Zach Whitecloud with the Stanley Cup - Video Courtesy of Scott Taylor On Wednesday, the Stanley Cup made its way to Sioux Valley Dakota Nation for an all-encompassing championship celebration fit for one of the community's best representatives and spokesmen, Zach Whitecloud. Whitecloud - who grew up on the reserve and spent his formative years playing within Brandon, Manitoba's minor hockey program - earlier this season dealt with racist remarks towards his last name. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/winnipeg-jets/news/zach-whitecloud-i-am-incredibly-proud-of-my-culture-everyone-makes-mistakes] He handled the incident with grace and let his response serve as a reminder to others within his community [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/winnipeg-jets/news/zach-whitecloud-i-am-incredibly-proud-of-my-culture-everyone-makes-mistakes] on how to deal with uneducated remarks. Whitecloud later went on to win the Stanley Cup with Vegas and earned his day with the Cup, to which a stop at SVDN was a must. He arrived in a horse-drawn carriage, while a drum circle took place under the stage set by tipis and pow-wow dancers. His indigenous heritage played a significant role in the celebration, while the Vegas flair also worked its way into the event, as dancers dressed in the Golden Knights black and gold colour scheme pranced around the outdoor venue. And to top it off, those in attendance were given the option of eating freshly prepared bannock as hockey's greatest prize made its way around the crowd before Whitecloud and his travelling party signed autographs and posed for pictures with the Cup. A full gallery of photos by James Carey Lauder can be found before: [gallery ids="2123,2124,2125,2126,2127,2128,2129,2130,2131,2132,2133,2134,2135"] With Golden Knights' GM Kelly McCrimmon previously hosting an event in Brandon, Brett Howden bringing the Cup to Oakbank, Mark Stone doing a private function in Headingley, and Keegan Kolesar spending his day with the cup in Winnipeg on Tuesday, Wednesday was Whitecloud's to do as he pleased with the mug - an NHL tradition standing the test of time. With just over $5.2 million in career earnings to his name, Whitecloud is on the books for another five seasons at $2.75 million per. He had five goals, 12 points and 41 penalty minutes in 59 games in a top-four role for the Golden Knights in 2022-23. The 26-year-old added another two goals and eight points in his 22 postseason games for Vegas. He has suited up in 247 total NHL contests. Prior to heading to the NCAA's Bemidji State University in 2016, Whitecloud played two seasons with the Manitoba Junior Hockey League's Virden Oil Capitals.
