Tony’s adoptive father, Larry McKegney, was a pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force and was stationed in India, where he was touched by the suffering of the countless abandoned and sick children in the streets. You always had to be a little bit better than you should be. “I started playing [hockey] when I was four,” he recalled in the Detroit News, “and there were. “[Racism in the NHL] is suppressed more than it’s policed,” he told Sexton, “and sure, it results in a small bit of loneliness. Therefore, it’s best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publication’s requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. 1939- McKegney had trouble at the end of that year, though, and his lack of productivity during the playoffs was cited as the reason he was traded again, this time to the St. Louis Blues. “Obviously I’m black,” he said, “but no; I just don’t think that’s been the case.” He would later give the notion more thought. This was in 1978, not 1958, and Birmingham had at the time 75 percent minority residents living in the city. Several accounts describe that he had three biological children, and decided to adopt three less privileged children, including Tony. By 1978 Tony had been drafted by the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL and was sent to the team’s minor league affiliate in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Tony McKegney; Born (1958-02-15) February 15, 1958 (age 60) Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Height: 6 ft 01 in (185 cm) Weight: 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) Position: Left Wing: Shot: Left: Played for: Buffalo Sabres Quebec Nordiques Minnesota North Stars New York Rangers St. Louis Blues Detroit Red Wings Chicago Blackhawks Varese HC: National ⦠“So that I could know a mother and father and family situation.”, Indeed, Tony speaks of an almost idyllic childhood during which he played numerous sports with his siblings, particularly hockey in the outdoor rink that their father had built in their backyard. Contemporary Black Biography. © 2019 Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. McKegney was drafted 32nd overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. In a 1986 New York Times article, McKegney described how his family would sometimes feel uncomfortable when in Detroit. When the Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association (WHA) drafted Tony in the mid-1970s, it looked as if he would finally be making it as a pro. During his five years on Buffalo’s team, McKegney played in almost all of the games and continued to score goals, netting 127, including 30 scored in only two seasons. In every city he played in Tony was described as an exciting player with star-level skills who could create offense. Tony McKegney Born February 15, 1958 Montreal, QC, CAN: Height 6 ft 01 in (185 cm) Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) Position: Left Wing: Shot: Left Played for Buffalo Sabres Quebec Nordiques Minnesota North Stars New York Rangers St. Louis Blues Detroit Red Wings A few years before, the owner of Birmingham when it was in the World Hockey Association, John Bassett, had to release Tony McKegney to the NHL's Buffalo Sabres because season ticket holders were complaining because McKegney was black, according to an online story about the Bulls. At age twenty, Tony McKegney signed a contract with the now defunct World Hockey Associationâs (WHA) Birmingham Bulls, 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. Born in February of 1958, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; son of a Nigerian father and Canadian mother; adopted by Larry With Buffalo he was thrilled to have an opportunity to play with hall of Famer Gilbert Perreault, 50 goal snipers Richard Martin and Danny Gare, and the talented Rene Robert. Tony McKegney was not going to join the Birmingham Bulls. “They say they never knew anything about hockey before…. Fluid, it’s not. Hockey is a beautiful game and I’m proud if I am responsible for exposing that fact to youth. ." During his career, Tony McKegney was resistant to answering questions about race. St.Louis, Chicago, and Detroit. “The way I feel now, I think I can score in every game.”. He is also well versed in pioneers of black culture, including people like Robinson. Anthony Syiid McKegney (born February 15, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1978â79 until 1990â91. McKegney was drafted 32nd overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. Discontented with the way he was being handled by the St. Louis coaching staff, he saw the move to the Detroit Red Wings—a team he used to root for as a boy—as a sort of homecoming. Yet he was being overlooked at the NHL draft table that summer because it was assumed that he signed with the World Hockey Association's Birmingham Bulls. Besides, it’s a cakewalk compared to what Jackie Robinson went through with the Dodgers in baseball. His longevity is unique compared to other black players who have experienced combative receptions and short, undistinguished careers. Faulk, Marshall 1973– Tony McKegney tells his story of how he... Jump to. At age twenty, Tony McKegney signed