Season Players Videos. Coming into the next season, he thought he was a shoo-in to make the team. McKegney would remain with the Sabres through the 1982-83 season before enjoying a lengthy NHL career that took him across the United States and into Canada. 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. - EP Contact Book listing of your profile (optional) I was too timid to talk to a girl. McKegney still does alumni work for the Sabres and Red Wings. So that support carried over all the negative stuff that happened. Tony McKegney Goal vs. Toronto 12/13/80 - YouTube 0:00 / 0:44 Tony McKegney Goal vs. Toronto 12/13/80 Disengage 1.53K subscribers Subscribe 947 views 8 years ago Tony McKegney ties the game. After leaving the NHL, he had a long, successful career in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. "I believe if he wasn't a black individual he would have played [more] in the NHL. 1989-1990 Regular Season Fight Card NHL (1) 1987-1988 Regular Season Fight Card NHL (4) 1986-1987 Regular Season Fight Card NHL (1) 1985-1986 Postseason Fight Card NHL (2) 1983-1984 Regular Season Fight Card NHL (1) Instead, he was drafted 32nd-overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 1978 and went on to score over 320 goals. Its basically black children. He has no evidence, he says, but he figures race had something to do with it. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. NHL 2023. 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. I just pushed the stereotypes to the background and kept hockey in the forefront. TM: We never really talked about it much. TONY MCKEGNEY: I was adopted when I was 18 months old and I moved [in with my adoptive family]. When I came along, obviously there were comments made, but I was so focused on what was happening on the ice. Id like to make the best of the last couple of years.. Caught off balance, his foot went flying in the air. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Dont forget to read the Q&A we did with several Black players who spent time with the Buffalo Sabres organization. Saunders didn't seem bitter or disappointed about not quite making it in the NHL, Jarrett said. I wanted to be the best hockey player from my hometown. Tony was adopted by the McKegney family when he was an infant. So I did the only thing I could do: I focused on perseverance. But sometimes it comes back to haunt you. Tony McKegney has never won a Stanley Cup as a player. It brought back some ghosts and nightmares, memories for me, which I hadnt thought about in a while. 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. They started out with walker-type things out on the ice, and then they graduated to the point where they were scrimmaging, McKegney said. As a teenager he played Jr. 'B' hockey in Sarnia. When Saunderswas still a teenager, the family moved back to Quebec, to Chteauguay a town on Montreal's South Shore with a strong hockey tradition. 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. Next, select your favourite teams and leagues and well show you their latest news and scores in the My Favourites section of the home page. Do you have a sports website? Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. TM: It just made me want to be better. I was at a Queens University hockey game. I didnt talk to many people about it. 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. His point production dropped off, but he was still eventually called up to the big club. After playing for 15 years professionally, it was a hard transition and Im sure Ive made some mistakes and would do some things differently. 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. McKegney was born in Montreal, but was adopted soon thereafter, and raised by a white family in Sarnia, Ontario. 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 1978-79 until 1990-91. But it wasn't to be. Why did you feel like that was necessary? There is one number, though, that says a lot about the season I had in 1987-88. This is especially true for a sport like hockey, where community, respect, and teamwork have always been important values. McKegney was supposed to play in the WHA for the Birmingham Bulls, but the team illegally voided his deal after fans in Alabama threatened a boycott. Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. I ignored that coach, of course. '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. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. Buy his book. 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. Some hockey portraits on this site are licensed from Images on Ice, Hockeys Photo Agency. When the last road trip started, I thought about how meaningful it would be to end the season with a goal total that was a round number. (OHL). Did that ever dissuade you at all from getting into the game? But I always wanted to be, and knew I could be, a dominant player. 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. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. Oilers' Mike Green out three to four weeks with knee injury, Islanders re-assign Josh Ho-Sang to Blues' AHL affiliate. "I literally got through the game, went into this closet, and I just cried. My mindset was focused on maintaining a consistent level of play to succeed in the National Hockey League. He believes the colour of his skin is part of the reason he didn't. 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. 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. The Buffalo Sabres recently unveiled a partnership with local artist Edreys Wajed in honor of Black History Month. But he was reassigned to the minors. Tony McKegney. 