I was scared to say a peep in class. Sabres Memories is presented by BCBSWNY. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. However, the Bills' statement does not specify that Frazi. Tony McKegney has never won a Stanley Cup as a player. "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. Saunders said at the time, O'Ree was more of a mythical figure than anything else. McKegney needed less than a season to join Buffalo during the 1978-79 campaign. He has three 30-goal seasons. All Rights Reserved. However, the team now had a new farm team, the Fredericton Express, and the organization wanted Saunders to play there. We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Brent Jarrett played with him in Kalamazoo, Mich.,that season. SPORTSNET: What was your first exposure to the game of hockey? "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.". Akim Aliu hasnt had the same ability to bounce back from his difficult treatment in the game. You sort of never felt like you were different. Two years ago, when he scored 15 times and had 25 assists, was the only season he scored fewer than 23 goals or compiled fewer than 45 points. I remember starting the season with 10 goals in the first 15 games and getting a lot of ice time. McKegney was selected 32nd overall in 1978 after scoring 92 points with the Kingston Canadians. Tony McKegney is 64 years old today because Tony's birthday is on 02/15/1958.Tony McKegney currently lives in East Amherst, NY; in the past Tony has also lived in Saint Louis MO, Detroit MI and Buffalo NY.Tony also answers to Tony S Mckegney, Anthony S Mckegney and Anthony F Mckegney, and perhaps a couple of other names. Tony McKegney has not been elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Some hockey portraits on this site are licensed from Images on Ice, Hockeys Photo Agency. He is a member of famous with the age 63 years old group. It's something that most Black players at the time trained themselves to do, even though we shouldn't have needed to. There is one number, though, that says a lot about the season I had in 1987-88. '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. TONY MCKEGNEY: I was adopted when I was 18 months old and I moved [in with my adoptive family]. {{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. Season Players Videos. Jarome Iginla gave me a very nice compliment when he said he felt he was at home on the ice and in the school yard, because he could say, Hey, Tony McKegney, hes playing in the NHL. He felt like he belonged on a hockey rink because I was out there. 8 9 25 25 10 7 14 11. He talked about him, his brother Ian, and his mother who lives in Kincardine. I feel that I had a pretty good upbringing. McKegney was born in Montreal, but was adopted by a white family in Sarnia, Ont. While in Minnesota, Tony played for the organization for 3 years until November 13, 1986 when he was traded to the New York Rangers along with Curt Giles and Minnesota's second-round pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Bob Brooke and Minnesota's fourth-round choice in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. I was at a Queens University hockey game. A t-shirt with this logo is available for purchase here, with a portion of proceeds going to Breaking Barriers. "I was incredulous. 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. Collect, curate and comment on your files. With a Premium subscription, you'll get access to over 30 tools, features and benefits. 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. All rights reserved. 710K subscribers Tony McKegney is one of the pioneers of breaking the colour barrier within the NHL. Back in 1988, I'm not sure if I realized what it really meant. Tony McKegney weighed 200 lbs (90 kg) when playing. 32) of the 1978 NHL Draft. Only once has he played in fewer than 60 of the regular seasons 80 games. Don't miss out - sign up for our newsletters! He stayed through 1983 and was a regular almost all of the time. Editor's note: As part of the NHL celebrating Black History Month throughout February, NHL.com will present first-person essays by some of the game's key Black players and executives. I probably should have, and I never did that. As of 2018 Tony McKegney is 59 years years old. Height, Weight & Physical Stats: Tony McKegney is 6 feet 1 inches tall and weight 90.7 kilograms. 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. Would you like to create an account so you can see these Favourites on your other devices too? Position: LW Shoots: Left. Tony McKegney Height, Weight & Measurements At 63 years old, Tony McKegney height is 1.85 m and Weight 91 kg. I just pushed the stereotypes to the background and kept hockey in the forefront. There have been 93 black players in the NHL. He would play 23 games with the San Diego Gulls in 1992-93 before retiring. He believes his call up was a reward for his performance in the minors. 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 signed with the Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association, but that news generated a great deal of hate mail, etc., in the South. He says he has moved on. Last seen in the 1992-1993 season with the San Diego Gulls (IHL). The Buffalo Sabres recently unveiled a partnership with local artist Edreys Wajed in honor of Black History Month. NHL Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Only once has he played in fewer than 60 of the regular season's 80 games. TM: We just sort of stayed away from it. He appeared in 363 regular-season games with Buffalo, putting up 127 goals and adding 141 assists. There were three future Hall of Famers who made us all better. Sue maintains relationships with many people -- family, friends, associates, & neighbors -- including Daniel Mckegney, Daniel Mckegney, Marilynn Habberfie, Roger Habberfield and Tony Mckegney. There hadnt been many blacks in the NHL when he arrived, but hopefully his talent made quite a few people color-blind. He went to New Brunswick, feeling discouraged but not ready to give up. