The Wild will take on the Colorado Avalanche on Friday, November 28, for a 2:30 p.m. puck drop. It will be a historic game as the first NHL game called in the Ojibwe language.
Wild fans can tune into the broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network. They will hear a trio of Ojibwe Nation commentators: Maajiigoneyaash Jourdain, Ombishkebines Gonzalez, and Ginoonde Buckholtz.
“It’s full circle,” said Jourdain.
Jourdain grew up playing hockey in Lac La Croix near the Ontario Border. He always wanted to be an NHL player, which makes this moment extra special for him.
“I finally made it to the NHL, but in a different way using the voice of the Ojibwe people,” said Jourdain.
They’ve put in a ton of preparation for this, and plan to make it a teaching moment for all.
“We probably put in about 10 or so hours over the last couple days creating a [bilingual] word list, so that others can learn it, and others can understand the language that’s used around hockey,” said Gonzalez.
Buckholtz is only 17 years old. He sees this as a professional stepping stone.
“I’m excited to see what the future brings. Who knows, we might have our own NHL commentators in the near future, ya know?” said Buckholtz.
This historic moment coincides with Native American Heritage Day at the Wild game on Friday afternoon.
“These [theme] nights are really special to us. They bring indigenous presence, language and culture back into public places where it’s historically been left out,” said Baabiitaw Boyd, a founding board member of the Midwest Indigenous Immersion Network.
Wild fans can stream the Ojibwe-language broadcast of Friday’s game on the FanDual Sports Network app or website. A subscription is required, but there is a 7-day free trial option.
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