He sat down with Donnovan Bennett to discuss the struggles, success and lessons that came. Lightning | Game 61, Sabres Acquire Jordan Greenway, Austin Strand. 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. Statistics of Tony McKegney, a hockey player from Montreal, PQ born Feb 15 1958 who was active from 1973 to 1993. Year By Year Fight Totals. I suppressed a lot of things over the years. McKegney was born in Montreal, but was adopted soon thereafter, and raised by a white family in Sarnia, Ontario. Hockey-Reference utilizes Official NHL data for current NHL seasons. When he was still a toddler, his family moved to the Toronto area. by You may have created an account with another Rogers Media account that can be used to sign in here. Instead, he was drafted 32nd-overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 1978 and went on to score over 320 goals. But hockey was a window of opportunity because we saw people from our area making it. Tony McKegney erased any doubt that a black player could be a prominent goal-scorer in the NHL. 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. Tony McKegney was born on February 15, 1958. SN: How has it impacted you as youve moved on from the game? It made me angry, made me sad. He heard the N-word on the ice and from fans in the stands, and opponents always made sure to finish their checks on him. 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 McKegney (who had been a star with the Sarnia Legionnaires before moving on to the pros). Numbers, however, never tell the whole story. 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. "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. Of course, sports will never make us color blind, and colorblindness is not the goal. Unlimited access for the whole family until Feb 21. . But on the. So, we laughed about it later on over a few beers. The conversation about black players in hockey is often a binary one even during Black History Month. He is a member of famous with the age 63 years old group. WHA hat tricks courtesy Scott Surgent. Since then, he has played for five NHL teams - Buffalo, Quebec, Minnesota, New York and St. Louis - scoring a career-high 37 goals in 1980-81. Browse 82 tony mckegney stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. I just tried to shut everything else out. - Connect directly with players, coaches, teams, scouts and agents (optional) Right before he went to college, Mike Marson and Bill Riley, the second and third black men in the NHL, made their debuts. *I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time. All Rights Reserved. There is one number, though, that says a lot about the season I had in 1987-88. I pride myself in being maybe the first black player to play consistently in the league, McKegney said. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. We were all set to move, until the homeowner told us there was a problem: They didn't want to rent to us once they found out we were a biracial couple. 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 . Tony McKegney (born Anthony Syiid McKegney on February 15, 1958) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player, who played in the NHL for 13 seasons from 1978-79 until 1990-91. 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. There hadnt been many blacks in the NHL when he arrived, but hopefully his talent made quite a few people color-blind. Hockey was like that for me -- I was constantly focused on numbers. He believes he could have had a 10-year career in the NHL if he had been given a proper shot. . But while Saunders was playing the role of helping others, he believes the Habs didn't really have any incentive to help him, since the team had its own players to develop. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. SPORTSNET: What was your first exposure to the game of hockey? It was like, all the emotions from my career, my life: it was too much for me," the elder Saunders said. Tony McKegney has never won a Stanley Cup as a player. He was a role model." Embed from Getty Images Getty Images Sport Graig Abel Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. He believes his call up was a reward for his performance in the minors. He was the fifth black man to play in the league. 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. I loved basketball, football, baseball, golf. Complete player biography and stats. My mindset was focused on maintaining a consistent level of play to succeed in the National Hockey League. 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. 32) of the 1978 NHL Draft. 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. Tony McKegney had 320 goals over his career. And if those people were wrong about his future in hockey, what else might they be wrong about? Tony McKegney erased any doubt that a black player could be a prominent goal-scorer in the NHL. After scoring 36 goals for the Sabres in 1982-83, McKegney was traded to the Quebec Nordiques. If my career took some pressure off of him, or anyone who looks like us, I'm very proud of that. But he was reassigned to the minors. (OHL). 6-0 , 200lb (183cm, 90kg) Born: February 15 , 1958 (Age: 64-344d) in Montreal, Quebec ca. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. 710K subscribers Tony McKegney is one of the pioneers of breaking the colour barrier within the NHL. Season Players Videos. I'm certainly proud to have been one of the first consistent Black players in the NHL. After scoring eight goals in 52 games as a rookie in 1978-79, he scored 23 in his second NHL season 37 in 1980-81. And I know they weren't alone in their thoughts. He has no evidence, he says, but he figures race had something to do with it. It seemed very normal to me, and no one in our neighborhood or city really treated us any different, he said. Keep reading with unlimited digital access. I said, "I think sports probably helped a lot, because we were known as athletes and so forth. It was wintertime and my dad had floodlights out there. While in Minnesota, he joined the late John Mariucci and Cal Peterson to form an inner-city hockey league for youths. McKegney was drafted 32nd overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. Saunders was a shy, quiet kid with a remarkable work ethic, Bassin recalls. The more hockey lives up to those ideals, the better we'll all be. It's also available for football, basketball and baseball. 