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. But on the ice, Saunders was still alone. He was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 1994. 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. McKegney was born in Montreal, but was adopted by a white family in Sarnia, Ont. Forward Born Feb 15 1958 -- Montreal, PQ [65 yrs. 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. He was also able to open doors and create a level of acceptance for young black players who could point to him and his contemporaries as successes. 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. 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. Hockey was like that for me -- I was constantly focused on numbers. (Tony McKegney, the fourth black player, debuted in 1978). 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. I didnt talk to many people about it. SN: Trevor Daley went through a difficult, racially insensitive experience with John Vanbiesbrouck. But I know my brother took a lot more abuse than I did because I saw it. I said, "I think sports probably helped a lot, because we were known as athletes and so forth. 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. A centre, he said the way they clicked on the ice was as though they'd been playing together forever. - Connect directly with players, coaches, teams, scouts and agents (optional) 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. "I literally got through the game, went into this closet, and I just cried. Jets on Sportsnet, Marchment, Pavelski end droughts as Stars dominate Avalanche, Cooper on benching Stamkos, Kucherov, Point: 'Weren't giving us the best chance to win', Bertuzzi sets up goal, Bruins stretch winning-streak in win over Rangers, Lightning fall to Sabres, bench Kucherov, Stamkos, Point for third period, {* backButton *} 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. The focus was just on playing hockey. The people in our hometown of Sarnia, Ont., were so supportive through sports. Continue reading to discover who is Tony McKegney. Frequently Asked Questions about the NHL and Hockey, Subscribe to Stathead Hockey: Get your first month FREE. Hes been an All-Star. 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. The Buffalo native was drafted by the Sabres 52nd overall in 2013 and began his pro career with the Sabres and Amerks. McKegney was born in Montreal, but was adopted soon thereafter, and raised by a white family in Sarnia, Ontario. It was never published. He is to appear in court in Belleville, Ontario, on May 18. 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. "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. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. One of his teammates even offered to rent his apartment to Saunders, thinking he would need one since he'd be there long term. 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. Year By Year Fight Totals. Even now, when I tell the story of the 1987-1988 season, I use a lot of numbers to explain why the season turned out so special. It's also available for football, basketball and baseball. 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. He became a standout in hockey while playing junior, scoring 135 points in 66 games in 1976-77. Sorry we could not verify that email address. All rights reserved. Boards and the whole thing. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Gambling problem? "It felt like they were ripping out my heart. Sabres Send Asplund to Nashville for 7th Rounder, 2023 NHL Trade Deadline: Open Thread & How To Watch. We only use official stats. 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. 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. We present them here for purely educational purposes. 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 . They were there for me for the most part. 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. His father eventually returned to Nigeria, and when Tony was a year old, he was adopted by the McKegneys, a white couple that lived in Sarnia, Ontario. *I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time. It's not the 40 goals I scored. So I found myself focused on a number, 40, throughout the last stretch of games. But he was reassigned to the minors. Look, there's a Black player who did what some people said he couldn't. Tony McKegney was born on February 15, 1958. It takes time to grow a sport, he says, and now young black kids have something he didn't: the opportunity to play the game they love with people who look like them, and to see more than one black person playing it at the highest level. By midseason, people started to notice. McKegney was drafted 32nd overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. Tony McKegney (r.) with brothers Mike (l.) and Steve in front of their house in Sarnia, Ontario in 1970. (Tony) McKegney will need to be working on his paddle stroke or riding as a passenger. Tony McKegney, former NHLer and ambassador for, Hockey is for Everyone, congratulates a participant during the clinic sponsored by the NHL and the. Then he was dealt to the Nordiques in a massive swap involving Quebecs Real Cloutier. Important: An official team/league url or a team document must be provided for us to update player stats. They were playing Ottawa and there were five black players in the game on the two teams combined. He jumped to the AHL's Hershey. Reality doesn't always add up. And between the benches, one of the guys said it would be termed as a black-on-black crime. SN: The numbers of black players at all levels has increased. I pride myself in being maybe the first black player to play consistently in the league, McKegney said. TONY MCKEGNEY: I was adopted when I was 18 months old and I moved [in with my adoptive family]. 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. Bassin knew Saunders was getting racist taunts, but said Saunders always handled it in stride and never let it get to him. I know there werent very many [black players]. Draft: Buffalo, 2nd round (32nd overall), 1978 NHL Amateur. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. 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. After playing for 15 years professionally, it was a hard transition and Im sure Ive made some mistakes and would do some things differently. That was my first exposure, to have a hockey rink in my backyard. 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. As a teenager, he played for Jr. 'B' hockey in Sarnia. More Tony McKegney videos. 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. Comments are welcome while open. An error has occurred while trying to update your details. He played in St. Louis for two years. Things just felt right that year. Lightning. / Special to NHL.com, Stanley Cup Final | Avalanche vs. When he left, he was the all-time leading scorer. Sometimes what has been said in the past is that once hes established he doesnt produce as much. "I believe if he wasn't a black individual he would have played [more] in the NHL. I don't talk much about the taunts and racial slurs I faced in youth and minor hockey. I showed up there and I remember sitting on my adoptive mother's knee and looking out the dining . Sign up for EP Premium and verify your profile to access these benefits. When I started in the league, I never would have guessed. 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. And my brother was four years older than me and and took a lot more abuse than I did. 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 was Saunders. "It was just time. So Bassin gave him that chance. So that support carried over all the negative stuff that happened. Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. That's the biggest compliment for me.". Other than that, I hadnt played against another black hockey player my whole life. Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Tony McKegney, 1958-02-15 Montral, QC, CAN Canada. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. Tony McKegney's birthday is on 15-Feb-1958 and was born on Saturday. 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. "Everything Bernie Saunders has, he earned, in spite of [whether] there's been prejudice along the way.". We didn't recognize that password reset code. Hes won Stanley Cups.. SN: Was there a brotherhood among the black players in the league? Customize your lineup with your favourite leagues and teams. Customize your Sportsnet lineup for the latest news from your favourite leagues and teams. And I'll always be proud of the 40-goal season I had in 1987-88, the wonderful camaraderie of that Blues team, and the little chip-in that somehow found its way into the net. So I did the only thing I could do: I focused on perseverance. I wanted to be the best hockey player from my hometown. That's where he met Guy Carbonneau, who was in his first full professional season. I wanted to be the best, that was a driving force. Saunders didn't seem bitter or disappointed about not quite making it in the NHL, Jarrett said. Years later, I found out I was one of the reasons why. 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. 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 197879 until 199091. Well give you the latest news when it becomes available, or feel free to add some more selections to My Favourites. Saunders spent most of his career thinking he was the only black player out there. It's like a catch-22.". Other blacks are forward Dirk Graham of the Minnesota North Stars, goaltender Eldon Pokey Reddick and forward Paul Neufeld of the Winnipeg Jets. * Some data is missing to provide a correct summary. Buffalo Sabres Schedule, Roster, News, and Rumors | Die By The Blade, Celebrating Black History Month: Tony McKegney, Game Thread: Sabres vs. Thats the greatest compliments Ive received from the younger people. But I always wanted to be, and knew I could be, a dominant player. Part of the reason McKegney wants to continue a while longer is because of sons Daniel, 2 1/2 , and Robert, 7 months. Tony McKegney erased any doubt that a black player could be a prominent goal-scorer in the NHL. The key is for him to keep working.. Youre going to do well in the NHL. I just praised him, knowing that he was a great player and he was going to play in the NHL for a long time. "I loved the game, but the game didn't love me.". Enter your email below and we'll send you another email. People weren't used to seeing a Black player succeed on the ice. Keep reading with unlimited digital access. But on the. Tony McKegney. I just felt defeated," he said. 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. Hockey players like Akim Aliu, Mark Fraser, and Matt Dumba are just a few of the guys using their voice in meaningful ways. Pioneers like Willie O'Ree, Angela James and Grant Fuhr will be featured. I take my hat off to Grant. 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. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Odds & lines subject to change. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. And I know they weren't alone in their thoughts. When I came along, obviously there were comments made, but I was so focused on what was happening on the ice. Lightning | Game 61, Sabres Acquire Jordan Greenway, Austin Strand. Who was the first Black player to top 40 goals in an NHL season? And if those people were wrong about his future in hockey, what else might they be wrong about? The McKegney brothers (l-r), Mike, Tony, Ian and friends on their backyard rink in Sarnia, Ontario in 1962. There were a few other (skaters) that were sort of up and down.. And that was the Buffalo Sabres. Saunders scored twice in his debut, and it quickly became clear to Bassin he should have been playing at a higher level. There weren't many black players in the junior league at the time. Showing Editorial results for sabres tony mckegney.
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