* 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). Sign up for Stathead Hockey - first month free. The McKegney brothers (l-r), Mike, Tony, Ian and friends on their backyard rink in Sarnia, Ontario in 1962. The goal is to make stereotypes disappear by making people from all backgrounds feel welcome, celebrated, and empowered on an equal playing field. 32) of the 1978 NHL Draft. But on the. We use cookies to improve your experience. I'd been chasing that red light since I started playing hockey at 3 years old. A t-shirt with this logo is available for purchase here, with a portion of proceeds going to Breaking Barriers. He played four games with the Nordiques at the end of the 1979-80 season, the team's first season in the NHL. Tony McKegney, former NHLer and ambassador for, Hockey is for Everyone, congratulates a participant during the clinic sponsored by the NHL and the. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. The coach noticed Saunderscrying in the stands, wanting to be with John, and invited him to play, too. So, there was a lot of black athletes in town in Buffalo. If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search. Tony was adopted by the McKegney family when he was an infant. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. But I cherish everything about that goal that found my stick in the last minute of the last game of my 1987-88 season with the St. Louis Blues. As of this date, Sue is single. When sports are at their best, that's what they can do. Saunders, a right-winger, played 10 games for the Quebec Nordiques in 1979-80 and 1980-81. These brave athletes are actively changing hockey culture for the better. Tony McKegney was born on February 15, 1958. He appeared in 363 regular-season games with Buffalo, putting up 127 goals and adding 141 assists. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. At the same time, he's disappointed that he's been excluded from conversations about the first black players in the NHL. McKegney was arrested June 23 and pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree criminal contempt on July 8, according to court records. While in Minnesota, he joined the late John Mariucci and Cal Peterson to form an inner-city hockey league for youths. If my career took some pressure off of him, or anyone who looks like us, I'm very proud of that. It seemed very normal to me, and no one in our neighborhood or city really treated us any different, he said. And I know they weren't alone in their thoughts. Customize your lineup with your favourite leagues and teams. I tried to, basically, suppress a lot of those feelings back then, and I just buried a lot of things. McKegney left the NHL after 1990-91 with 639 points (320 goals, 319 assists). Get access to our unique free agency lists and many more premium features. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. And my teammates treated me like I was not any different than anybody. (Tony McKegney, the fourth black player, debuted in 1978). Statistics of Tony McKegney, a hockey player from Montreal, PQ born Feb 15 1958 who was active from 1973 to 1993. Obviously, I know Im on the back 9 - if you want to compare it to golf. But he was reassigned to the minors. "I literally got through the game, went into this closet, and I just cried. McKegney, while striving to help provide black youths more opportunity, will never forget the chance given him by Lowry McKegney, 70. And I still struggle with that to this day, with the trauma that I faced and went through. Data Provided By SN: Given what you went through in your career, does it make it tougher to hear stories of the abuse faced by players who came after you? {{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. Things just felt right that year. They were there for me for the most part. However, the team now had a new farm team, the Fredericton Express, and the organization wanted Saunders to play there. Then he was dealt to the Nordiques in a massive swap involving Quebecs Real Cloutier. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Its just something I never envisioned when I was growing up seeing five black hockey players playing in the same game. The Montreal-born left wing was a big scorer in junior hockey, finishing with 135 points (58 goals, 77 assists) in 66 games with Kingston of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League in 1976-77 and 92 points (43 goals, 49 assists) in 55 games the following season, when he also played for Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship. I ignored that coach, of course. Enter your email address to get a new one. He was released on his own recognizance by City Court. Taking into account various assets, Sue's net worth is greater than $50,000 - $99,999; and makes between $20 - 29,999 a year. Overall, his NHL career saw him appear in 912 regular season games and accrue 639 points. People weren't used to seeing a Black player succeed on the ice. Sorry we could not verify that email address. In fact, I think their parents were thinking about saying, Look, why dont you just go play soccer, because it was so bad as far as the remarks. If you said Tony McKegney, you are correct. Sabres Send Asplund to Nashville for 7th Rounder, 2023 NHL Trade Deadline: Open Thread & How To Watch. NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved. He jumped to the AHL's Hershey. - Improve your search rank Please contact us. McKegney was selected 32nd overall in 1978 after scoring 92 points with the Kingston Canadians. Instead, he was drafted 32nd-overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 1978 and went on to score over 320 goals. