This is a community that loves hockey. It unites most of the 3,800 residents who call this ancestral land home.
Cam Zdeno Turtle is not the only hockey name in town, although his might have the best origin story.
Turtle’s father, Dean, switched allegiances from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Bruins in 2010.
Why?
“The (Maple Leafs) broke my heart,” he said, laughing.
So he switched to Boston, their archnemesis.
Dean Turtle had loved watching Neely play and he wanted to compete on the ice like the Bruins legend. “A big power forward, played hurt, grinds everywhere,” he said.
The unplanned moment with Chara and his son was almost unfathomable for him.
“I’m still starstruck,” he said, breaking into a giggle.
Hockey is the thread that connects those in this community. They watch it at night. They talk about it in the morning. They reenact it on the outdoor rink by the school or the indoor rink near the airport.
Players are named after stars of the past and the present. There was a Wayne Gretzky, a Chris Chelios and a Ondrej Pavel mentioned during the visit.
Jerseys from almost every NHL team, with a healthy dose from the hometown Jets, were on display, as well as sweaters from the various school teams and teams from the Pikangikum Hockey League, the reserve’s eight-team rec league.
“The NHL is No. 2 in Pikangikum,” said Justin Maddalena, a teacher at the school and coach of its boys hockey team. “The PHL is No. 1.”