The sport that Saunders loved so much, the sport he says shaped him into the person he has become, has also broken his heart many times. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. McKegney had been expected to sign with Birmingham of the World Hockey Association, but the deal fell through and he was taken by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round (No. So Bassin gave him that chance. 'I loved the game, but the game didn't love me': How hockey shaped one of NHL's first black players on and off the ice | CBC News Loaded. More Tony McKegney videos. He said, Just turn on the red light, which means scoring a goal. And it wasn't hard to find a different place to live in St. Louis, which is a wonderful city that I've always enjoyed. So I found myself focused on a number, 40, throughout the last stretch of games. He has no evidence, he says, but he figures race had something to do with it. We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. I don't talk much about the taunts and racial slurs I faced in youth and minor hockey. Why did you feel like that was necessary? So, we laughed about it later on over a few beers. McKegney, a Montreal native who was raised in Sarnia by his adoptive family, was drafted by the Sabres with the 32nd overall pick in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. McKegney spent less than two years with the Nordiques, and had several more stops around the NHL during the next several seasons. The Bulls released McKegney from his contract, and he joined the Sabres as their second-round draft choice. Browse 82 tony mckegney stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. It was wintertime and my dad had floodlights out there. Tony played for the Buffalo Sabres for 5 years until June 8, 1983 when he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques along with Andre Savard, Jean-Francois Sauve and Buffalo's third-round choice in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Real Cloutier and Quebec's first-round pick in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. They were playing Ottawa and there were five black players in the game on the two teams combined. The subtext of the situation was clear: Because I'm a Black man, there were certain things the homeowner felt like I couldn't or shouldn't do. He stayed through 1983 and was a regular almost all of the time. Complete player biography and stats. I remember the reporter asking me about growing up in a town where there were only two Black families among 50,000 people. I take my hat off to Grant. So I did the only thing I could do: I focused on perseverance. Sorry we could not verify that email address. Saunders was part of a wave of black players who debuted after Willie O'Ree became the first black player in the National Hockey League in 1958. It's also available for football, basketball and baseball. SN: Trevor was able to persevere. It's like a catch-22.". And there was a ton of it, ugly stuff. There weren't many black players in the junior league at the time. Stay tuned to Die By the Blade over the course of the month as we continue to highlight Black players in Buffalo Sabres history. Saunders says Demers is one of the people who taught him the work ethic and discipline that carried him until he lost his enthusiasm for the game. He was assigned to the Syracuse Firebirds, one of the Nordiques' farm teams, where he became a fan favourite. Wikifamouspeople has ranked Tony McKegney as of the . 1978 round 2 #32 overall by Buffalo Sabres, OMJHL That's how good he was.". My mindset was focused on maintaining a consistent level of play to succeed in the National Hockey League. Get the best of our NHL coverage and exclusives delivered directly to your inbox! Subscribe to Stathead Hockey: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Hockey Reference Database. And my brother was four years older than me and and took a lot more abuse than I did. Unlimited access for the whole family until Feb 21. Do you have a sports website? To see your localized preferences, please enable geolocation services in your browser settings. It was my 10th season in the League, and I'd gotten more comfortable over time. When sports are at their best, that's what they can do. Following his time in Buffalo, he spent two seasons with the Quebec Nordiques, then made stops in Minnesota (North Stars), New York (Rangers), St. Louis and Detroit before finding his way back to Quebec. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. We had a hockey rink, actually, in our back yard that my parents made each year.. The focus was just on playing hockey. I was the second to be adopted, McKegney, a St. Louis Blues forward, said of the white family in Sarnia, Ontario, he became part of before he was 1 year old. We celebrate Willie ORee, the first black player in the NHL, and maybe mention Mike Marson, who was the second, then the conversation shifts all the way to the unprecedented diversity we see in the game today. Still, I'd been thinking about that particular goal mark for a while. Want to more about Him? Born 1958-02-15 in Montral, Quebec. So what does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week? He was coaching the Pickering Panthers, a Junior B team, when he suspended four players for breaking a rule and got four replacements from a lower-level team. McKegney recalls no special obstacles for him or his two adoptive brothers, who are also black, as they were growing up with a racially mixed family in a city of 50,000. