Frederick Patrick George Joseph "Chief Running Deer" Sasakamoose - Born on Christmas Day December 25, 1933 in Whitefish Lake Reserve (Big River First Nation), Saskatchewan - Died November 24, 2020 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan was a Canadian Indigenous (Cree) ice Hockey centre and author.

Sasakamoose grew up on the Ahtahkakoop Indian Reserve in Saskatchewan. At his birth, he was given a Cree name by an elder which when translated, means "to stand firm". He was one of 11 children born to to Roderick and Judith Sasakamoose, of whom six died in childhood from smallpox

As treaty Indians, the family was registered under the Indian Act. Their lives, work and movement were completely controlled by the local Indian agent, a government employee tasked with administering policy at the ground level.

Sasakamoose learned to skate from his grandfather Alexander who tied bob-skate blades with leather straps to his moccasins.

According to an interview Sasakamoose gave to the Globe and Mail in December 2016, it was Fred’s blind and mute grandfather who started him skating while he was still a toddler and carved him Hockey sticks out of red willow branches, with which Fred whacked away at “pucks” made from frozen horse droppings.

Sasakamoose was 6 years old in 1940, when he and his brother Frank were taken by a priest and an agent from the Department of Indian Affairs and driven off, with 28 other children to the Roman Catholic-run St. Michael’s Indian Residential School in Duck Lake about a 100 kilometres away. Two years passed before Sasakamoose saw his parents again.

Sasakamoose was physically and sexually abused at the school. But he learned to play Hockey under Father Georges Roussel from Montreal who started the Hockey program when he arrived in 1944 as the new school sports director.

Roussel pushed Sasakamoose to develop his Hockey skills, including a left-hand shot that made him ambidextrous.

Their residential Hockey team was called the St. Michael’s Ducks. They later won the Northern Saskatchewan Midget Hockey Championship and then the 1949 Saskatchewan Midget Hockey Championship. Sasakamoose was the teams star player.

His play at the provincial tournament had caught the attention of George Vogan, the general manager of the Moose Jaw Canucks, who wanted the young man to play for him in the Western Canada Junior Hockey League / WCJHL.

The Moose Jaw Canucks were a farm team of the Chicago Black Hawks.

Sasakamoose had a good training camp with Moose Jaw, but tried to leave after 2 weeks to go back home, as he promised his mother he would be back in 2 weeks. GM Vogel found him walking home up highway 2, and pulled up to him in his car “Where are you going, Freddy?” Vogan asked
“I’m going home,” Sasakamoose replied. “It’s been two weeks.”

Vogan drove Sasakamoose to a restaurant in nearby Chamberlain, Sask. for a meal. While they ate, Vogan assured the 16-year-old that he was going to make the team, and he could live/billet with him, his wife Flora and their two children. Sasakamoose lived with the Vogel family for the 4 seasons he played in Moose Jaw.

Sasakamoose started playing centre for the Moose Jaw Canucks when he was 16, scoring 7 goals, 7 assists in 18 games during the 1950-51 season.

The next 2 seasons, Sasakamoose became a fan favourite at Moose Jaw Arena, as not only did his scoring improve, but he also received quite a few penalties standing up for himself.

Sasakamoose had a hot start to the 1953-54 WCJHL season, when in November he was informed the Chicago Black Hawks were calling him up for 2 games, Sasakamoose made his NHL debut with Chicago on November 20, 1953 vs Boston Bruins at Chicago Stadium in a 2-0 Bruins win. Sasakamoose also played in November 22 vs Toronto Maple Leafs at Chicago Stadium in a 5-1 Toronto win. 0 points or penalties.

Sasakamoose became the 1st Native Indian (Indigenous) person with Treaty status to play in the NHL.

Sasakamoose returned to the Moose Jaw Canucks, finishing the season with 31 goals, 26 assists was voted the Most Valuable Player / MVP in the WCJHL.

After their last game of the 1953–54 season, the Moose Jaw Canucks were told to wait in the dressing room for an announcement. GM George Vogan read out a telegram: “Fred Sasakamoose, report immediately to the Chicago Black Hawks.” The dressing room erupted with cheers from his teammates.

On Saturday, February 27, 1954, after a three-day train ride from Moose Jaw to Toronto, Sasakamoose made his Canadian NHL debut on Hockey Night in Canada at Maple Leaf Gardens.

He got interviewed rink-side by Foster Hewitt. “How the hell do you pronounce your name?” Hewitt asked. Sasakamoose would later recall that moment “speaking with Hewitt was the greatest moment of my life that far. I had always dreamed of this.”

The Maple Leafs defeated Chicago that memorable night 4-2 and Sasakamoose played 8 more games for the Black Hawks. He had 0 pints or penalties in 11 games played, but he got to play at Chicago Stadium, Maple Leaf Gardens, Boston Garden, Madison Square Garden, Detroit Olympia and Montreal Forum.

Sasakamoose played against Gordie Howe, Rocket Richard, Tim Horton and many more hall of famers in those 11 games.

Sasakamoose played for the QHL Chicoutimi Sagueneens and WHL New Westminster Royals in the 1954-55 season.

Over the next 5 seasons, Sasakamoose played for many teams, WHL Calgary Stampeders, Debden Rockets, Kamloops Chiefs, Glaslyn Eskimos, Prince Albert Anavets, Meadow Lake Stampeders, Saskatoon Quakers, Vanderhoof Bears ..... seems like he loved to play.

In 1962, Sasakamoose was a founding member of the Northern Indian Hockey League. He was also a founding member of the Saskatchewan Indian Summer and Winter Games, Saskatoon’s All Nations Hockey School and Fred Sasakamoose All Star Hockey Week, a multi-racial Hockey camp.

Sasakamoose was honoured by the Blackhawks and dropped a ceremonial puck between Chicago's Alexei Zhamnov and Calgary Flames Craig Conroy on October 19, 2002 at United Center.

Sasakamoose dropped a ceremonial puck between Connor McDavid and Chicago's Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta on December 29, 2017.

Sasakamoose would also spend 35 years as a Band Councillor of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, 6 as Chief. He worked to give back to his community and build and develop minor Hockey and other sports there.

Sasakamoose was recognized for his achievements and contributions by the Assembly of First Nations and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations).

In 2011, Sasakamoose received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award / Indspire Award.

Sasakamoose became a member of the Order of Canada in 2018.

Fred Saskatchewan was inducted into the First Nations Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.

Fred Sasakamoose was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 (builders).

Fred Sasakamoose was inducted into the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012

Fred Sasakamoose was inducted into the Canadian Native Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.

Sasakamoose was inducted into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.

There is the Fred Sasakamoose "Chief Thunderstick" National Hockey Championship

NOTE
Sasakamoose had been writing his memoir, Call Me Indian, and it was being finished. It had a scheduled release date of April 6, 2021 when he died on November 24 2020 at age 86 after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement that Sasakamoose was the first Cree player to appear in an NHL game at age 19. Sasakamoose then dedicated his life to “serving the First Nations community – using Hockey and other sports to provide opportunities for Indigenous youth”