Indian Horse

Hockey continues to push Saul into the white man’s world. When he is invited to play on the town’s midget players team, Saul expresses his discomfort in joining their game for the first time. “‘It feels different,’” he says, “‘Like they expect me to be something that I don’t know how to be’” (88). This is Saul’s first vocalization of his dislike of the white players’ version of the game. This first experience playing on a white team foreshadows his eventual adaption of the persona of the “Rampaging Redskin” as he comes to let his rage take over. For now, though, Saul simply feels a sense of fear he can’t pinpoint.

Chapter 23 is also where he first receives the advice from the midget team coach, Levi, to “‘Always keep your stick on the ice and always keep your legs moving’” (89). While meant to be taken literally here, that same advice is echoed metaphorically toward the end of the book, in chapter 52, by Fred Kelly, who is advising him on how to come to terms with his traumatic childhood.

Saul chooses 13 as his jersey number in Chapter 23, which sticks with him throughout the novel. Though he says he chooses it “because no one else wanted it” (89), it also clearly carries the connotation of marking him as unlucky. Though he plays brilliantly, his unfortunate past is stamped onto him, even during the game that’s meant to offer him an escape from his childhood unpleasantness.

Chapter 23 is also where Saul first says that the white players ‘think it’s their game’ (92) after he is barred from continuing to play with them.

In Chapter 24, Saul first meets Fred Kelly and is offered the opportunity to play in the Indigenous tournaments. Fred offers Saul’s first opportunity to reconcile his Indigenous identity and love of hockey outside of St. Jerome’s. Living with the Kellys represents Saul’s first shot at ‘A real home’ (95).

Father Quinney agrees to let Saul go because he believes that his talent is a God-given gift. Much like Father Leboutilier, who says that hockey is ‘God’s game’ (92), Father Quinney equates Saul’s talent with his Christian God, while Saul repeatedly implies that much of his skill is derived from the ability to see how plays will work out and how players will move—his “vision.” Since the beginning of the book, Saul has labeled this vision as an extension of the old ways—and central to his Indigenous, rather than Christian, values.

Once with the Moose, Saul sees how Indigenous identity and a passion for hockey can mix. Whereas he is out of place on white teams, on the Moose, his Indigenous identity feeds into his talent. Saul says: “We came from a nation of warriors, and the sudden flinging down of sticks and gloves, the wild punches and wrestling were extensions of that identity” (110). And though they are denied the trappings of hockey (benches, indoor arenas, scoreboards), the sense of community their version of the game creates is unparalleled. The team is housed with families who are proud to have them, and the crowds are comprised on “the hardiest and most devoted fans you could ever wish for” (110). On the Moose, Saul is able to feel what it is to play for the joy of it, as an extension of himself rather than an escape from his pain.

It’s while playing with the Moose that Father Leboutilier unexpectedly shows up. In telling Saul that he’s free, he’s actually representing how Saul’s past will continue to haunt him, in this case literally. Just as he’s in his most comfortable and accomplished position, a piece of the hell of Jerome’s comes to tell him he’s free, but remind him that he’s not yet free of himself and his memories.