He retired from the NHL in 1991 with 320 goals and 639 points. McKegney was born in Montreal, but was adopted by a white family in Sarnia, Ont. My mindset was focused on maintaining a consistent level of play to succeed in the National Hockey League. Hockey made me gave me all the confidence in the world.". 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. Saunders was sent back to the minors, without any explanation. The Buffalo Sabres recently unveiled a partnership with local artist Edreys Wajed in honor of Black History Month. Pioneers like Willie O'Ree, Angela James and Grant Fuhr will be featured. Another referee determined he made a kicking motion and gave him a match penalty. A centre, he said the way they clicked on the ice was as though they'd been playing together forever. 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. After scoring 36 goals for the Sabres in 1982-83, McKegney was traded to the Quebec Nordiques. Want to more about Him? I remember the dedication that my parents put into it when we were younger, driving us to rinks at 7 in the morning, he said. He talked about him, his brother Ian, and his mother who lives in Kincardine. Dating & Relationship status He is currently single. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. "I was just this shy, quiet kid in Chteauguay. The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2023. Welcome to NHL.com, the official site of the National Hockey League, Bienvenue LNH.com , le site officiel de la Ligue nationale de hockey, Tervetuloa NHL:n viralliselle nettisivustolle NHL.comiin, Vlkommen till NHL.com, NHL:s officiella web-sida, Vtejte na NHL.com, oficilnch strnkch National Hockey League, Vitajte na NHL.com, oficilnych strnkach National Hockey League, Willkommen auf NHL.com, der offiziellen Seite der National Hockey League, Bienvenido a NHL.com, el sitio oficial de la National Hockey League. 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. Even reporters, players were coming up to me saying, 'What's going on, Bernie?'". Things just felt right that year. It's the number of Black players who have ever scored 40 goals in an NHL season. Buy his book. 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. Overall, his NHL career saw him appear in 912 regular season games and accrue 639 points. That is a great start and I am looking forward to rooting for the Black players drafted in the past few years who are going to carry on this legacy. Tony McKegney. Relatives: Brother Ian McKegney. He signed with the Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association, but that news generated a great deal of hate mail, etc., in the South. And obviously we watched the games, the Leafs and the Red Wings on TV back in the six-team league. - EP Contact Book listing of your profile (optional) Bernie Saunders played 10 games for the Quebec Nordiques, but he and others say his career would have been longer if he wasnt black. I didnt talk to many people about it. When Saunderswas still a teenager, the family moved back to Quebec, to Chteauguay a town on Montreal's South Shore with a strong hockey tradition. * Some data is missing to provide a correct summary. Height, Weight & Physical Stats: Tony McKegney is 6 feet 1 inches tall and weight 90.7 kilograms. (OHL). NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. Highlighting Black players throughout Buffalo Sabres history. Just like society as a whole, the hockey community still has a lot of hard work to do. Taking into account various assets, Sue's net worth is greater than $50,000 - $99,999; and makes between $20 - 29,999 a year. One was Saunders. 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. He jumped to the AHLs Hershey Bears and then the Sabres, making his NHL debut in the 1978-79 season. Go inside the Hockey Reference Database. 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. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. As a teenager he played Jr. 'B' hockey in Sarnia. McKegney still does alumni work for the Sabres and Red Wings. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! They're too neat; too objective. I feel for them all and support them unequivocally. 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. McKegney spent less than two years with the Nordiques, and had several more stops around the NHL during the next several seasons. Stay tuned to Die By the Blade over the course of the month as we continue to highlight Black players in Buffalo Sabres history. I wanted to be the best hockey player from my hometown. I pride myself in being maybe the first black player to play consistently in the league, McKegney said. When he left, he was the all-time leading scorer. *I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time. He believes his call up was a reward for his performance in the minors. Year By Year Fight Totals. 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? TM: I liked all sports. 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. WHA hat tricks courtesy Scott Surgent. 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. Theres another occasion where Ray Neufeld and I got into a scuffle. It barely made it over the line. 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. 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. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. TM: We just sort of stayed away from it. You get one kick at the can, as they say, in life. 'We've taken one step forward and two back': Willie O'Ree on fighting racism in sports, This rural Ontario black hockey line broke barriers producing generations of star players, Being Black in Canada: Highlighting the Black experience, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. In this article, we covered Tony McKegney's net worth, wiki, bio, career, height, weight, pics, family, affairs, car, salary, age, facts, and other details in 2022. I remember I was tired when a shot from the point came my way. / Special to NHL.com, Stanley Cup Final | Avalanche vs. So what does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week? Do you have a blog? And I still struggle with that to this day, with the trauma that I faced and went through. And I said to myself, Geez, this is great. It was awesome to see these guys and theyre all good players. 6-0 , 200lb (183cm, 90kg) Born: February 15 , 1958 (Age: 64-344d) in Montreal, Quebec ca. Caught off balance, his foot went flying in the air. 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. Lightning. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Jarrett won the scoring title and says he couldn't have done it without Saunders at his side. '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. 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. There have been 93 black players in the NHL. 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. (Tony) McKegney will need to be working on his paddle stroke or riding as a passenger. It made me angry, made me sad. When I started in the league, I never would have guessed. Thats basically what got me where I am today., Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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. TM: He brought up a lot of memories for me, ugly memories. When submitting content, please abide by our, Hockey Night in Canada: Senators vs. Blue Jackets on Sportsnet, Watch Hockey Night in Canada with Steve Dangle: Oilers vs. People had a certain amount of respect for us athletically.. Tony sun sign is Aquarius and his birth flower is Violet & Primrose. It's also available for football, basketball and baseball. McKegney scored 31 goals in 1986-87, 29 of them after being traded to the New York Rangers. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. SN: What were the conversations like with your parents about it? 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. This is especially true for a sport like hockey, where community, respect, and teamwork have always been important values. Get access to our unique free agency lists and many more premium features. One referee, trying to break up the scuffle, grabbed Jonathan from behind. One of his teammates even offered to rent his apartment to Saunders, thinking he would need one since he'd be there long term. {* traditionalSignIn_signInButton *}, Comment and participate in our online community. TM: I remember mentioning to Grant Fuhr, it mightve been an All-Star Game or something, I said, Youre lucky. ago] Height 6.01 -- Weight 200 [185 cm/91 kg] Drafted by Buffalo Sabres - round 2 #32 overall 1978 NHL Amateur Draft Regular Season Playoffs; Statistics of Tony McKegney, a hockey player from Montreal, PQ born Feb 15 1958 who was active from 1973 to 1993. TM: I knew John because we were teammates, we were roommates, and it seemed out of character for him. Tony McKegney (front, second from r.) and his Sarnia Bees teammates of the Western Ontario Junior B Hockey League in 1973. Get the best of our NHL coverage and exclusives delivered directly to your inbox! He was told teams were interested in trading for him, but the Nordiques didn't let him go. It's not the 40 goals I scored. It brought back some ghosts and nightmares, memories for me, which I hadnt thought about in a while. Do you have a sports website? Saunders didn't seem bitter or disappointed about not quite making it in the NHL, Jarrett said. His older brother John was the first to lace up skates. He would play 23 games with the San Diego Gulls in 1992-93 before retiring. There were a few other (skaters) that were sort of up and down.. Transaction information may be incomplete. Why did you feel like that was necessary? Contents 1 Playing Career 2 Post-Playing Career 3 Career Statistics 4 Accolades 5 Personal Life Playing Career - Improve your search rank Part one focused on diversity and race in hockey, while part two reflected back on their time with the Sabres/Amerks. (Tony McKegney, the fourth black player, debuted in 1978). If you said Tony McKegney, you are correct. Saunders, a right-winger, played 10 games for the Quebec Nordiques in 1979-80 and 1980-81. Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Tony McKegney, 1958-02-15 Montral, QC, CAN Canada. I take my hat off to Grant. 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. That fast-forwarding tends to bypass the magical middle and the stories of many players who felt alone but nonetheless accomplished great things, opening opportunities for those who followed. Its basically black children. funeral home radio ad script,
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