All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. Season Players Videos. SN: Given what you went through in your career, does it make it tougher to hear stories of the abuse faced by players who came after you? The second person to achieve (and ultimately surpass) this milestone? It appears the Sabres have made a few late deals. He was a role model." Embed from Getty Images Getty Images Sport Graig Abel "I believe if he wasn't a black individual he would have played [more] in the NHL. Anytime I faced adversity, I said, Okay, Im going to put a couple of pucks in the net today for sure. And I was just going to show everybody that I was as good or better than them. The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2023. And I followed the advice that the great Willie O'Ree has given so many times: channel your energy into lighting the red light. Well give you the latest news when it becomes available, or feel free to add some more selections to My Favourites. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Some hockey portraits on this site are licensed from Images on Ice, Hockeys Photo Agency. Brent Jarrett played with him in Kalamazoo, Mich.,that season. Frequently Asked Questions about the NHL and Hockey, Subscribe to Stathead Hockey: Get your first month FREE. 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. Celebrating Black History Month: Tony McKegney - Die By The Blade Who was the first Black player to top 40 goals in an NHL season? It was a simple chip-in that just dribbled through the goalie's pads. McKegney scored 31 goals in 1986-87, 29 of them after being traded to the New York Rangers. Bailey, who is biracial, currently plays for the Vancouver Canucks and is in his second season with the organization. TM: It just made me want to be better. Black History Month spotlight: McKegney opens doors, fills nets I showed up there and I remember sitting on my adoptive mothers knee and looking out the dining room window at this ice rink. So that support carried over all the negative stuff that happened. That's how good he was.". Hes won Stanley Cups.. Would you like to create an account so you can see these Favourites on your other devices too? 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. Saunders was sent back to the minors, without any explanation. He even scored 40 goals for St. Louis in 1987-88. Buffalo looks to bounce back with a clean slate against another tough team. I take my hat off to Grant. He decided to sign as a free agent with the Nordiques because he felt they would give him the best opportunity to play right away plus, he would be reunited with Demers. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. 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. - Ability to add additional data to your career profile: Videos, Images, Social Media, Referrals, Fitness Testing Results and much more! There is one number, though, that says a lot about the season I had in 1987-88. 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. After leaving the NHL, he had a long, successful career in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. He is a member of famous with the age 63 years old group. Amateur Teams: Kingston Canadians. 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. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Until we get rinks in the inner (American) cities, I dont think thats going to change.. Saunders decided that was it. He was released on his own recognizance by City Court. Then the Buffalo Braves were there, the basketball team. It certainly didn't add up when I was moving to St. Louis before the start of the season. His point production dropped off, but he was still eventually called up to the big club. Tony McKegney erased any doubt that a black player could be a prominent goal-scorer in the NHL. 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. 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. McKegney was drafted 32nd overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. "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. {* traditionalSignIn_signInButton *}, Comment and participate in our online community. Of his 13 years in the NHL, he spent the most time with the Sabres. After playing for Pickering, Saunders got a full scholarship to Western Michigan University and played there for four years. While in Chteauguay, he played for Jacques Demers, who went on to coach the Nordiques and Montreal Canadiens. When I came along, obviously there were comments made, but I was so focused on what was happening on the ice. 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. Stay tuned to Die By the Blade over the course of the month as we continue to highlight Black players in Buffalo Sabres history. I showed up there and I remember sitting on my adoptive mother's knee and looking out the dining . I was at a Queens University hockey game. 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. 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. 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. BIOGRAPHY. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. 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. As a teenager he played Jr. 'B' hockey in Sarnia. SN: How did it make you feel when you saw it? * Some data is missing to provide a correct summary. 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. Tony McKegney Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com They started out with walker-type things out on the ice, and then they graduated to the point where they were scrimmaging, McKegney said. Former NHL forward Tony McKegney has been charged with impaired driving on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. "I could deal with it individually, but to see my son go through it was just overwhelming.". The focus was just on playing hockey. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Search instead in Creative? "I loved the game, but the game didn't love me.". Go inside the Hockey Reference Database. Join our linker program. At age 5, I started playing organized hockey. It's like a catch-22.". They were playing Ottawa and there were five black players in the game on the two teams combined. 