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When John Chabot says things are getting better for hockey players from First Nations communities, you listen.

That’s because Chabot knows what he’s talking about. He is an Algonquin from the community of Kitigan Zibi — in the Outaouais region near Maniwaki — who has played in the National Hockey League and has spent a good chunk of the years since retiring from the NHL helping kids from aboriginal communities improve their hockey skills.

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Chabot, a centre, broke into the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens during the 1983-84 season, scoring a more-than-respectable 18 goals and notching 43 points in his rookie season. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins the following season and spent three years in Pittsburgh, before spending three seasons and change with the Detroit Red Wings.

He then spent a decade playing in elite leagues in Europe and, after that, coached in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and also spent a year as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders.