Red Wings prospect Carter Bear was honored for his accomplishments by his Peguis First Nations community on Saturday, and the CTV News Winnipeg’s Harrison Shin reports that all went well at the Peguis Multiplex, some two hours north of Winnipeg, on Saturday afternoon:
“Just an immense amount of pride. We haven’t stopped telling people where he’s from, and what our connections are to the community,” said Chief Stan Bird of Peguis First Nation. “It’s a real positive thing for our youth to see – to be part of history. 18-year-old Indigenous person being drafted by the Detroit Red Wings. That’s history itself.”
Chief Bird said he initially didn’t expect Bear to have the time to sign individual autographs and take pictures, but Bear made it happen on Saturday.
“We’re very pleased that he’ll take a few hours of his time, just to drive to Peguis, to meet with the people of Peguis. There’s a lot of pride here, and for him to come back and to interact with the people, I think it’s a really positive, uplifting experience for all of us.”
To mark Bear’s selection by the Red Wings, organizers served free hot wings at the event.
Bear was supposed to attend the event for an hour, but it appears that he took as long as necessary to to sign fans’ autographs and give the kids memories of meeting with the community’s first NHL-drafted athlete. Good on him.
Update: Here’s more from Winnipeg’s Classic 107’s Colleen Houde:
Residents of Peguis First Nation had a special visit over the weekend.
Carter Bear of Peguis First Nation, who was signed to a three-year entry-level contract worth $975K with the Detroit Red Wings, visited the community to sign autographs and greet his fans.
While he was there, he was also given a custom star blanket, and Chief Stan Bird gifted him a medallion.
“This tribute stands as a reminder of Carter’s incredible achievement and the strength of our youth,” said the First Nation in a post on Facebook. “His success story inspires our whole community — especially young athletes chasing big dreams.”