6-0 , 200lb (183cm, 90kg) Born: February 15 , 1958 (Age: 64-344d) in Montreal, Quebec ca. It's like a catch-22.". I was scared to say a peep in class. 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. Year By Year Fight Totals. Join our linker program. Complete player biography and stats. The Bulls released McKegney from his contract, and he joined the Sabres as their second-round draft choice. Then the Buffalo Braves were there, the basketball team. My dad felt he could do something for the amount of kids that were homeless or without parents per se.. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Pioneers like Willie O'Ree, Angela James and Grant Fuhr will be featured. He is vaguely aware of the recent push to change hockey culture. TM: I knew John because we were teammates, we were roommates, and it seemed out of character for him. It was a personal best for me -- the first and only time I'd join the NHL's 40-goal club. Tony was drafted 32nd overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. Please contact us. And the support I got from teammates just carried me through some difficult situations. 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. "I could not imagine [why] this guy wasn't given a better opportunity," Bassin said. At the same time, he's disappointed that he's been excluded from conversations about the first black players in the NHL. 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. Tony McKegney weighed 200 lbs (90 kg) when playing. Hockey-Reference utilizes Official NHL data for current NHL seasons. He talked about him, his brother Ian, and his mother who lives in Kincardine. On June 15, 1989, Tony was traded to the Detroit Red Wings along with Bernie Federko in exchange for Adam Oates and Paul MacLean. McKegney was drafted 32nd overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. 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 . 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. He played six games and didn't score, but played well. 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. Tony McKegneny (c.) with his sons, Dan (l.), and Robert. Statistics of Tony McKegney, a hockey player from Montreal, PQ born Feb 15 1958 who was active from 1973 to 1993. Subscribe to Stathead Hockey: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Hockey Reference Database. Enter your email address to get a new one. 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. He became a standout in hockey while playing junior, scoring 135 points in 66 games in 1976-77. 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. It certainly didn't add up when I was moving to St. Louis before the start of the season. McKegney was born in Montreal, but was adopted by a white family in Sarnia, Ont. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. One was Saunders. Go beyond the basics. 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? McKegney left the NHL after 1990-91 with 639 points (320 goals, 319 assists). Obviously, I know Im on the back 9 - if you want to compare it to golf. And I just thought to myself, What are they doing out there? And I couldnt wait to go out there and join them at a year-and-a-half. Enter Search Term. With St. Louis, a team decimated this season by injuries, his presence has been more valued than ever was expected. 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. SN: Trevor Daley went through a difficult, racially insensitive experience with John Vanbiesbrouck. However, the team now had a new farm team, the Fredericton Express, and the organization wanted Saunders to play there. He played four games with the Nordiques at the end of the 1979-80 season, the team's first season in the NHL. 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. I dont have any theory why Tony has played with so many teams. Of course, sports will never make us color blind, and colorblindness is not the goal. He continued to score despite playing no more than three seasons with the same team for the rest of his career. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Sue maintains relationships with many people -- family, friends, associates, & neighbors -- including Daniel Mckegney, Daniel Mckegney, Marilynn Habberfie, Roger Habberfield and Tony Mckegney. He said, Just turn on the red light, which means scoring a goal. 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. I remember the dedication that my parents put into it when we were younger, driving us to rinks at 7 in the morning, he said. All Rights Reserved. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. He heard the N-word on the ice and from fans in the stands, and opponents always made sure to finish their checks on him. They were around five and six years old. Tony McKegney Height, Weight & Measurements At 63 years old, Tony McKegney height is 1.85 m and Weight 91 kg. Hockey players like Akim Aliu, Mark Fraser, and Matt Dumba are just a few of the guys using their voice in meaningful ways. When he was still a toddler, his family moved to the Toronto area. Still, I'd been thinking about that particular goal mark for a while. 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. 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. Odds & lines subject to change. Sabres Host Lightning in Saturday Matinee. I wanted to be as good as my brothers. I've always been a player that plays on enthusiasm, and I was just losing my zest for the game.". Sign up for EP Premium and verify your profile to access these benefits. 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. If I could be half the man my father was, Id be doing pretty well, he said. 