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. 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. / Special to NHL.com, Stanley Cup Final | Avalanche vs. And I said to myself, Geez, this is great. It was awesome to see these guys and theyre all good players. Enter Search Term. 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. It appears the Sabres have made a few late deals. 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. Comments are welcome while open. How does that make you feel? And my brother was four years older than me and and took a lot more abuse than I did. Tony McKegney 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. All rights reserved. His best season came with the St. Louis Blues in 1987-88, when he had NHL career highs of 40 goals and 78 points. So Bassin gave him that chance. Hockey players like Akim Aliu, Mark Fraser, and Matt Dumba are just a few of the guys using their voice in meaningful ways. Why did you feel like that was necessary? So I found myself focused on a number, 40, throughout the last stretch of games. 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. 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. 1989-1990 Regular Season Fight Card NHL (1) 1987-1988 Regular Season Fight Card NHL (4) 1986-1987 Regular Season Fight Card NHL (1) 1985-1986 Postseason Fight Card NHL (2) 1983-1984 Regular Season Fight Card NHL (1) 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. Of his 13 years in the NHL, he spent the most time with the Sabres. 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. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! But Jarrett believes Saunders deserved to be there. Most recently in the IHL with San Diego Gulls. 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. To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). The people in our hometown of Sarnia, Ont., were so supportive through sports. 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 would play 23 games with the San Diego Gulls in 1992-93 before retiring. Sabres Host Lightning in Saturday Matinee. 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. But it wasn't to be. Akim Aliu hasnt had the same ability to bounce back from his difficult treatment in the game. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. Tony McKegney's birthday is on 15-Feb-1958 and was born on Saturday. All Rights Reserved. And I still struggle with that to this day, with the trauma that I faced and went through. My first time playing against another black hockey player was probably my third year in the NHL, Grant Fuhr and Ray Neufeld. 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. The Bulls released McKegney from his contract, and he joined the Sabres as their second-round draft choice. In retrospect, I can now see how it was an important milestone for people who look like me: No Black player had ever scored 40 goals in a season not until that game against Winnipeg, where a little chip-in ended up making history. I've always considered it a great compliment to play a small part in Jarome's story. Tony was drafted 32nd overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. They had talks about what to do when the racist taunts would inevitably begin don't react, don't let them get to you but sure enough, when his son was a teenager, in the late '90s, an opponent called him the N-word on the ice. 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. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are the property of their respective owners. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). TM: It just made me want to be better. SN: What were the conversations like with your parents about it? TM: I knew John because we were teammates, we were roommates, and it seemed out of character for him. He has three 30-goal seasons. He went to New Brunswick, feeling discouraged but not ready to give up. 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. These brave athletes are actively changing hockey culture for the better. Hes been an All-Star. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. He talked about him, his brother Ian, and his mother who lives in Kincardine. At the same time, he's disappointed that he's been excluded from conversations about the first black players in the NHL. TM: He brought up a lot of memories for me, ugly memories. Today we look at former NHL forward Tony McKegney. Look, there's a Black player who did what some people said he couldn't. Jets, Hockey Night in Canada: Maple Leafs vs. Canucks on Sportsnet, Hockey Night in Canada: Oilers vs. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. Subscribe: bit.ly/3925J0FVisit Sabres.com for moreFollow: twitter.com/BuffaloSabresLike: facebook.com/buffalosabresF. Forward Born Feb 15 1958 -- Montreal, PQ [65 yrs. The hockey portion and the support from teammates and my parents and other hockey parents all the way along got me through it. One of his teammates even offered to rent his apartment to Saunders, thinking he would need one since he'd be there long term. I think his biggest value to our club has been his ability to score, Blues coach Jacques Martin said. And obviously we watched the games, the Leafs and the Red Wings on TV back in the six-team league. Youre a great player. Sign up for Stathead Hockey - first month free. TM: We just sort of stayed away from it. BIOGRAPHY. They were there for me for the most part. I just pushed the stereotypes to the background and kept hockey in the forefront. (Tony McKegney, the fourth black player, debuted in 1978). Get the best of our NHL coverage and exclusives delivered directly to your inbox! That's how good he was.". Some hockey portraits on this site are licensed from Images on Ice, Hockeys Photo Agency. SN: Trevor was able to persevere. He has a copy of a newspaper article following a game in Rochester, N.Y., that mentions a fan who heard people yelling the N-word at him all night. The key is for him to keep working.. Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. An error has occurred while trying to update your details. "I literally got through the game, went into this closet, and I just cried.