Hockey Indigenous named Reggie Leach as the first member of its Board of Directors in July. The move is a significant step for Hockey Indigenous, founded by Stephane Friday and Abigail Linklater in 2016 as an online platform to share information about Indigenous players in the hockey world. Friday was a 2023 Herbert Carnegie Trailblazer Award (HCTA) winner.
Sam Laskaris of Anishinabek News praised Friday and Linklater, saying, “the pair have always aimed to use their online voices to empower Indigenous youth” and added that Leach will certainly be a strong addition to that effort.
Leach, 73, was raised in Riverton, Manitoba, and became known as the “Riverton Rifle.” He is best known for his playing days with the Philadelphia Flyers, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 1974-75. The following season, Leach led the NHL in goals with 61 to set a Flyers record.
He is a member of Berens River First Nation in Manitoba, and currently lives in Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation on Manitoulin Island.
Photo: © Shoottoscore