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. (Born onFebruary 15, 1958) -- Tony McKegney was something of a pioneer in the world of hockey. We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. The Nordiques didn't have a farm team that year, so he was sent to play for the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, one of the Montreal Canadiens' farm teams. I feel that I had a pretty good upbringing. They were there for me for the most part. . WHA hat tricks courtesy Scott Surgent. Hockey players like Akim Aliu, Mark Fraser, and Matt Dumba are just a few of the guys using their voice in meaningful ways. Unlimited access for the whole family until Feb 21. How does that make you feel? Browse 82 tony mckegney stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. 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. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Wikifamouspeople has ranked Tony McKegney as of the . Part one focused on diversity and race in hockey, while part two reflected back on their time with the Sabres/Amerks. One of his teammates even offered to rent his apartment to Saunders, thinking he would need one since he'd be there long term. Tony McKegney erased any doubt that a black player could be a prominent goal-scorer in the NHL. Q&A: Tony McKegney on the NHL's overlooked generation of black players Sue G McKegney, 63 - Buffalo, NY - Has Court or Arrest Records - MyLife That's the biggest compliment for me.". That was my first exposure, to have a hockey rink in my backyard. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. McKegney was born in Montreal and adopted by a white family in Sarnia. And the support I got from teammates just carried me through some difficult situations. Enter Search Term. He would play 23 games with the San Diego Gulls in 1992-93 before retiring. Id like to make the best of the last couple of years.. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. I remember starting the season with 10 goals in the first 15 games and getting a lot of ice time. The next day, the other team's coach called to apologize for what had happened, which Saunders found promising a sign that things were changing, albeit slowly. As a teenager he played Jr. 'B' hockey in Sarnia. Other blacks are forward Dirk Graham of the Minnesota North Stars, goaltender Eldon Pokey Reddick and forward Paul Neufeld of the Winnipeg Jets. 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. I said, "I think sports probably helped a lot, because we were known as athletes and so forth. of 1 I just tried to shut everything else out. 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. But he was reassigned to the minors. His older brother John was the first to lace up skates. He has no evidence, he says, but he figures race had something to do with it. And if those people were wrong about his future in hockey, what else might they be wrong about? Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. We only use official stats. If my career took some pressure off of him, or anyone who looks like us, I'm very proud of that. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. / Special to NHL.com, Stanley Cup Final | Avalanche vs. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Bassin knew Saunders was getting racist taunts, but said Saunders always handled it in stride and never let it get to him. 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. 32) of the 1978 NHL Draft. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. 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. But by capitalizing on circumstances known by few, he has become an example for blacks who would aspire to playing in the National Hockey League. After playing for 15 years professionally, it was a hard transition and Im sure Ive made some mistakes and would do some things differently. Dating & Relationship status He is currently single. So, we laughed about it later on over a few beers. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. Youre a great player. He was a 4x 30-goal scorer and set career highs in 1988 with 40 goals and 78 points. Mike Harrington: His team looks good, even without Alex Tuch. 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. I guess, if you could say, the guy thats done the best is probably Grant Fuhr, McKegney said of the Edmonton goalie. McKegney was arrested June 23 and pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree criminal contempt on July 8, according to court records. Pioneers like Willie O'Ree, Angela James and Grant Fuhr will be featured. McKegney was born in Montreal, but was adopted soon thereafter, and raised by a white family in Sarnia, Ontario. I'd been chasing that red light since I started playing hockey at 3 years old. He is vaguely aware of the recent push to change hockey culture. Tony McKegney Wiki, Biography, Net Worth, Age, Family, Facts and More Of course, I also thought about the bonus clause in my contract, which promised $15,000 if I happened to score 40 goals (that was a lot of money in those days). Tony McKegney Tells His Story of How He Came to Buffalo | Sabres The funny thing is that Im starting to enjoy the game more than I ever have, he said. One house seemed perfect for me and my wife, Sue. SN: How has it impacted you as youve moved on from the game? 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. Find out more. "People just forget me because I didn't play. There was nothing special about the goal. When he was still a toddler, his family moved to the Toronto area. 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. Check out the Black Girl Hockey Club, a non-profit organization that focuses on making hockey more inclusive for Black women, their family, friends and allies. Saunders scored twice in his debut, and it quickly became clear to Bassin he should have been playing at a higher level. "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. This Birthday in Buffalo Sports History: Tony McKegney