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WHL Prince George Cougars

WHL Community Collective: Prince George Cougars

June 28, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release


The Western Hockey League strives to promote and foster a welcoming community across our 22 clubs scattered throughout Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Every team is given the creative freedom to allow their players and staff to work with the organizations and groups that they are most passionate towards. The end goal is to create and maintain long-lasting relationships and ongoing partnerships within their community.

Through the WHL Community Collective we aim to highlight these outstanding initiatives done by each club over the course of the year.

This is what the Prince George Cougars' #WHLCommunity looked like this season:

The Prince George Cougars prioritized building and maintaining their relationships with local Indigenous communities, including the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation and Nadleh Whut'en First Nation, through various community initiatives acted out this season.

The goal for the Club: getting to work closely with and properly educate themselves about these communities and their traditional lands.

This was done on several fronts throughout the year; however, none more meaningful than the opportunity Cougars players and staff got when they visited the former Lejac Residential School in Fraser Lake, B.C.

The Cougars, who respect and acknowledge that they play on the unceded ancestral lands of the Lheidli T'enneh, wanted to give their team a chance to learn from Indigenous educators, Elder Clifford Quaw, a residential school survivor from the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation, and Chief Martin Louie of the Nadleh Whut'en First Nation, about the residential school system, their experiences, and the stories of their peoples.

Following their visit to Fraser Lake and Lejac, Cougars' Director of Business, Taylor Dakers, shared how much their relationship with the two Indigenous groups meant to the organization and why it was important for the players and staff to take part in the trip.

"We thank both the Lheidli T'Enneh and Nadleh Whut'en First Nations for partnering with us and for helping our players, coaches and staff better understand the truth about residential schools so we can walk together on the path towards reconciliation," Dakers said. "We have been honoured by their commitment to educating us to be better leaders in our community,"

The Cougars furthered their collaboration with their partners when they hosted an Indigenous Night designed to honour Indigenous Cultures local to the Prince George region. The event, which was held during a Cougars home game in January, saw the team wear commemorative jerseys designed by Cecilia John of Saik'uz First Nation.

"I designed this Cougar jersey for the ability and the strength of the animal," John shared on the Prince George Cougars website. "I wanted this logo to help resemble the Cougars hockey team which shows strength, hard work, working together, and being on the same page."

During the game, spectators were also treated to special Indigenous-themed food and activities, including countless Indigenous vendors, performances from the Nazko Band Drum Group and the UHNBC First Nations Drum Group, and dance and drum lessons throughout the CN Centre concourse.

Over the course of the night, the Cougars also sold tickets for a Mega 50/50 Jackpot with proceeds being directed towards the Prince George Native Friendship Centre, the Lheidli T'enneh Elders Society, and the Foundry Prince George.

Check out the Prince George Cougars Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from June 28, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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