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. McKegney was the first Black Canadian hockey player to make an impact in the NHL. Judge to former NHLer Tony McKegney: 'You were a danger to yourself' While in Chteauguay, he played for Jacques Demers, who went on to coach the Nordiques and Montreal Canadiens. McKegney was born in Montreal, but was adopted soon thereafter, and raised by a white family in Sarnia, Ontario. Tony McKegney | Ice Hockey Wiki | Fandom He was a 4x 30-goal scorer and set career highs in 1988 with 40 . 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. 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. Taking into account various assets, Sue's net worth is greater than $50,000 - $99,999; and makes between $20 - 29,999 a year. 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 sat down with Donnovan Bennett to discuss the struggles, success and lessons that came. His point production dropped off, but he was still eventually called up to the big club. Another referee determined he made a kicking motion and gave him a match penalty. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. He stayed through 1983 and was a regular almost all of the time. They were there for me for the most part. TM: It just made me want to be better. McKegney was born in Montreal and adopted by a white family in Sarnia. Carbonneau, a Hall of Famer who played and coached for the Canadiens and now works as an analyst, remembers Saunders as an honest player and hard worker someone who could do pretty much anything on the ice and served as a veteran presence on the team. Sometimes what has been said in the past is that once hes established he doesnt produce as much. SN: Was there a brotherhood among the black players in the league? - Connect directly with players, coaches, teams, scouts and agents (optional) It's like a catch-22.". I probably should have, and I never did that. If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search. Submit changes (incorrect DOB, missing stats, incorrect stats, social media links etc) using a web form and we will review your update request within 24 hours and update accordingly. Oilers' Mike Green out three to four weeks with knee injury, Islanders re-assign Josh Ho-Sang to Blues' AHL affiliate. Tony McKegney Makes His Mark in the NHL | AP News He became a standout in hockey while playing junior, scoring 135 points in 66 games in 1976-77. Sign up for EP Premium and verify your profile to access these benefits. SN: Trevor Daley went through a difficult, racially insensitive experience with John Vanbiesbrouck. From the time he was in the crib, Jonathan was obsessed with the sport, and so he followed in his father's footsteps. Keep reading with unlimited digital access. If I could be half the man my father was, Id be doing pretty well, he said. The things he went through were things I experienced in my time. My older brother, Mike, was drafted in the NHL, first black player ever drafted by the Montreal Canadians. Frequently Asked Questions about the NHL and Hockey, Subscribe to Stathead Hockey: Get your first month FREE. And the support I got from teammates just carried me through some difficult situations. Tony sun sign is Aquarius and his birth flower is Violet & Primrose. People had a certain amount of respect for us athletically.". TM: No, not really. 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. That's how good he was.". His older brother John was the first to lace up skates. To see your localized preferences, please enable geolocation services in your browser settings. Tony S McKegney, 64 - East Amherst, NY - Has Court or Arrest Records McKegney was drafted 32nd overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. So, we laughed about it later on over a few beers. If my career took some pressure off of him, or anyone who looks like us, I'm very proud of that. TM: Everything. The funny thing is that Im starting to enjoy the game more than I ever have, he said. He vowed his sons would never play, but his eldest, Jonathan, had other plans. 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. Or write about sports? I was scared to say a peep in class. I showed up there and I remember sitting on my adoptive mother's knee and looking out the dining . He is vaguely aware of the recent push to change hockey culture. So, there was a lot of black athletes in town in Buffalo. Youre a great player. 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. Relatives: Brother Ian McKegney. 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. Don't miss out - sign up for our newsletters! Lightning. 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. Tony currently does periodic work on behalf of the Red Wings Alumni Association and the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team. 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. "The theme for the next few days is clear: Hey Kevyn, the lonely eyes of Sabres fans are turned to you,"Mike Harrington writes. 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. Sherry Bassin, 80, is a former junior hockey executive and another person who helped shape Saunders as a hockey player and a person. But hockey was a window of opportunity because we saw people from our area making it. I dont have any theory why Tony has played with so many teams. "I was just this shy, quiet kid in Chteauguay. It's also available for football, basketball and baseball. Former NHL forward Tony McKegney has been charged with impaired driving on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. Enter Search Term. Height, Weight & Physical Stats: Tony McKegney is 6 feet 1 inches tall and weight 90.7 kilograms. He retired from the NHL in 1991 with 320 goals and 639 points. When I started in the league, I never would have guessed. It seemed very normal to me, and no one in our neighborhood or city really treated us any different, he said. {{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. After playing for 15 years professionally, it was a hard transition and Im sure Ive made some mistakes and would do some things differently. With St. Louis, a team decimated this season by injuries, his presence has been more valued than ever was expected. The next season, his agent Art Kaminsky told him that must have meant the Nordiques wanted to keep him, so he went into training camp intent on making an impression. Odds & lines subject to change. Overall, his NHL career saw him appear in 912 regular season games and accrue 639 points. Buy his book. SN: Trevor was able to persevere. "They always came up with their hardest stuff, their elbows and what-not, and tried to punish me.". Hockey-Reference utilizes Official NHL data for current NHL seasons. A t-shirt with this logo is available for purchase here, with a portion of proceeds going to Breaking Barriers. 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. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. All rights reserved. Go inside the Hockey Reference Database. 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. That's the biggest compliment for me.". All Rights Reserved. I wanted to be as good as my brothers. 