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He retired from the NHL in 1991 with 320 goals and 639 points. Because you never forget scoring 40 in one year. While in Chteauguay, he played for Jacques Demers, who went on to coach the Nordiques and Montreal Canadiens. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. The conversation about black players in hockey is often a binary one even during Black History Month. So, I reached out. - EP Contact Book listing of your profile (optional) It brought back some ghosts and nightmares, memories for me, which I hadnt thought about in a while. If you said Tony McKegney, you are correct. (Tony) McKegney will need to be working on his paddle stroke or riding as a passenger. TM: I liked all sports. It barely made it over the line. The Bulls released McKegney from his contract, and he joined the Sabres as their second-round draft choice. Statistics of Tony McKegney, a hockey player from Montreal, PQ born Feb 15 1958 who was active from 1973 to 1993. Last seen in the 1992-1993 season with the San Diego Gulls (IHL). He said, Just turn on the red light, which means scoring a goal. NHL Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Then he was dealt to the Nordiques in a massive swap involving Quebecs Real Cloutier. It's a big deal that Grant, Willie, and now Jarome have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was released on his own recognizance by City Court. WHA hat tricks courtesy Scott Surgent. The more hockey lives up to those ideals, the better we'll all be. Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced on Monday that former Buffalo Sabres winger Tony McKegney was arraigned before a Buffalo City Court Judge back on. Relatives: Brother Ian McKegney. 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. Enter Search Term. Do you have a sports website? SN: What were the conversations like between you and your brother about the abuse he faced? You have permission to edit this article. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. My older brother, Mike, was drafted in the NHL, first black player ever drafted by the Montreal Canadians. I just pushed the stereotypes to the background and kept hockey in the forefront. Did that ever dissuade you at all from getting into the game? I just had this conversation with one of my former teammates, and he said, We just treated you like one of us brothers.. Sign up for EP Premium and verify your profile to access these benefits. Tony was adopted by the McKegney family when he was an infant. Transaction information may be incomplete. Tony McKegney weighed 200 lbs (90 kg) when playing. 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. McKegney was born in Montreal, but was adopted soon thereafter, and raised by a white family in Sarnia, Ontario. 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). And between the benches, one of the guys said it would be termed as a black-on-black crime. A centre, he said the way they clicked on the ice was as though they'd been playing together forever. Sabres Send Asplund to Nashville for 7th Rounder, 2023 NHL Trade Deadline: Open Thread & How To Watch. I wanted to be the best hockey player from my hometown. McKegney was born in Montreal, but was adopted soon thereafter, and raised by a white family in Sarnia, Ontario. TM: Everything. Of his 13 years in the NHL, he spent the most time with the Sabres. 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. 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. Will the Sabres make some moves today to improve their post-season chances? He would like for both to be able to remember their father in an NHL uniform. Hes had the most success. Tony McKegney was born in Montreal, Canada. '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. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Tony McKegney had 320 goals over his career. 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. 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. After playing for 15 years professionally, it was a hard transition and Im sure Ive made some mistakes and would do some things differently. Buffalo Sabres Schedule, Roster, News, and Rumors | Die By The Blade, Celebrating Black History Month: Tony McKegney, Game Thread: Sabres vs. This Birthday in Buffalo Sports History: Tony McKegney. Former NHL star sent to jail | The Kingston Whig Standard McKegney was 20, playing junior hockey for Kingston in the Ontario Hockey Association, when the Buffalo Sabres made him their second-round choice in the 1978 draft. 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. And the support I got from teammates just carried me through some difficult situations. McKegney, while striving to help provide black youths more opportunity, will never forget the chance given him by Lowry McKegney, 70. NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. So I found myself focused on a number, 40, throughout the last stretch of games. All rights reserved. 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. Tony McKegney is an Ice Hockey Player who was born on February 15, 1958 in Canada. Born 1958-02-15 in Montral, Quebec. Unlimited access for the whole family until Feb 21. . 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. Tony McKegney player profile, stats and championships. It's something that most Black players at the time trained themselves to do, even though we shouldn't have needed to. 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. From the time he was in the crib, Jonathan was obsessed with the sport, and so he followed in his father's footsteps. And the NHL has done a great job with helping. I don't talk much about the taunts and racial slurs I faced in youth and minor hockey. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. But I think sports probably helped a lot, because we were known as athletes and so forth. McKegney was drafted 32nd overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. *I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time. Buffalo was very interesting because we hung around with the football players. The subtext of the situation was clear: Because I'm a Black man, there were certain things the homeowner felt like I couldn't or shouldn't do. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? He is also aware of his role-model responsibilities as one of only five blacks currently playing in the league. 