Tootoo train flies Canadian North

The Norterra Group of Companies, which includes Canadian North and Northern Transportation Company Ltd., announced this week that it has hired hockey star Jordin Tootoo to serve as its official spokesperson.

Tootoo, a right-winger with the Brandon Wheat Kings, was drafted to the NHL as a fourth-round draft pick by the Nashville Predators.

He will make public appearances for the company, signing autographs at trade shows and community events, as his hockey schedule allows, said Carmen Loberg, the president of Norterra.

Loberg was prompted to hire Tootoo after he saw the Rankin Inlet native being interviewed on TV after the World Junior Championships in Halifax.

“He did a fairly long interview early one morning, and don’t normally have a TV on in the morning but whatever hotel I was at I put the TV on to see what was going on. He was there doing a spectacular job of chatting with the interviewer, and even started pushing his Team Tootoo products, his bobblehead dolls and his caribou jerky,” Loberg said in an interview.

He added that Norterra will help promote Tootoo’s products, including jerseys and ball caps with the Team Tootoo logo.