from Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News,

Their ancestors helped develop the game centuries ago. There have been Indians in the NHL for 60 years.

But not until today will two Natives meet as head coaches in the NHL.

They are First Nations men, to be precise; that is the correct nomenclature in Canada. Sabres coach Ted Nolan is an Ojibwe from Ontario. Flyers coach Craig Berube is part Cree, and from Alberta.

"It's huge," Nolan said upon his arrival in Philadelphia yesterday. "The significance of it is not really what it means to me, or Craig Berube, but what it means when you think of what our ancestors went through."

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