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Aspiring hockey players of Eeyou Istchee now
have a very inspiring role model to look up to. Jonathan Cheechoo, the
pride of Moose Factory, Ontario, is currently playing a regular shift
with the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks.
Drafted by the Sharks in 1998 (2nd round,
29th overall), Cheechoo has taken a longer route than some to get to the
big leagues. After becoming a star in Junior with the Belleville Bulls
of the Ontario Hockey League, Cheechoo had to struggle through tough times
within San Jose’s system, playing in Cleveland and Kentucky.
This proved to be exactly what he needed. Instead of looking at it as
a negative experience, Cheechoo used his time in the minors to push himself
harder, and work towards playing full-time in the NHL.
"I just figured if I kept working as hard as I was working, and showed
that I could improve each year, then they’d have to give me a chance,"
Cheechoo says philosophically.
Growing up, all Cheechoo wanted to do was play hockey. At 14 he moved
away to play in Timmins in order to get more exposure to NHL scouts. He
eventually made it to Kitchener, where he was drafted by Belleville. The
rest as they say, is history.
Now that he’s made it to the NHL, Cheechoo knows the key to continued
success comes with working on the little things, and improving with each
game. "The biggest obstacle that I had to overcome was my (lack of)
speed. I spent the last three summers sprinting and doing a lot of leg
work and now it’s come a long way."
Because he was exposed to a different world as a teenager, there hasn’t
been any real culture shock in San Jose. The only thing he’s still
adapting to is the lack of snow, along with the warmer climate.
Cheechoo gives a lot of the credit for where
he is today to former NHL coach of the year Ted Nolan. "He paved
the way for us (Native people). He was definitely a role model for me
growing up."
Another player that benefited from Nolan’s success was Jordin Tootoo.
Tootoo has now become the first Inuit to play in the NHL, which is something
that impresses Cheechoo. "It’s great, he’s really paving
the way for those people up there, and showing them that they really have
a chance if they work hard enough, so I think it’s great for him."
With the vast improvement Cheechoo has made in the last three years, he
feels confident that the only place to go, is up. "I want to be the
best player that I can possibly be, every year I work as hard as I can
during the summer. Hopefully it’ll turn into something positive
on the ice. I’m off to a good start this year, so I’m definitely
looking to keep it going. You never know what’s going to happen
each year, so I think as long as I work hard, good things will happen."
Cheech, as his friends call him, feels that being a part of the San Jose
Sharks is like being a member of a large extended family. "You spend
so much time around them, you pretty much see each other every day."
His closest friend on the team is Jim Fahey, who is almost the same age.
They were the youngest guys on the team last year, and were dealing with
some of the things rookies have to deal with while trying to make the
jump from the minors to the NHL. This helped Cheechoo grow as a player
and as a person.
In order to chase one’s dream of becoming a professional hockey
player, there has to be a certain number of sacrifices. Sending Cheechoo
to Timmins to pursue his career at 14 was possibly the most important
sacrifice his parents made for him.
"To have their support and to have them 100 per cent behind me meant
a lot," Cheechoo says. "They came out whenever they could to
watch me play. Knowing that I had their support really got my confidence
up."
Unfortunately, he doesn’t make it back to Moose Factory as much
as he’d like because of his off-ice training. Whenever he does make
it back, the reception is always warm. "It’s pretty nice, everybody
knows who I am, and they like to say hello and tell me how proud they
are, but at the same time they try to give me my space."
He realizes that a lot of people are cheering for him, and following his
every move. When he made the NHL, he became only the second Cree (Fred
Saskamoose who played for the Blackhawks back in the 50s was the first)
to make it to the big leagues. There are a lot of adoring youngsters who
watch him on TV, hoping he’s not the last.
Cheechoo had these words of encouragement for them: "Anything is
possible if you want it bad enough, and you work hard enough for it."
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