The North Central Alberta Baseball League (NCABL) is preparing for a road trip to participate in a six-game showcase series in Goodfish Lake. This event, known as the NCABL Showcase, will coincide with the community’s 150th anniversary celebrations of the signing of Treaty 6, taking place on July 4 and 5 . Founded in 1968, the NCABL is a Senior AA league. Five of the league’s six teams will take part in the event, including the Barrhead Orioles and the Westlock Warriors. The only team not participating will be the Legal Primeaus. NCABL Commissioner Paul Riopel mentioned that several months ago, the community requested the NCABL to organize a baseball showcase in conjunction with its event. He emphasized that the games in the showcase will be official NCABL games, meaning the results will count towards the teams’ playoff standings and individual statistics. Additionally, the NCABL will hold two exhibition games featuring teams made up of local players.
Throughout the league’s history, the NCABL has included teams from various First Nations communities, such as the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation Braves. The Braves participated in the NCABL during the 1970s and 1980s, while the Alexander First Nation fielded a team for two or three years in the 1990s. In the early 2000s, Riopel also brought in the Lac La Biche Loggers, a team that played in the NCABL for a brief period and included several players from Saddle Lake, Goldfish Lake, and other First Nations communities in the region. Furthermore, Riopel announced that the NCABL recently named the Manager of the Year Award after long-time player, coach, and manager Bob Kootenay, who is of Cree descent.
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