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, City mourns Buffalo firefighter Jason Arno as investigation into fatal fire launches, Buffalo firefighter makes 'ultimate sacrifice' in blaze that may have sparked backdraft, Paula's Donuts to move Clarence store that faced backlash for tax breaks to Amherst, Vandal damages 'brokenhearted' Russell Salvatore's tribute park in Lancaster, Chad Hall's departure from Buffalo Bills to Jaguars remains a bit of a mystery. Taking into account various assets, Sue's net worth is greater than $50,000 - $99,999; and makes between $20 - 29,999 a year. Tony McKegney was born on February 15, 1958. Saunders was sent back to the minors, without any explanation. He went to New Brunswick, feeling discouraged but not ready to give up. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Early Life and Family: Education: Tony McKegney Net Worth: He was following in the footsteps of his older brother Ian, who had been a star with the Sarnia Legionnaires before moving on to the pros. [RELATED: Black History Month coverage |Hockey Is For Everyone coverage]. Hockey players like Akim Aliu, Mark Fraser, and Matt Dumba are just a few of the guys using their voice in meaningful ways. I just pushed the stereotypes to the background and kept hockey in the forefront. Enter Search Term. The Buffalo native was drafted by the Sabres 52nd overall in 2013 and began his pro career with the Sabres and Amerks. After playing in 64 games for the Rangers, Tony was traded to the St. Louis Blues on May 28, 1987 along with Rob Whistle in exchange for Bruce Bell and future considerations. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. Playing hockey at a high level is difficult enough without navigating the pressures of racism in society or figuring out how to respond to the supposed "fan" with a sign that says, "McKegney, grab a basketball" behind the Zamboni entrance. In Tony's second stint in Quebec, he played in 98 games for the team until January 29, 1991 when he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Jacques Cloutier. He is to appear in court in Belleville, Ontario, on May 18. From the time he was in the crib, Jonathan was obsessed with the sport, and so he followed in his father's footsteps. Don't miss out - sign up for our newsletters! {* traditionalSignIn_signInButton *}, Comment and participate in our online community. Most recently in the IHL with San Diego Gulls. "People just forget me because I didn't play. Most historical data provided by Dan Diamond and Associates. You sort of never felt like you were different. He sat down with Donnovan Bennett to discuss the struggles, success and lessons that came. / Special to NHL.com, Stanley Cup Final | Avalanche vs. All Rights Reserved. It seemed very normal to me, and no one in our neighborhood or city really treated us any different, he said. His first encounter with racism happened while he was playing junior hockey after his family moved to Ajax, Ont., during his senior year of high school. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). NHL Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Saunders was a shy, quiet kid with a remarkable work ethic, Bassin recalls. SN: What were the conversations like with your parents about it? Then the Buffalo Braves were there, the basketball team. Numbers, however, never tell the whole story. He became a standout in hockey while playing junior, scoring 135 points in 66 games in 1976-77. In February 1988, I was interviewed for an article called "Tony McKegney Makes His Mark in the NHL," where I talked about how the season was going and importance of role models. Before Jarome was an NHL superstar and represented Canada in three Olympics, he was just like every other Canadian kid playing ball hockey in the school yard -- except he stood out for looking different than the 'typical' hockey player. Lightning | Game 61, Sabres Acquire Jordan Greenway, Austin Strand. Tony McKegney's birthday is on 15-Feb-1958 and was born on Saturday. The year after he graduated, he had offers from a few teams. Or write about sports? You get to keep that mask on and Im out there for everybody to see. So, I told Grant, jokingly, that I was envious of him. Relatives: Brother Ian McKegney. Another referee determined he made a kicking motion and gave him a match penalty. I always said that the game is tough enough as it is just trying to survive and make it outside of having that stuff on the sidelines. Its just something I never envisioned when I was growing up seeing five black hockey players playing in the same game. