Indian Horse
Indian horse
What does being on the Manitouwadge Moose hockey team mean to Saul? How does he become connected to the other players? Why do they make him prove himself?
What does being on the Manitouwadge Moose hockey team mean to Saul? How does he become connected to the other players? Why do they make him prove himself?
Now an official part of the Moose, Saul travels with them from game to game in a cramped bus. Unlike white hockey, the Native league is scrappy and self-funded. They lodge five or six at a time in cramped houses, skating on outdoor rinks while fans stand on the sidelines. Despite their hardships, the teams are always welcomed as part of the community, and the teams treat each other with respect even when the game briefly slips into a fight. Although the tiny Saul is usually the target of teasing when he first arrives, the laughter stops when he joins the game at a crucial moment. Saul finds the native league feels like a sense of extended family with nightgames on frozen ponds lighted with stings of bulbs: it was beautiful and even romantic.