Brandon, Manitoba – Back in the city that launched his career, all-time Brandon Wheat King great Jordin Tootoo announced his retirement from the National Hockey League Friday afternoon.

The first Inuk player to make it to the NHL, Tootoo made the announcement during a media conference before Friday’s Western Hockey League game between the Wheat Kings and visiting Everett Silvertips at Westoba Place, where he will be honoured by both the hockey club and the City of Brandon.

The 35-year old from Rankin Inlet joined the Wheat Kings in 1999 and played four seasons in Brandon, making quite the impact both on and off the ice.

“When I came to Brandon in 1999, I didn’t think of myself as an Indigenous role model, I was just a hockey player that would fight with everything I had to make the NHL,” said Jordin.

“This community embraced me and looked beyond my background and just judged me for how I played the game. And it’s pretty special and symbolic to come full circle and be back here to announce that I have retired from the NHL.”

On the ice, “Toots” made quite the impact in Brandon. His speed, determination and physical brand of hockey quickly endeared him with western Manitoba hockey fans.

In 220 career games as a Wheat King, the Indigenous trailblazer scored 93 goals, 209 points and accumulated 874 minutes in penalties.

A third round bantam draft choice of the Wheat Kings in 1998, Tootoo is ranked third on the club’s all time list for penalty minutes and is the 11th highest scoring right-winger in franchise history. As well, he was a WHL Eastern Conference First Team All Star in 2002-03.

“Congratulations to Jordin on this special day,” says Brandon Owner / Governor Kelly McCrimmon, who served as general manager of the Wheat Kings during Tootoo’s WHL career. “He was one of the most popular players to ever wear the Wheat King uiform. He was a great player, represented the Wheat Kings as a member of Canada’s World Junior team, and was always a great ambassador for our organization. He was touched so many lives and will continue to in the next chapter of his life. We are honored to have had him for four years and he will always be a great friend.”

While he was a force on the ice, he was also one of the most respected players off it, becoming a role model throughout western Canada.Tootoo says that it has taken him a while to appreciate the significance of what he’s been able to do.

“Still to this day, it was kind of an unbelievable experience and I’m hoping that I can pave the way for future indigenous kids coming up,” he recently told Tom Gulitti of the NHL.

“The biggest thing for me is reaching out to a lot of these isolated communities where not a lot of kids have opportunities to leave home to pursue their dreams,” said Tootoo, who grew up in Nunavut, 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle. “Because home is always going to be home, and in order for you to achieve your goals in whatever profession you want to go into, at some point you’re going to have to leave home to pursue it.”

Chosen by Nashville in the fourth round (98th overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Jordin went on to play thirteen seasons in the NHL, with the Predators, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Chicago Blackhawks and had 161 points, including 65 goals in 723 career games.

“I look back and I reflect on my hockey career and the opportunities it’s given me away from the game,” he goes on to say. “Personally I didn’t think it would go this far but I am grateful for everything that’s put in front of me – it’s been a tremendous ride.”

The Wheat Kings would like to take this opportunity to thank Jordin for his outstanding contribution to hockey and to wish him and his family the very best in his future endeavors as a role model for Indigenous youth.