Hockeyville Canada helps Elsipogtog First Nation rebuild arena after fire

Kraft Hockeyville Canada 2021 is so important to Jake Allen that the Montreal Canadiens goalie insisted on playing in the team's final preseason game four days before the regular-season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 12.

Hockeyville will be celebrating Elsipogtog First Nation when the Canadiens play the Ottawa Senators at J.K. Irving Centre in Bouctouche, New Brunswick, on Saturday (6:30 p.m. ET; TVAS). Allen, ensconced as the Canadiens starter with Carey Price on long-term injured reserve because of a knee injury, is from Fredericton, New Brunswick.

"If [Price, who is Ulkatcho First Nation] was still around, I think it would be very important for him to play that game," Allen said.

"Obviously he isn't and I'm going to try to fill his shoes the best that I can being a New Brunswicker. I've actually been looking forward to it all summer because it's a big deal for the province and for me too."

After a three-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, Hockeyville is back in full swing.

Elsipogtog First Nation was gifted $250,000 to repair Chief Young Eagle Recreation Centre two years after the building was damaged by a fire and, along with 2020 winner Twillingate, Newfoundland, received $10,000 worth of equipment from the NHL Players' Association Goals & Dreams fund. Newfoundland will host the

Canadiens and Senators on Thursday in a preseason game at Steele Community Centre in nearby Gander.

"For Elsipogtog First Nation, especially a Native community, to be able to have this opportunity for their community is going to go a long way," Allen said. "That $250,000, and just the fact of having the excitement of an NHL game is important."

Chief Young Eagle Recreation Centre is Elsipogtog First Nation's symbol of rebirth, with original fundraising efforts led by Albert Levi, a former professional wrestler under the name Chief Young Eagle, who was elected chief in 1967. Levi received the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor that recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community, and service to the nation, in 1984. He died Oct. 22, 2020, about one month after his labor of love was ruined.

Reconstruction of the arena began in May 2021, with the building gutted and new roofing, siding, windows, bathrooms, dasher boards and glass installed.

"It was my grandfather's vision," said Jaime Carpenter, Levi's granddaughter and one of the organizers behind the winning bid. "He wanted to give more opportunity to the youth of Elsipogtog. I told my cousins, I really want to do this not only for the kids but to honor our grandfather."

Though the hope was for ice to be installed by Oct. 1, making the arena operational to play an alumni game Thursday, a pipe leak has delayed opening for another 3-4 months. The alumni game was moved to Imperial Kent North Centre in nearby Richibucto.

Bryan Trottier, a Hockey Hall of Famer who won the Stanley Cup four times with the New York Islanders and twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins and is of Metis First Nation descent, will play in the alumni game. He will be joined by Jamie Leach, who won the 1992 Stanley Cup with the Penguins and is Ojibwe, and Everett Sanipass, a member of Elsipogtog First Nation who played five seasons for the Chicago Blackhawks and Quebec Nordiques.

"For this community, it's a big, big thing not just for them, but for everybody across Canada that are First Nation communities," said Reggie Leach, Jamie's father, who is Berens First Nation and won the Stanley Cup with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1975 and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 1976.

"It's very important to have us recognized. We've been here a long time and for our First Nations people that are in these communities, life is all about hockey for their kids. What the National Hockey League is doing for this community, it's a wonderful, wonderful thing.

"When we make up our mind to do something, we can do it."

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Hockeyville is where it begins again for Carpenter.

She learned to skate at Chief Young Eagle Recreation Centre and earned an NCAA hockey scholarship to Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. In 67 games from 2014-18, the forward had five points (one goal, four assists). Today, she is an Indigenous long-term participation development coordinator for the nonprofit Aboriginal Sports Circle.

Carpenter learned about Hockeyville from Facebook and got organized, teaming with cousins Sharona Levi and Malian Levi, and Sanipass' niece, Kylie Francis. They contacted Nancy Hallihan-Sturgeon, chair of the volunteer organizing committee for Hockeyville 2019 winner Renous, New Brunswick, for guidance.

The Facebook group grew from 1,000 on Day One to 10,000 within the first week. Support arrived beyond New Brunswick, including an elementary school teacher from Bobcaygeon, Ontario, who reached out, her students captivated by their story and compelled to help vote them into the final four.

"As we got more recognition and as our group grew, it wasn't just our community in New Brunswick," Carpenter said. "It was First Nations across Canada, Indigenous people across Canada, that were supporting us because we were making the history of being in the top four and eventually becoming the winners. It was just surreal."

Eight days before "Hockey Night in Canada" unveiled Elsipogtog First Nation's triumph April 11, 2021, their hearts broke again. A fishing boat capsized off the Nova Scotia coast. The ship's captain, Craig Sock, a beloved band councilor and another major player behind Hockeyville, was lost at sea.

"We were torn down," Carpenter said. "Losing 'Jumbo' ... one of the best people from Elsipogtog was taken away from us. Breaks my heart."

After winning, and the vibe subdued by the tragedy and COVID-19 protocol, Carpenter cried all night, but out of pure joy.

"It's a celebration of life, a celebration of a new beginning of this beautiful First Nation community," Leach said. "We as First Nation people, we overcome a lot of the things in our lives. We're not going to stop up now. We're just going to keep fighting back. I'm very proud of this community and all our communities across the country."

The Canadiens and Senators will walk a red carpet prior to their morning skate in Bouctouche, where the game will be held. It is 30 minutes southeast of Elsipogtog First Nation, where traditions, customs, NHL alumni and mascots, and the Stanley Cup will unite at a community festival. It's also about 90 minutes from where Allen played peewee and midget hockey at Tom Donovan Arena in Renous. He returned with the Stanley Cup in 2019, two months after winning it with the St. Louis Blues, and his roots remain strong with his annual golf event, the Jake Allen Classic.

For Allen it's simple. Hockeyville is more significant than a preseason game. The game is being played at home. He doesn't need the extra work, but he does need to represent New Brunswick.

"I said I'm playing that game," Allen said "There's no way around that."

NHL.com independent correspondent Sean Farrell contributed to this report