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Contents 1 Playing Career 2 Post-Playing Career 3 Career Statistics 4 Accolades 5 Personal Life Playing Career He believes the colour of his skin is part of the reason he didn't. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are the property of their respective owners. But hockey was a window of opportunity because we saw people from our area making it. Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane on salary cap, Gabe Davis expectations, Damar Hamlin update and more, Sabres place Alex Tuch on injured reserve; top-line winger's status is uncertain, Owner of Buffalo CPA firm denies claims of financial, workplace wrongdoing, Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier to take year off from coaching, Yellow Corp. to close two trucking terminals, Sabres acquire defenseman Riley Stillman from Vancouver for prospect Josh Bloom, 14 police agencies break up fights outside Boulevard Mall, Democrats explore blue-collar struggles as brand is 'damaged', Erie County comptroller calls for state to investigate Forest Lawn, Oklahoma RB Eric Gray at the NFL scouting combine, Ohio State C Luke Wypler speaks at the NFL scouting combine, UB players mom sings stirring rendition of national anthem on senior night, Serena Williams says her daughter doesn't like playing tennis. During his first stint in Quebec, he played for the team until December 14, 1984 when he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars along with Bo Berglund in exchange for Brad Maxwell and Brent Ashton. We present them here for purely educational purposes. And between the benches, one of the guys said it would be termed as a black-on-black crime. But he was reassigned to the minors. Other than that, I hadnt played against another black hockey player my whole life. Jonathan freaked out. At the age of 20, Tony signed a contract with the now defunct World Hockey Associations (WHA) team in Birmingham, Alabama only to see the owner illegally renege on the deal after fans threatened to boycott the team for having added a black player to its roster. He jumped to the AHL's Hershey. Bassin knew Saunders was getting racist taunts, but said Saunders always handled it in stride and never let it get to him. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. NHL 2023. SN: How has it impacted you as youve moved on from the game? Tony was adopted by the McKegney family when he was an infant. I probably should have, and I never did that. Right before he went to college, Mike Marson and Bill Riley, the second and third black men in the NHL, made their debuts. Today, Tony McKegney, the first Black player to score 40 goals in an NHL season, tells his story of overcoming racial bias and serving as inspiration for Jarome Iginla, the only other Black player to hit the 40-goal milestone. Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments. People had a certain amount of respect for us athletically.". But sometimes it comes back to haunt you. 710K subscribers Tony McKegney is one of the pioneers of breaking the colour barrier within the NHL. I was too timid to talk to a girl. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? I feel that I had a pretty good upbringing. Fast forward to 1987-88, and my performance in the NHL was helping to prove the stereotypes wrong. Other blacks are forward Dirk Graham of the Minnesota North Stars, goaltender Eldon Pokey Reddick and forward Paul Neufeld of the Winnipeg Jets. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 4:33AM. INDIANAPOLIS Along with the change in defensive coordinator with Leslie Frazier deciding to "take a step back," Bills General Manager Brando, The Buffalo Sabres' mostly injury-free season at forward took a decidedly darker turn Saturday night when the club placed top-line right winge, Frazier, who turns 64 in April, plans to return to coaching in 2024, the Bills said. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. I went to [Daley] and said, Hey, how are you doing and how are you feeling? I just wanted to reach out and say, Been there, just keep at it. Sabres Send Asplund to Nashville for 7th Rounder, 2023 NHL Trade Deadline: Open Thread & How To Watch. Mike Harrington: His team looks good, even without Alex Tuch. There is one number, though, that says a lot about the season I had in 1987-88. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Customize your lineup with your favourite leagues and teams. After completing the 1990-91 season with the Chicago Blackhawks, Tony would spend a season in Italy with HC Varese as well as three games with the Canadian National Team. But I think sports probably helped a lot, because we were known as athletes and so forth. That year, he also played against a team from Birmingham, Ala. His first game there, team executives told him he might be shot, so he went into the arena with extra protection. I know there werent very many [black players]. As a teenager he played Jr. 'B' hockey in Sarnia.