Grandson of lacrosse legend Gaylord Powless playing at Indigenous Games finals
Powless, a Sports Hall of Fame inductee, often described as the 'Gordie Howe of lacrosse'
A tradition of excellence in sport can be found in communities across Turtle Island, and this legacy continues within the family of the late Gaylord Powless, the namesake of one of the four host arenas in Ohsweken on Six Nations territory of the Grand River during the North American Indigenous Games.
"Any rez you go to, there's a couple legends," says 2017 National Lacrosse League MVP and two-time Tewaaraton Award winner Lyle Thompson, who was joined by his two of his brothers at the arena to watch the lacrosse games this week.
Powless's own grandson, David Anderson, is playing with Team Ontario in the under-16 men's lacrosse finals on Thursday. The game, which begins at 3 p.m. ET, is being streamed live here. Lacrosse finals are being held at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena through to Friday.
Some have called Powless the Gordie Howe of lacrosse.
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When asked about Powless, Thompson said, "I think he took the game to the next level and allowed the next generation behind him to have someone to look up to, to motivate them and push them through with lacrosse and to know that there is a next level that they can play."
Gaylord and his father, Ross, are the only father-son duo ever to be inducted into the players category of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
In April 2017, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame announced that Gaylord Powless will be one of its latest inductees.
"When he was on the floor, he was like the quarterback in football — he controlled everything. He controlled the pace, he controlled the game," says Gaylord's brother, Richard Powless.
When asked what made Gaylord remarkable, his love for family and for giving back to the community came first to Richard's mind before thinking of his incredible skill.
Gaylene Powless says her dad was her hero and best friend, a man who liked to entertain, hunt and fish, and who loved the Creator's Game.
"I think my dad would think this [NAIG] is awesome," she said. "I think he would be taking in a lot of lacrosse this week … he would be proud that our community could host."
Follow along the latest NAIG action on our live blog.