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. That was my first exposure, to have a hockey rink in my backyard. He paved the way for me. Get all the latest stats, news, videos and more on Tony McKegney And if those people were wrong about his future in hockey, what else might they be wrong about? There hadnt been many blacks in the NHL when he arrived, but hopefully his talent made quite a few people color-blind. It brought back some ghosts and nightmares, memories for me, which I hadnt thought about in a while. Then he was dealt to the Nordiques in a massive swap involving Quebecs Real Cloutier. Showing Editorial results for sabres tony mckegney. 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. The hockey portion and the support from teammates and my parents and other hockey parents all the way along got me through it. Sue G McKegney, 63 - Buffalo, NY - Has Court or Arrest Records - MyLife He played in Detroit for only 14 games before being traded back to the Quebec Nordiques on December 4, 1989 in exchange for Robert Picard and Greg Adams. I just felt defeated," he said. Dont forget to read the Q&A we did with several Black players who spent time with the Buffalo Sabres organization. Highlighting Black players throughout Buffalo Sabres history. Saunders spent most of his career thinking he was the only black player out there. 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. Only once has he played in fewer than 60 of the regular seasons 80 games. I don't talk much about the taunts and racial slurs I faced in youth and minor hockey. 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. 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. Enter your email below and we'll send you another email. He believes he could have had a 10-year career in the NHL if he had been given a proper shot. He continued to score despite playing no more than three seasons with the same team for the rest of his career. 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. NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. There isnt enough recent news in your lineup. Former Buffalo Sabre Tony McKegney charged with violating order of 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. Buffalo Sabres Schedule, Roster, News, and Rumors | Die By The Blade, Celebrating Black History Month: Tony McKegney, Game Thread: Sabres vs. 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. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. There were three future Hall of Famers who made us all better. Tony McKegney Height, Weight & Measurements At 63 years old, Tony McKegney height is 1.85 m and Weight 91 kg. He is not dating anyone. I wanted to be the best hockey player from my hometown. Do you have a blog? Buffalo looks to bounce back with a clean slate against another tough team. I remember starting the season with 10 goals in the first 15 games and getting a lot of ice time. Other than that, I hadnt played against another black hockey player my whole life. And I followed the advice that the great Willie O'Ree has given so many times: channel your energy into lighting the red light. Saunders didn't seem bitter or disappointed about not quite making it in the NHL, Jarrett said. You have permission to edit this article. Amateur Teams: Kingston Canadians. Saunders doesn't want to come off as someone lamenting what could have been. 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. Subscribe: bit.ly/3925J0FVisit Sabres.com for moreFollow: twitter.com/BuffaloSabresLike: facebook.com/buffalosabresF. The Bulls released McKegney from his contract, and he joined the Sabres as their second-round draft choice. Sign up for Stathead Hockey - first month free. "I could not imagine [why] this guy wasn't given a better opportunity," Bassin said. Bernie Saunders, one of the NHL's first black players, never thought he would find himself coaching youth hockey. Saunders, 63, who now lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C., has since retired and written a book about his life. TONY MCKEGNEY: I was adopted when I was 18 months old and I moved [in with my adoptive family]. I just pushed the stereotypes to the background and kept hockey in the forefront. It's a big deal that Grant, Willie, and now Jarome have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. But on the. Former Sabres player charged for violating order of protection Right before he went to college, Mike Marson and Bill Riley, the second and third black men in the NHL, made their debuts. "We were so influenced by Hockey Night in Canada," he said, of himself and John. It appears the Sabres have made a few late deals. McKegney spent less than two years with the Nordiques, and had several more stops around the NHL during the next several seasons. When you and your teammates compete together, practice together, eat together, and grow up together, you start to see people for who they are. However, the Bills' statement does not specify that Frazi. Drafted 1974, 1 #2 overall by Kingston Canadians in the OHL Priority Selection, Cult/Star player for Kingston Frontenacs. Tony McKegney Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Salary, Title | Hockey Part one focused on diversity and race in hockey, while part two reflected back on their time with the Sabres/Amerks. Tony McKegney erased any doubt that a black player could be a prominent goal-scorer in the NHL. I didnt talk to many people about it. So Bassin gave him that chance. After leaving the NHL, he had a long, successful career in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. 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. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Tony McKegney player profile, stats and championships. You may have created an account with another Rogers Media account that can be used to sign in here. SN: What were the conversations like between you and your brother about the abuse he faced? 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 had been expected to sign with Birmingham of the World Hockey Association, but the deal fell through and he was taken by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round (No. My mother and father -- who adopted me from an orphanage in Montreal, and who happen to be white -- built a hockey rink in our backyard every winter, where I'd skate with my siblings. 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. Tony McKegney Tells His Story of How He Came to Buffalo | Sabres I ignored that coach, of course. TONY MCKEGNEY: I was adopted when I was 18 months old and I moved [in with my adoptive family]. There was nothing special about the goal. Willie [ORee] had a good thing. The Buffalo native was drafted by the Sabres 52nd overall in 2013 and began his pro career with the Sabres and Amerks. Tony McKegney has a great family story - Kincardine Independent Customize your Sportsnet lineup for the latest news from your favourite leagues and teams. Bernie Saunders played 10 games for the Quebec Nordiques, but he and others say his career would have been longer if he wasnt black. NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League.
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