African-Americans and Canadian Hockey: Black Ice and the Rich History of African-American Hockey in Canada

Photo Credit Black Ice** 

This week it is reported that a person attending a NHL hockey game in London, Ontario, Canada threw a banana at winger Wayne Simmonds, an African-American hockey player from the Philadelphia Flyers . The banana symbol is commonly used to demonstrate racial slurs. This is very disappointing and likely the act of a rogue person and not representative of the many fans attending the game.  But it does serve to direct attention to the African-American contribution to the history of hockey and its cultural impact. 
Racial slurs are nothing new for African-American hockey players.  In 2001, Dr. Garth Vaughan wrote about the abuse of the crowds in early Canadian hockey history*:

While large crowds indicated general acceptance, newspaper accounts document that verbal abuse flourished with both crowds and journalists. Reporters were racist in attitude in the first couple of years, more respectful for a few years, and then reverted to racist reporting for a short while - finally ignoring Black games. There is nothing to gain by printing the epithets used, nevertheless, all common ones and some never imagined, appeared in the Maritime press.

To read the full article click on: The Colored Hockey Championship of the Maritimes

The rich history of African-Americans playing organized Canadian  hockey has not been recognized. Is this the intellectual symbol equivalent to "throwing a banana" on the ice? In October of 2010 hockeyhistory.org posted the following post asking:

It is time for the hockey community to officially rocognize the Coloured Hockey League and bring the league and it's players into the main stream of hockey history! Proper respect and recognition is long overdue!  To read the full post click on:
Black Ice Project: A Tribute to Early African-American Hockey History

Hockeyhistory.org renews its request for the hockey community to give the African-American contribution to the history of hockey in Canada the deserving credit.   This is the first step in reducing the symbols of racism in hockey at every level.

*The Colored Hockey Championship of the Maritimes
by Dr. Garth Vaughan ©
Presented at “Putting it on Ice” World Hockey Conference, St. Mary’s University, Oct 3, 2001

 ** "Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League, 1895-1925" , written by Canadian historians, George and Darril Fosty (Stryker-Indigo, 2004)

Hockey and Suicide Prevention-Call for International Hockey Mental Health Summit: World Suicide Prevention Day 2011, September 10

Just Group and HockeyHistory.org are participating in World Suicide Prevention Day 2011 by:

CALLING FOR AN INTERNATIONAL

HOCKEY MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT

Preventing tragedy will always happen in the future. That’s where we find hope. And that’s where hockey needs to look for answers to questions that seem unanswerable.
Bill Wilkerson - co-founder of the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health.

Bill Wilkerson, in his excellent article (click to read): Breaking the Suicide Chain concludes by calling for a national hockey mental health summit saying,  The NHL might convene a hockey-wide, nationwide, mental health task force and series of town hall meetings. More than anything, we need to talk about this subject as a national community. HockeyHisotry.org would like to see this encompass the international hockey community.

HockeyHistory.org has been posting about suicide and suicide prevention in the international hockey community over the past year (see below). This included a call for action by the NHL. This year we are calling for an international hockey mental health summit to address issues of self-destructive behaviours and non-accidental self-injury including suicide in the international hockey community.

Issues that need addressing could begin with:

Suicide and life-threatening behaviours including non-accidental self-injury

Alcohol use and abuse

Driving while impaired

Drug use and abuse (prescription and non-prescription drugs)

Career and life transition issues

Playing while injured (concussed)

There is a clear pattern of behaviour in the NHL around alcohol, a pattern that is unhealthy and dangerous. Dale McCartney

In many cultures around the world hockey has an influential societal and cultural role in shaping and developing our communities. We believe that the if the international hockey community took a bold and honest leadership approach to these social issues, all of our communities will benefit.

To read more about world suicide prevention day 2011go to
 World Suicide Prevention Day:  International Association for Suicide Prevention
`
If you have come to this site looking for a crisis centre click on:

International Association for Suicide Prevention - Resources: Crisis Centers

Other HockeyHisotry.org posts on the subject (Click to Read):

 Hockey, Suicide and Suicide Prevention

Rick Rypien: Another Tragic Death in the Hockey Community

Wade Belak's Tragic Death: Enough Already NHL- IT IS TIME!

Just Group also writes about suicide prevention at:

suicidepreventionhistory.com

Lokomotiv Hockey Team Plane Crash Tragedy-McCrimmon and Demitra Confirmed Dead: Aviation and Hockey Part 5

The international hockey community grieves again......

This Years Locomotiv Team Picture
Photo: KHL

Sadly, today we are posting on another aviation disaster involving the loss of a hockey team.
Brad McCrimmon and Pavol Demitra were among the hockey team that died today in an aviation tragedy in Russia.  The  Lokomotiv ice hockey team  of the Kontinental Hockey League was on board the Yak-42 plane on route to Minsk to open their season against Dinamo Minsk. Shortly after takeoff the plane crashed into the banks of the river.  The entire team was on the flight. 45 people were on board, including 37 passengers and eight crew-only two have survived.

Reports now confirm that the following players/coaches are dead:   Czech players Josef Vasicek, Karel Rachunek and Jan Marek, Swedish goalie Stefan Liv, Canadian coach Brad McCrimmon, Latvian defenseman Karlis Skrastins  and defenseman Ruslan Salehi of Belarus.

In August HockeyHistory.org posted part 4 of our Aviation and Hockey series about a Soviet plane disaster that killed most of the hockey team in 1950:

Soviet Union National Hockey Team, the 1950 Airplane Disaster, the Great Bobrov and Stalin's Secret: Aviation and Hockey-Part 4

The Montreal Canadien Jersey with the Rare Logo

There is an interesting Montreal Canadien logo on this vintage youth hockey jersey that we have at HockeyHistory.org. We estimate the jersey to be from the late 1950's.  The H inside the C does not touch the C.  This is unique from all the photos we have seen of Montreal Canadien logos through the years. Perhaps we are unaware of this logo in use or perhaps this is just a replica from the era with an imperfect logo.

The site of this well worn jersey makes us wonder how many times a youth, while wearing it playing in the driveway of their home or on the streets of their hometown, scored the Stanley Cup winning goal in overtime in game seven; The moment announced by Foster Hewitt's familiar "He shoots, He Scores!" as arms and stick were raised high and triumphantly in the air! Our history, culture and our imaginations are filled with magical moments likes these!

We would like to hear from you if you have seen this logo before.