Indian Horse

Saul, now nearly thirteen, continues winning games the next winter. He is soon asked by men from town to join their midget town team, normally comprised of sixteen and seventeen-year-old white boys. Levi Deiter, a hardware store owner, coaches it. Saul continues to play well, scoring goals and making attention-grabbing passes. They win seven of ten games, and Saul and Father Leboutilier show up to play in game eleven. However, Levi takes Father Leboutilier to the side before the game, and the Father informs Saul that he will not be playing because “The parents of other players want their own kids to play” (91). Saul asks if it’s because he’s Indigenous, and Father Leboutilier says yes. “They think it’s their game,” (92) Saul says.

Saul continues playing with St. Jerome boys, though he feels unchallenged. One day at a scrimmage, an Ojibway man watches Saul carefully. He introduces himself as Fred Kelly and says that he has a tournament team in Manitouwadge. He explains that the reserves in the territory all have their own teams that play against each other on outside rinks. Fred asks Saul to come live with his family and play hockey for his traveling team, the Moose.