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. There hadnt been many blacks in the NHL when he arrived, but hopefully his talent made quite a few people color-blind. SN: When you were playing hockey as youngster, there werent many black faces for you to see when you watched NHL games on Saturday nights. "One of the nicest things I hear from young people is they felt because I was there playing they felt they could be accepted in hockey," McKegney told The Buffalo News in 2017. While in Fredericton, he says the coach told him he may play a couple dozen games at the NHL level, but his main role would be to tutor the other players. 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. Former NHL forward Tony McKegney has been charged with impaired driving on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. At age 5, I started playing organized hockey. 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. TONY MCKEGNEY: I was adopted when I was 18 months old and I moved [in with my adoptive family]. Caught off balance, his foot went flying in the air. Thats basically what got me where I am today., Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Did that ever dissuade you at all from getting into the game? Enter your email below and we'll send you another email. (Born onFebruary 15, 1958) -- Tony McKegney was something of a pioneer in the world of hockey. Draft: Buffalo, 2nd round (32nd overall), 1978 NHL Amateur. Oilers' Mike Green out three to four weeks with knee injury, Islanders re-assign Josh Ho-Sang to Blues' AHL affiliate. I suppressed a lot of things over the years. Then the Buffalo Braves were there, the basketball team. We didn't recognize that password reset code. ST. LOUIS (AP) _ If not for an early twist of fate, Tony McKegney would probably not be plying his talents in a sport that is essentially all white. McKegney needed less than a season to join Buffalo during the 1978-79 campaign. Some hockey portraits on this site are licensed from Images on Ice, Hockeys Photo Agency. My first time playing against another black hockey player was probably my third year in the NHL, Grant Fuhr and Ray Neufeld. It barely made it over the line. Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments. 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. Of course, sports will never make us color blind, and colorblindness is not the goal. It brought back some ghosts and nightmares, memories for me, which I hadnt thought about in a while. "I think for us growing and trying to make it into the NHL, guys like [Bernie], who help you and calm you at the right time, it was huge.". John Kreiser, Stanley Cup Final | Avalanche vs. After leaving the NHL, he had a long, successful career in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. I wanted to be as good as my brothers. Halls contract with the Bills had expired, although left unanswered is whether the team made an effort to retain him or Hall simply was rea. Never fully comfortable: Maple Leafs Kerfoot and the trade he dodged, Canucks commit to re-tooling over re-building with Hronek addition, On a career heater, Nugent-Hopkins four-point night helps Oilers ground Jets. That's the biggest compliment for me.". Tony McKegney was born in Montreal, Canada. Tony McKegney is a well known Ice Hockey. More Tony McKegney videos. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Tony was born on February 15, 1958 in Montreal, Quebec.. Tony is one of the famous and trending celeb who is popular for being a Ice Hockey. And the NHL has done a great job with helping. But hockey was a window of opportunity because we saw people from our area making it. SN: How has it impacted you as youve moved on from the game? 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. It appears the Sabres have made a few late deals. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. Tony McKegney is an Ice Hockey Player who was born on February 15, 1958 in Canada. 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. 6-0 , 200lb (183cm, 90kg) Born: February 15 , 1958 (Age: 64-344d) in Montreal, Quebec ca. Years later, I found out I was one of the reasons why. McKegney would remain with the Sabres through the 1982-83 season before enjoying a lengthy NHL career that took him across the United States and into Canada. My mindset was focused on maintaining a consistent level of play to succeed in the National Hockey League. I guess, if you could say, the guy thats done the best is probably Grant Fuhr, McKegney said of the Edmonton goalie. I didnt talk to many people about it. I take my hat off to Grant. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. But on the ice, Saunders was still alone. He jumped to the AHLs Hershey Bears and then the Sabres, making his NHL debut in the 1978-79 season. (OHL). Until we get rinks in the inner (American) cities, I dont think thats going to change.. I always loved the game, but I didn't see myself reflected in it. It made me angry, made me sad. Height, Weight & Physical Stats: Tony McKegney is 6 feet 1 inches tall and weight 90.7 kilograms. I pride myself in being maybe the first black player to play consistently in the league, McKegney said. 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. Boards and the whole thing. Because you never forget scoring 40 in one year. 