So, we laughed about it later on over a few beers. All Rights Reserved. McKegney, while striving to help provide black youths more opportunity, will never forget the chance given him by Lowry McKegney, 70. Tony was adopted by the McKegney family when he was an infant. McKegney spent less than two years with the Nordiques, and had several more stops around the NHL during the next several seasons. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. of 1 But on the. You get one kick at the can, as they say, in life. TM: Its wonderful. In fact, I didn't play against another Black hockey player for nearly 18 years -- when Ray Neufeld, Grant Fuhr, and I were all active in the League. tony mckegney family https://iccleveland.org/wp-content/themes/icc/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 ICC ICC https://iccleveland.org/wp-content/themes/icc/images . One of his teammates even offered to rent his apartment to Saunders, thinking he would need one since he'd be there long term. There hadnt been many blacks in the NHL when he arrived, but hopefully his talent made quite a few people color-blind. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. Showing Editorial results for sabres tony mckegney. More Tony McKegney videos. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. But I had a rink in my backyard, my own playground. However, the Bills' statement does not specify that Frazi. After playing for 15 years professionally, it was a hard transition and Im sure Ive made some mistakes and would do some things differently. Tony McKegney is a member of famous Ice Hockey list. But the homeowner's and the coach's comments were unwelcomed reminders that people were constantly viewing me through the lens of my race -- even when I just wanted to be a home renter, or a hockey player. Tony McKegney, former NHLer and ambassador for, Hockey is for Everyone, congratulates a participant during the clinic sponsored by the NHL and the. To me, there is no better example of such a player than Tony McKegney, who played 13 seasons in the NHL and was the first star of colour. From the time he was in the crib, Jonathan was obsessed with the sport, and so he followed in his father's footsteps. So, I reached out. - Connect directly with players, coaches, teams, scouts and agents (optional) You learn that what matters most is their work ethic, their commitment, their passion, their personality, maybe their sense of humor -- certainly not the way they look. A couple of weeks ago, Ron MacLean from Hockey Night in Canada gave the McKegney family a shout out during the Saturday night broadcast, recognizing McKegney as part of Black History month. It made me angry, made me sad. He was told teams were interested in trading for him, but the Nordiques didn't let him go. Anytime I faced adversity, I said, Okay, Im going to put a couple of pucks in the net today for sure. And I was just going to show everybody that I was as good or better than them. Important: An official team/league url or a team document must be provided for us to update player stats. I probably should have, and I never did that. Get the best of our NHL coverage and exclusives delivered directly to your inbox! Tony McKegney Goal vs. Toronto 12/13/80 - YouTube 0:00 / 0:44 Tony McKegney Goal vs. Toronto 12/13/80 Disengage 1.53K subscribers Subscribe 947 views 8 years ago Tony McKegney ties the game. Throughout 15 years of professional hockey, I'm lucky enough to say that there are many moments I'm proud of. McKegney was supposed to play in the WHA for the Birmingham Bulls, but the team illegally voided his deal after fans in Alabama threatened a boycott. Looking back on his incredible career and contribution, McKegney shared with me the pleasure, pain and purpose hockey brought to his life. Only once has he played in fewer than 60 of the regular seasons 80 games. These brave athletes are actively changing hockey culture for the better. The Bulls released McKegney from his contract, and he joined the Sabres as their second-round draft choice. The Montreal-born left wing was a big scorer in junior hockey, finishing with 135 points (58 goals . Just like society as a whole, the hockey community still has a lot of hard work to do. Next, select your favourite teams and leagues and well show you their latest news and scores in the My Favourites section of the home page. Sign up for EP Premium and verify your profile to access these benefits. Sorry we could not verify that email address. We only use official stats. "We just felt like other Canadian boys and wanted to play hockey.". It is the 10th NHL season for McKegney, who will be 30 on Feb. 15, and one that he would like to make his best. "I got a lot of feedback from people in Canada that they were accepted in the schoolyard or outdoor rink because they could point to me as being a person of color playing in the National Hockey League. 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. One referee, trying to break up the scuffle, grabbed Jonathan from behind. His supporters created a fan club. 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. SN: Trevor was able to persevere. That's how good he was.". Tony McKegney spoke about his experience being one of the few black players in the NHL and how the league has progressed since his playing days. If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search. There weren't many black players in the junior league at the time. Economics and demographics - there are far fewer blacks in his native Canada than in the United States - still keep blacks from following him to the pro ranks. Frequently Asked Questions about the NHL and Hockey, Subscribe to Stathead Hockey: Get your first month FREE. Buffalo Sabres Schedule, Roster, News, and Rumors | Die By The Blade, Celebrating Black History Month: Tony McKegney, Game Thread: Sabres vs. I just had this conversation with one of my former teammates, and he said, We just treated you like one of us brothers.. . Don't miss out - sign up for our newsletters! Id like to make the best of the last couple of years.. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. The judge ordered McKegney, while on probation, to complete all assessments, counselling and treatments directed by his probation supervisor to deal with issues arising from domestic. I remember I was tired when a shot from the point came my way. That's the biggest compliment for me.". Sabres Host Lightning in Saturday Matinee. Browse 82 tony mckegney stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. All rights reserved. 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. Bailey has appeared in three games with the Canucks this season and was placed on injured reserve on February 12 with an upper-body injury. He decided to sign as a free agent with the Nordiques because he felt they would give him the best opportunity to play right away plus, he would be reunited with Demers. Saunders was born in Montreal in 1956. 32) of the 1978 NHL Draft. Statistics of Tony McKegney, a hockey player from Montreal, PQ born Feb 15 1958 who was active from 1973 to 1993. 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. And between the benches, one of the guys said it would be termed as a black-on-black crime. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Numbers, however, never tell the whole story. He has no evidence, he says, but he figures race had something to do with it. I wanted to be the best hockey player from my hometown. His NHL career ended with nine games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1990-91, but he went on to play for the Canadian National Team, overseas in Italy with Varese HC and in the IHL with the San Diego Gulls before hanging up the skates in 1993. Then the Buffalo Braves were there, the basketball team. At the same time, he's disappointed that he's been excluded from conversations about the first black players in the NHL. 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. TM: I heard some stories about the tough guys like George Laraque, Peter Worrell and Donald Brashear, and apparently it was absolutely brutal for those guys in Quebec. One house seemed perfect for me and my wife, Sue. I suppressed a lot of things over the years. Like I said, numbers never tell the whole story. 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. And I still struggle with that to this day, with the trauma that I faced and went through. Approaching the All-Star break, McKegney led the club with 26 goals. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! By midseason, people started to notice. SN: When you got to the league was it a lonely existence for you? The Buffalo Sabres recently unveiled a partnership with local artist Edreys Wajed in honor of Black History Month. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. And I know they weren't alone in their thoughts. Caught off balance, his foot went flying in the air. He is not dating anyone. Wikifamouspeople has ranked Tony McKegney as of the . Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are the property of their respective owners. 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. It's not the 40 goals I scored. Tony McKegney Height, Weight & Measurements At 63 years old, Tony McKegney height is 1.85 m and Weight 91 kg. 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. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem.