Kishaun Gervais is a professional hockey player from Keeseekoose First Nation who currently plays in the ECHL and wants to prove to Indigenous youth if he can be successful they can too.
“When I was 18, my dad put it in my head that it'd be good to give back and go to different communities to speak on my experience of growing up on the reserve. I feel as a young Indigenous person who also grew up on the reserve, lived through that struggle and has had to go through the hardships that a lot of the kids do, I feel like it's more relatable. I go on to a lot of different reserves around Canada, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario. I speak on my story of growing up in Keeseekoose,” Gervais explained on the SportsCage.
“I transfer over to mental health and being there for somebody who might be struggling as well as giving them coping mechanisms so it doesn't turn into a big problem that we have in Indigenous communities, which is suicide -- I speak on suicide awareness as well. Those are my three main topics: growing up on the reserve, mental health and suicide awareness. I always close it off about being prideful of who you are and where you come from. It's one thing I feel like has been lost nowadays in our Indigenous communities, but you're starting to see more and more that a lot of people are coming up and being really successful from the reserve. I want to spark a little bit of hope and if I can influence one person in the room, I feel like I did my job.”
In Gervais' case it has been an uphill battle for him but he credits his family for helping him get to where he is today.
“I couldn't even count how many times on my fingers I wanted to give up on Peewee. Leaving the reserve to go play in Yorkton, I felt like an outcast and then you've moved full time off the reserve to go chase your dream. You really see what the real world's like. Getting cut multiple times from teams, getting put on the fourth line, having my grandpa and my family continue to push me forward and keep me going -- there's multiple times I wanted to quit,” Gervais said.
“At a young age when I did want to quit, they instilled the belief factor in my mind and the support from them was unbelievable. It helped me channel it into motivation and wanting to prove a lot of people wrong. It honestly comes down to every year I play hockey, I want to make myself happy, but I want to do it for my community Keeseekoose and I want to be able to represent them well anywhere I go.”
Last season, Gervais played for two teams in the ECHL, the Tulsa Oilers and Adirondack Thunder. Overall, he suited up in 44 games, recording 11 goals and 11 assists. The .
When it comes to his hockey idol, Gervais did not go with a known name from the NHL, instead someone close to home.
“I always think back, statistically, I shouldn't be where I am today, but with the help of my brother, Kailum -- he's a national champion with the Yorkton Terriers -- he was my idol. I had favourite hockey players growing up, Sidney Crosby was my favourite player,” Gervais said.
“My older brother Kailum was my idol, watching him play high level Junior A hockey and seeing him win championships. The way he interacted with the people on the reserve and still does today, he really taught me how to carry myself as a hockey player and to be professional. Being around him all the time when I was younger and picking up the traits that I was able to see from him, honestly, it helped me shape to be the person I am today. My grandpa, who's also my idol, him raising me. But on the hockey side, it definitely is my older brother Kailum.”
