Manitoba participating in activities this weekend ahead of the Winnipeg Jets' annual Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre Night on Sunday.

The weekend programming, hosted by Jets owner True North Sports and Entertainment, provides opportunities for Indigenous youth to get involved in sports through the non-profit Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre.

Young skaters who hit the ice at Camp Manitou, just west of Winnipeg, on Saturday came from the northern communities of Pauingassi, Northlands Denesuline, Bunibonibee, Shamattawa and Minegoziibe Anishinabe (Pine Creek) First Nations, and the Métis community of Duck Bay.

Some practised their slapshots while others, like Tssessaze, started with learning the basics. 

She said the weekend activities gave her a chance to focus on experiencing different sports-related programming and meeting new people — and the chance to root for the Jets when they take on the Calgary Flames Sunday evening.

It'll be her third time watching the team play at the Canada Life Centre with her peers through the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre. 

"I'm expecting the most fun from the Jets game — that's what I'm excited about," Tssessaze said. 

Neufeld, who played for the Jets between 1985