EASTMAIN, QUEBEC – Despite EISRA’s efforts to ensure the continuity of the Cree Nation Bears program for the upcoming season, there were unfortunately no communities who came forward with interest to host any of the teams. Our hosting agreements typically run for a period of two years, and at the expiration of the agreements this past season, and with a sufficient amount of time for the communities to express their willingness to host one or more of the teams, the deadline passed with no official submissions.
Therefore, as it has previously been the case when our teams are not hosted by any community, we will have the Bears be ‘travel’ teams for the upcoming season. The Bears will be comprised of the best available local players from throughout the Cree Nation playing in the James Bay minor hockey league and will partake in events in the HAT region such as tournaments and the season-end regional playdowns. The rosters will be determined by a selection committee made up from certified double-letter coaches, EISRA staff, and Board members.
While we wished a better fate for the program for this season, it is not a process we entirely control as we cannot force communities to host the Bears program, as it entails several components of responsibility between both the hosting community and EISRA’s Board of Directors and staff. Our hope is that this will only be temporary. Furthermore, we will utilize the coming year to do our best to improve on the components and structure of the program by the time we are able to re-enter any, hopefully all, of the teams back into the HAT league in the foreseeable future.
We would like to extend our gratitude to the communities that have hosted the teams this past season, and we hope to have a renewed interest in hosting the teams to be able to continue to offer a ‘stepping-stone’ program for our young athletes in the Cree Nation.