“I think there is a big connection between making sculptures and soccer,” Ruben Komangapik told CanPL.ca. “It takes a lot of practice; it takes a lot of determination and a lot of heart. Sculpture is like sport, very demanding mentally, physically, spiritually … I really hope that in the future that we’ll have an Inuit soccer player maybe even win one of these awards.”

Komangapik is the artist behind the two newest Canadian Premier League awards, The Walrus for the CPL’s Defender of the Year, and The Muskox, for the league’s Players’ Player of the year.

RELATED: CPL announces new awards, 2022 voting procedures 

Here’s the story of the artist Ruben Komangapik, and how the awards came about.