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I think his biggest value to our club has been his ability to score, Blues coach Jacques Martin said. TM: It just made me want to be better. "I loved the game, but the game didn't love me.". Bernie Saunders, one of the NHL's first black players, never thought he would find himself coaching youth hockey. Take control of your EliteProspects profile! He jumped to the AHLs Hershey Bears and then the Sabres, making his NHL debut in the 1978-79 season. Tony McKegney erased any doubt that a black player could be a prominent goal-scorer in the NHL. Tony McKegney is a well known Ice Hockey. Then the Buffalo Braves were there, the basketball team. 2023 Getty Images. 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. Hockey made me gave me all the confidence in the world.". I remember the reporter asking me about growing up in a town where there were only two Black families among 50,000 people. 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. At age 5, I started playing organized hockey. McKegney spent less than two years with the Nordiques, and had several more stops around the NHL during the next several seasons. After playing in 64 games for the Rangers, Tony was traded to the St. Louis Blues on May 28, 1987 along with Rob Whistle in exchange for Bruce Bell and future considerations. - Verification Badge on your profile, Post a scouting report/trivia/player comment in English (visible here). He continued to score despite playing no more than three seasons with the same team for the rest of his career. He says he doesn't watch much anymore. If I could be half the man my father was, Id be doing pretty well, he said. 710K subscribers Tony McKegney is one of the pioneers of breaking the colour barrier within the NHL. 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. Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. Draft: Buffalo, 2nd round (32nd overall), 1978 NHL Amateur. Sue G McKegney, 63 - Buffalo, NY - Has Court or Arrest Records - MyLife Or write about sports? Its just something I never envisioned when I was growing up seeing five black hockey players playing in the same game. When I came along, obviously there were comments made, but I was so focused on what was happening on the ice. TM: We never really talked about it much. If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search. 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. The year after he graduated, he had offers from a few teams. He believes the colour of his skin is part of the reason he didn't. - Connect directly with players, coaches, teams, scouts and agents (optional) All rights reserved. McKegney needed less than a season to join Buffalo during the 1978-79 campaign. A year later, the left winger was ready to join the pros. So I did the only thing I could do: I focused on perseverance. 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. If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search. 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. Tony McKegney has a great family story - Kincardine Independent 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 *} Like I said, numbers never tell the whole story. 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. They were around five and six years old. Tony McKegney had 639 points over his career. But on the. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. "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. 32) of the 1978 NHL Draft. He played in St. Louis for two years. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. He appeared in 363 regular-season games with Buffalo, putting up 127 goals and adding 141 assists. 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. Tony Mckegney - ABC7 Chicago How Tony McKegney Survived And Thrived For 13 Seasons In The NHL (approx 1 - 2 per week). Part one focused on diversity and race in hockey, while part two reflected back on their time with the Sabres/Amerks. John Kreiser, Stanley Cup Final | Avalanche vs. I probably should have, and I never did that. Tony McKegney Stats and News | NHL.com - Improve your search rank By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. TM: I knew John because we were teammates, we were roommates, and it seemed out of character for him. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. Jarome told me that he felt comfortable at the school yard because he could point to me and say, "Look, Tony McKegney's playing in the NHL.". I feel for them all and support them unequivocally. I was too timid to talk to a girl. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. 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. Brother: Ian McKegney 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. Browse 82 tony mckegney stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. His point production dropped off, but he was still eventually called up to the big club. It was a personal best for me -- the first and only time I'd join the NHL's 40-goal club. I tried to, basically, suppress a lot of those feelings back then, and I just buried a lot of things. But hockey was a window of opportunity because we saw people from our area making it. Until we get rinks in the inner (American) cities, I dont think thats going to change.. 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. Still, I'd been thinking about that particular goal mark for a while. An oddity on the ice - CBC 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 ignored that coach, of course. I'm certainly proud to have been one of the first consistent Black players in the NHL. Former NHL forward Tony McKegney has been charged with impaired driving on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. And my brother was four years older than me and and took a lot more abuse than I did. When he was still a toddler, his family moved to the Toronto area. Another referee determined he made a kicking motion and gave him a match penalty. Part of the reason McKegney wants to continue a while longer is because of sons Daniel, 2 1/2 , and Robert, 7 months. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. TM: Its wonderful. I went to [Daley] and said, Hey, how are you doing and how are you feeling? I just wanted to reach out and say, Been there, just keep at it. He still remembers, almost 50 years later, the smile on Saunders's face when he was told he wasn't going back to his old team. "I could not imagine [why] this guy wasn't given a better opportunity," Bassin said.