Pictured above: Northern’s team in the Rankin Inlet Senior Men’s Hockey League.

Community members from Rankin Inlet, NU had the opportunity to enjoy some fun and competitive hockey during the pandemic.

The Rankin Inlet Senior Men’s Hockey League season was held from November 2020 to March 2021. It was conducted in a different way this year due to Covid-19, following the proper protocols to keep players safe. 

Five teams played this season, each representing a community business: team Tootoo, team Niksik, team A&K canteen, team Hardware and team Northern. This year, one player approached the Northern store requesting to represent the store on the league. Hassan Kassar, the community’s Northern store manager, felt very honoured by the offer and happily supported the team by donating the jerseys.

 “We are happy and honoured to have a team representing us for the first time in Rankin Inlet Senior Men’s Hockey League. They are all great players and we are proud of the effort they’ve made this season. Being able to do some activities during the pandemic has been such a gift for everyone, especially for our hockey-loving community,” said Kassar. 

The Northern team finished fourth this season with 13 points. AJ Curley, a Northern team player, was one of the outstanding players and managed to position himself in the scorers’ table.