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. You sort of never felt like you were different. SN: Trevor was able to persevere. During my career, I know I tried my hardest not to think about them at all. Do you have a sports website? It was a personal best for me -- the first and only time I'd join the NHL's 40-goal club. He says he has moved on. But I think sports probably helped a lot, because we were known as athletes and so forth. They're too neat; too objective. TM: I knew John because we were teammates, we were roommates, and it seemed out of character for him. He said, Just turn on the red light, which means scoring a goal. All rights reserved. Check out the Black Girl Hockey Club, a non-profit organization that focuses on making hockey more inclusive for Black women, their family, friends and allies. Just like society as a whole, the hockey community still has a lot of hard work to do. One was Saunders. SN: Trevor Daley went through a difficult, racially insensitive experience with John Vanbiesbrouck. - EP Contact Book listing of your profile (optional) Continue reading to discover who is Tony McKegney. There were three future Hall of Famers who made us all better. There isnt enough recent news in your lineup. For more, check out this Q&A with McKegney & Sportsnet: While its we celebrate the historic achievements of Black players throughout Sabres history, its equally important to celebrate the Black players in the NHL today, including several with current or former ties to the Buffalo Sabres organization. TM: I had several concussions, so thats not been a good scenario for me. You have permission to edit this article. "I was just this shy, quiet kid in Chteauguay. Enter Search Term. When the last road trip started, I thought about how meaningful it would be to end the season with a goal total that was a round number. "It was just time. - Ability to add additional data to your career profile: Videos, Images, Social Media, Referrals, Fitness Testing Results and much more! Akim Aliu hasnt had the same ability to bounce back from his difficult treatment in the game. Sabres Memories is presented by BCBSWNY. "They always came up with their hardest stuff, their elbows and what-not, and tried to punish me.". Would you like to create an account so you can see these Favourites on your other devices too? Hockey players like Akim Aliu, Mark Fraser, and Matt Dumba are just a few of the guys using their voice in meaningful ways. Highlighting Black players throughout Buffalo Sabres history. *I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time. Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. 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. From the time he was in the crib, Jonathan was obsessed with the sport, and so he followed in his father's footsteps. of 1 If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search. Of course, I also thought about the bonus clause in my contract, which promised $15,000 if I happened to score 40 goals (that was a lot of money in those days). Bailey, who is biracial, currently plays for the Vancouver Canucks and is in his second season with the organization. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. As a teenager he played Jr. 'B' hockey in Sarnia. And my brother was four years older than me and and took a lot more abuse than I did. 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. Hes won Stanley Cups.. The Bulls released McKegney from his contract, and he joined the Sabres as their second-round draft choice. Get the best of our NHL coverage and exclusives delivered directly to your inbox! Jarrett won the scoring title and says he couldn't have done it without Saunders at his side. Saunders was born in Montreal in 1956. By checking this box, I agree to the terms of service and privacy policy of Rogers Media. He believes he could have had a 10-year career in the NHL if he had been given a proper shot. 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. Looking back on his incredible career and contribution, McKegney shared with me the pleasure, pain and purpose hockey brought to his life. Tony McKegney (r.) with brothers Mike (l.) and Steve in front of their house in Sarnia, Ontario in 1970. Complete record of every goal scored or assisted by the player. Keep reading with unlimited digital access. So what does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week? So I found myself focused on a number, 40, throughout the last stretch of games. An error has occurred while trying to update your details. It's something that most Black players at the time trained themselves to do, even though we shouldn't have needed to. McKegney scored 37 goals in 1980-81. Last seen in the 1992-1993 season with the San Diego Gulls (IHL). It's a big deal that Grant, Willie, and now Jarome have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. / Special to NHL.com, Stanley Cup Final | Avalanche vs. I just pushed the stereotypes to the background and kept hockey in the forefront. TM: I just would tell them to persevere. Tony McKegney He became a standout in hockey while playing junior, scoring 135 points in 66 games in 1976-77. Lightning | Game 61, Sabres Acquire Jordan Greenway, Austin Strand. 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. 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. Sue maintains relationships with many people -- family, friends, associates, & neighbors -- including Daniel Mckegney, Daniel Mckegney, Marilynn Habberfie, Roger Habberfield and Tony Mckegney. Previously, in the early '80s, one of my team's assistant coaches advised me to start dating a Black woman instead of Sue for similarly ignorant and bigoted reasons. McKegney still does alumni work for the Sabres and Red Wings. 710K subscribers Tony McKegney is one of the pioneers of breaking the colour barrier within the NHL. Tony McKegney (front, second from r.) and his Sarnia Bees teammates of the Western Ontario Junior B Hockey League in 1973. As part of the NHL's celebration of Black History Month, NHL.com will highlight great moments and important figures in black hockey history each day throughout February. That's how good he was.". 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. 20 Sabres Tony Mckegney Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images All News Archival Browse 20 sabres tony mckegney stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. 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. - Premium Design on your profile page (optional) One house seemed perfect for me and my wife, Sue. 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.