Clarence Iron appeared on APTN where he announced the first NHL game in Cree. (APTN/Facebook)

By Derek Cornet

NHL Cree Broadcast

‘A big night for Canada:’ Iron reflects on first NHL broadcast in Cree

Mar 26, 2019 | 5:01 PM

Clarence Iron believes he woke up a nation after he called an NHL game in the Plains Cree language Sunday on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).

“We still speak Cree out here in Canoe Lake and in Pinehouse, and also in the Northwest,” Iron said. “But the ones in the South, we woke them up. It’s good that they heard the Cree language.”

Iron travelled to Winnipeg for the occasion, where he broadcasted live from a studio. The game he called was the Carolina Hurricanes against the Montreal Canadiens, and was made possible through a partnership between Sportsnet and APTN. The networks stated the broadcast marked the first time an NHL game has aired on television in Cree.

While calling the game, Iron stated there were some difficulties compared to announcing at the game itself. The specialized studio made it seem like he was observing in-person, but he added the camera followed the puck closely and he didn’t have a view of what was happening at the bench most of the time.

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“You don’t know what happening behind the play unless they bring out the frame of the camera,” Iron said. “When they [brought] it out, then you get to see the whole rink and you get to see what happening. The sound is just like you’re right in the game.”

Iron was selected to do the play-by-play after friends of his urged him to apply. He has been calling hockey games for many years, but stated he never announced any games entirely in Cree other than those in minor hockey. At tournaments and other events, Iron would call some games in Cree but never more than five minutes at a time.

“It was a big night for Canada,” he said.

La Ronge resident Glenn Lafleur was one hockey fan who tuned in for the special broadcast by Iron. He stated it gave him a sense of pride to listen to the NHL game in Cree. Even for those who don’t understand the language themselves, he said non-speakers should have been able to follow along as Iron’s announcing included a lot of excitement.

Lafleur noted Iron’s translation of the game was understandable and he was impressed by the amount of details in the play-by-play. He could hear the passion in Iron’s voice, Lafleur added, which enhanced the delivery of the program.

“We need more of this type of positive exposure with the Cree language in the future,” he said. “Hopefully, in the future, we can have more games that are translated into Cree.”

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno