By: Kaja Antic, Sports Writer
Ethan Bear — Hockey
In 2020, Bear became the first NHL player to wear a jersey with Cree syllabics on the nameplate. Bear, who is from the Ochapowace Nation in Kisiskâciwan (Saskatchewan), was playing for the Edmonton Oilers at the time, and later went on to play 61 games for the Vancouver Canucks in the 2022–23 season. Bear scored three goals during this time, with a memorable one coming in a January 15, 2023 win against the Carolina Hurricanes. This came mere minutes after the public learned of the passing of Algonquin Canucks legend, Gino Odjick. In the offseason, Bear runs a hockey skills camp for Indigenous youth in rural areas.
Phil Mack — Rugby
Mack hails from lək̓ʷəŋən (Victoria) and is a member of the Toquaht Nation on Vancouver Island. Mack was part of the gold-medal-winning rugby sevens men’s team at the 2015 Pan-American Games. In January 2024, Mack was named the attack coach for the Canada men’s rugby national team. Mack has also been involved with Thunder Rugby, an organization that focuses on developing and supporting rugby programs in Indigenous communities on Vancouver Island.
Xulsimalt — Soccer
Given the English name Harry Manson at a young age, Xulsimalt was an early icon in the world of Nanaimo soccer. Xulsimalt was a member of the Snuneymuxw First Nation on the eastern side of Vancouver Island, near Nanaimo. In 1897, he gained recognition as the 18-year-old captain of the Snuneymuxw team, and was scouted by the Nanaimo Thistles. He became one of the first Indigenous players to play on a previously all-European team. While he faced racism from the media, fans, officials, and opponents, he later went on to found the Nanaimo Indian Wanderers, an all-Indigenous team that competed against the other top-level soccer teams in the growing Nanaimo area. Xulsimalt was also one of the three Indigenous players on the Nanaimo All-Stars team that won a BC provincial championship in 1903, and the Wanderers team that won the Nanaimo soccer title in 1904. His life reached a tragic end in 1912 after he was hit by a train. Over 100 years after his passing, he was finally inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2014 as a pioneer of the sport.
Lara Mussell Savage — Ultimate
Savage is from the Sqwá First Nation, a Stó:lō group in Ts’elxwéyeqw (Chilliwack), and is a decorated ultimate frisbee player who won gold in the 2000 and 2004 World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) World Ultimate & Guts Championships. In 2016, Savage became an ambassador for #LevelTheField, a viaSport BC program promoting gender equality in sports. She served as Chief of the Sqwá First Nation from 2020–23. Savage also worked on Indigenous inclusion during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and led community engagement initiatives for the Indigenous-led 2030 Olympics bid, which was eventually rejected by the provincial government. Savage was inducted into the Chilliwack Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, and into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.
Angela Chalmers — Track and field
One of the most decorated Indigenous athletes in Canada, Chalmers won the 3000m bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, as well as three gold medals between the 3000m and 1500m events at the 1990 Auckland and 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games. Growing up on Vancouver Island, Chalmers comes from Caƞ Kaġa Dakhóta Oyáte (also known as Birdtail Sioux First Nation) ancestry from her mother’s side in Manitoba. Chalmers retired from competition in 1997 and went on to work with the provincial Department of Education to aid Indigenous students complete their high school education. She has earned many honours for her sporting excellence, being inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.
Richard “Bear” Peter — Wheelchair basketball
A three-time Paralympic champion, Peter comes from the Quwʼutsun, or Cowichan Tribes reserve near Duncan on Vancouver Island. Peter has used a wheelchair since the age of four, and began playing wheelchair basketball at 15. He participated in five Paralympic Games, earning gold at the Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, and London 2012 games, earning silver at the Beijing 2008 games, and placing fifth at the Atlanta 1996 games. Since his retirement in 2012, Peter has taken up playing para badminton. Peter has been described an Indigenous athletic role model, and was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
