In the midst of trauma and abuse, many students found solace in playing hockey. Students often had to build hockey rinks themselves or skate on frozen lakes. Their passion for hockey was supported by the schools by having priests and lay teachers serve as coaches. Students competed against Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students. Willie Littlechild, who attended Ermineskin Indian Residential School, says hockey helped him survive in a hostile environment. He says, “If I didn’t graduate, what was the alternative? I could have been found dead on the street in Edmonton on skid row, because of alcohol. So, it’s really that strong for me, the influence of hockey in my life.”
Source: Duncan McCue. “How hockey offered salvation at Indian residential schools.” March 26, 2014. CBC News. http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/how-hockey-offered-salvation-at-indian-residential-schools-1.2583531