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. He paved the way for me. With a Premium subscription, you'll get access to over 30 tools, features and benefits. The key is for him to keep working.. Of his 13 years in the NHL, he spent the most time with the Sabres. 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. It was like, all the emotions from my career, my life: it was too much for me," the elder Saunders said. Your existing password has not been changed. 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. He says he has moved on. 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. [RELATED: Black History Month coverage |Hockey Is For Everyone coverage]. If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search. I showed up there and I remember sitting on my adoptive mother's knee and looking out the dining . Forward Born Feb 15 1958 -- Montreal, PQ [65 yrs. Its a very expensive sport, and its more of a suburbia sport, McKegney said. Tony McKegney was born in Montreal, Canada. McKegney was born in Montreal and adopted by a white family in Sarnia. Tony McKegney erased any doubt that a black player could be a prominent goal-scorer in the NHL. NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. The things he went through were things I experienced in my time. 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 *} But on the ice, Saunders was still alone. TM: Its wonderful. It was wintertime and my dad had floodlights out there. Tony McKegney player profile, stats and championships. From the time he was in the crib, Jonathan was obsessed with the sport, and so he followed in his father's footsteps. I probably should have, and I never did that. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. Tony McKegney was born on February 15, 1958. 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. "I loved the game, but the game didn't love me.". Look, there's a Black player who did what some people said he couldn't. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. That was my first exposure, to have a hockey rink in my backyard. 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. I don't talk much about the taunts and racial slurs I faced in youth and minor hockey. '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. I loved basketball, football, baseball, golf. Saunders, 63, who now lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C., has since retired and written a book about his life. Find out more. 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. 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. There were a few other (skaters) that were sort of up and down.. Want to more about Him? He was told teams were interested in trading for him, but the Nordiques didn't let him go. I just felt defeated," he said. And the NHL has done a great job with helping. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. Things just felt right that year. McKegney was born in Montreal, but was adopted soon thereafter, and raised by a white family in Sarnia, Ontario. 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. - Verification Badge on your profile, Post a scouting report/trivia/player comment in English (visible here). 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. The Buffalo native was drafted by the Sabres 52nd overall in 2013 and began his pro career with the Sabres and Amerks. 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. SN: Trevor was able to persevere. Continue reading to discover who is Tony McKegney. Data Provided By "They always came up with their hardest stuff, their elbows and what-not, and tried to punish me.". Bernie Saunders, one of the NHL's first black players, never thought he would find himself coaching youth hockey. Back in 1988, I'm not sure if I realized what it really meant. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. NHL 2023. More Tony McKegney videos. 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. "It was just time. Not a lot from opposing, players, but more so from fans, that they just couldnt handle the fact that the pure white sport, was being dominated by a black kid and that was me. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). I wanted to be the best, that was a driving force. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. It barely made it over the line. Most of his limited NHL experience came with Buffalo; he also had a brief stint with the Philadelphia Flyers and their AHL affiliate. INDIANAPOLIS Along with the change in defensive coordinator with Leslie Frazier deciding to "take a step back," Bills General Manager Brando, The Buffalo Sabres' mostly injury-free season at forward took a decidedly darker turn Saturday night when the club placed top-line right winge, Frazier, who turns 64 in April, plans to return to coaching in 2024, the Bills said. Gambling problem? People weren't used to seeing a Black player succeed on the ice. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. As of 2018 Tony McKegney is 59 years years old. When you and your teammates compete together, practice together, eat together, and grow up together, you start to see people for who they are. Take control of your EliteProspects profile! He appeared in 363 regular-season games with Buffalo, putting up 127 goals and adding 141 assists. Lightning | Game 61, Sabres Acquire Jordan Greenway, Austin Strand. The people in our hometown of Sarnia, Ont., were so supportive through sports. And my teammates treated me like I was not any different than anybody. After scoring 36 goals for the Sabres in 1982-83, McKegney was traded to the Quebec Nordiques. His best season came with the St. Louis Blues in 1987-88, when he had NHL career highs of 40 goals and 78 points.
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