Former Beaver Zach Whitecloud Returns to Bemidji a Stanley Cup Champion

It’s been six years since Zach Whitecloud was last in Bemidji, and it was a whirlwind weekend for the recent Stanley Cup champion. The former Beaver arrived on Thursday and immediately held an autograph session at the Tavern on South Shore, where he was greeted by over 150 cheering fans anxious to meet and congratulate the star on his success.

On Friday, Whitecloud attended the Galen Nagle Memorial Golf Tournament and had a chance to catch up with former coaches and teammates. It was here he had a chance to share what it was like to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup.

“It’s truly is hard to describe it,” he said. “Obviously a lot of players go through their careers not even getting close, so to be able to do that as a team and with the kind of team we had, I’m just very grateful.”

The experience is a rare one among BSU hockey players, with Joel Otto being the only other Beaver to have that honor. He won the cup back in 1989 with the Calgary Flames.

“He’s going to cherish it, enjoy it all summer,” said Otto of Whitecloud. “We talked about I wish I could have done it again so I knew what to do. But he’s talking about others and that’s important. They’ve got a good club and he’s going to be a big part of that.”

Whitecloud has left a big impression on the town of Bemidji and its hockey fans, including those who share an Indigenous background.

“He’s actually like an Indigenous hero,” said Klayton Kingbird, a student at Bemidji State University. “Ever since he got signed to the Golden Knights, a lot of my friends and family became Golden Knights fans.”

When asked what it means to have someone say that about him, Whitecloud responded, “I take a lot of pride in where I come from and my culture and my people, and to be able to have that support, it’s just really cool.”

He may be the second to win the Stanley Cup in BSU history, but he’s the first Indigenous NHL player from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation to do so.