Family announced Tuesday the death of former Moose Jaw Canucks star Fred Sasakamoose in Saskatoon hospital at the age of 86. 

Sasakamoose died from what is believed to be complications of COVID-19.  

Taken from his home on the Ahtahkakoop First Nation at a young age and placed in a residential school in Duck Lake, Sasakamoose wound up as a teenager in Moose Jaw playing for the Canucks where we eventually became a 30-goal scorer. Sasakamoose played from 1950 to 1954 with the Canucks before an 11 game stint with the Chicago Blackhawks as a teenager. 

After his playing career was over, he worked his life to develop sports opportunities for Indigenous youth, earning a nod as a member of the Order of Canada in 2018. 

Sasakamoose has been inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, Saskatchewan First Nations Sports Hall of Fame, the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame, the Meadow Lake Wall of Fame, the FSIN Circle of Honour and the Canadian Native Hockey Hall of Fame.

He was also honoured in Caronport at Briercrest College in 2016 for the first Restoration Cup during Aboriginal Awareness Week.