a contract with the now defunct World Hockey Associationâs (WHA) team in Birmingham, just 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. He arrived in Minnesota with less than 30 games left to play in the 1984-85 season and never had a chance to establish himself there; after only 11 games into the 1986-87 season, he was traded again, this time to the New York Rangers, where he became the first black player in that franchise’s history. But the most normal thing for Tony was playing hockey. "McKegney, Tony 1958– Though always a potent offensive player, it was perhaps McKegney’s strength of character that was the most impressive aspect of his career. New York Times, November 14, 1986; December 25, 1986; February 25, 1990. As a black hockey player in a predominantly white sport, McKegney has had to suffer the indignities of racial abuse from fans and opposing players as well as dubious treatment from management. He was adopted by white parents and grew up in a household with a brother, Ian, who also was passionate about the game. Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Tony McKegney In the summer of 1978, one of hockey's finest young prospects was Tony McKegney. At the last minute, the deal between Birmingham and McKegney fell through for political reasons. Retrieved April 17, 2021 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mckegney-tony-1958. Larry McKegney his father, was a pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force and was stationed in India, he was touched by the suffering of the countless abandoned and sick children in the streets. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mckegney-tony-1958, "McKegney, Tony 1958– Tonyâs childhood was similar to a movie script. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. In honor of Black History Month, TheFHN will be featuring bios on all the black hockey players who have played in the NHL each day throughout the month. Join with us as I delve into the people and stories that made the sport what it is today! Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. McKegney's WHA Fiasco: McKegney went lower than expected in the 1978 NHL draft because he had announced his intention to play for the WHA's Birmingham, Alabama, team. Because he is black, McKegney has operated under a different set of standards and perhaps a different set of circumstances in his professional career than most other players. Frank Joseph, P.C., B.A., LL.B. Sections of this page. The only time he noticed being treated differently was when the family would cross the border into Detroit, Michigan, to attend a hockey or baseball game. Storytime Hockey is written and produced by Travis Duncan. Contemporary Black Biography. Encyclopedia.com. His maturity, levelheadedness, and persistence were viewed as the ribbon on top of the Tony McKegney package. “That’s basically how I thought of myself as a hockey player.”, What scouts and coaches saw was a big, tough player by hockey standards—he measured in at 6’1” and weighed 200 pounds—who, although he had a unique skating stride, had surprising speed and was basically a good offensive player. Without his internal fortitude and persistence, he may have succumbed earlier to the pressures, criticism, and loneliness that are part and parcel of the experience of the black hockey player in the National Hockey League. Without us they wouldn’t have had a chance to play hockey, and that was very satisfying.”, McKegney often receives fan mail from kids, many of whom are black. “She did it for me, I’m sure,” Tony once acknowledged to Shelby Strother of the Detroit News, explaining his feelings about his natural mother putting him up for adoption. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. After signing with the Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association, owner John ⦠McKegney was the first Black Canadian hockey player to make an impact in the NHL. Professional basketball coach It was the subsequent 1987-88 season that turned out to be his most successful. The Bulls also drafted future standouts such as Gaston Gingras, Wayne Dillon, Michel Goulet, Craig Hartsburg, and Rod Langway. One of the most dynamic players in the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 1960s, Bobby Hull earned the nick…, Dumars, Joe 1963– ⦠If the fact that I’m black helped catch someone’s attention, then that’s good, too.”. Tony is the brother of Ian McKegney. But in 1984 McKegney was traded to the Quebec Nordiques as part of a deal that involved six players. 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. Press alt + / to open this menu. Email or Phone: Password : Forgot account? The McKegneys, who had three biological children, decided to adopt three less privileged children, including Tony. But you can’t dwell on it. Instead, he joined the Buffalo Sabres, where he became the gameâs first black star. Like many black hockey players before him and after, he would shrug off the questions and speak in generalities. Follow us on Twitter @storytimehockey ." Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. In his fifth year with the club, he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques for Real Cloutier, Jean Francois Sauve, and a first-round draft choice. “They say they get inspiration from me,” he told Strother. Tony McKegney tells his story of how he... "I felt so lucky to come to a team where it was established, and I got to play with some great hockey players." ‘Because of that, I have a half-running, half-skating stride. After two seasons he was on the move again, this time to Minnesota in exchange for Bo Berglund, Brad Maxwell, and Brent Ashton. At the time, all the threats were kept secret from the press. As Mark Everson wrote in the New York Post. But ugly racial threats in Alabama made him change his mind about the WHA, a league that would eventually cease operations a few years later. In St. Paul, Minnesota, for example, McKegney used to work with inner-city kids, teaching them to play hockey. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Professional football player In the NHL, McKegney would go on to ⦠But after scoring 21 goals in 24 games in the American Hockey League, it was time for him to be brought up to the NHL. Tony McKegney has always thought of himself as a good hockey player. Black players in ice hockey: | The history of |black players in North American |ice hockey|| has roots dating back to th... World Heritage Encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive collection ever assembled. Tony McKegney (born Anthony Syiid McKegney on February 15, 1958) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player, who played ⦠Follow on Twitter @storytimehockey Thank you to the following creators for making their music available. Encyclopedia.com. As kids we played all the time. In another instance, Bassett signed Tony McKegney, a black player, to the Bulls. Playing full time on the power play, McKegney scored 40 goals and added 38 assists, the resulting 78 total points being his highest as a professional hockey player. Tony McKegney After starring for the Kingston Canadians in juniors Tony was offered a contract with the WHA Birmingham Bulls. Facebook. “People looked at us and thought we were odd, but as a child I accepted it as the norm.”. Details about Tony McKegney Net Worth in 2021 and $1 Million - $5 MillionMcKegney was born in Montreal, however was adopted quickly thereafter, and raised by a white household in Sarnia, Ontario. Sign Up. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mckegney-tony-1958. (Tony McKegney, the fourth black player, debuted in 1978). As he moved through his career, he became known among managers for his rare leadership qualities, something that every team needs in order to compete successfully in the NHL. It was a situation that McKegney would later get used to, as he would face being traded six more times throughout his NHL career. Ian went on to play in the NHL for the Chicago Blackhawks briefly. McKegney went on to score over 300 goals in the NHL, including a high of 40 in his career. For example, Bassett used to allow fans of his Birmingham Bulls hockey team to bring Confederate flags to games. . Many fans threatened to boycott the team. Some of his former teammates commented that he was a âfun guyâ and maybe sometimes drank a little too much. . “He is more noticeable for his skating stride than anything else. Though not placed among the greats of the game, his career has been a long and productive one. That may have been partly true â the team was already in financial limbo. Born in February of 1958, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; son of a Nigerian father and Canadian mother; adopted by Larry McKegney (a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot) and his wife. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. However, it ⦠On January 6, 1995, Lenny Wilkens became the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) all-time lead…, Gretzky, Wayne They tell me that they have started playing. When I was younger, I had a coach who stressed that skating in hockey is like running in track. However, the date of retrieval is often important. “I never thought so much about my being black until I played professional hockey,” McKegney, who for three years was the only black in the NHL, told Strother in the Detroit News. At age twenty, Tony McKegney signed a contract with the WHA's Birmingham Bulls, 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. Canadian hockey player After the Birmingham Bull fans discovered that McKegney was black several season tickets holders threatened to boycott and the team management responded to the racial hostility involving him by illegally rescinding their offer to him. Canadian hockey player As a youth he showed exceptional talent and was eventually considered for the professional ranks. 1961- McKenna, Hon. “I was a scorer,” was how he described himself in the New York Times. As a small child, Tony watched his brother play hockey on the familyâs outdoor rink and could not wait to learn to skate and play with his brother under their homemade floodlights. He also finished that year with a plus/minus rating—a measure of his overall productivity according to a scale on which any positive number is considered good—of 10. Began as an amateur with Kingston Canadians, Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), 1976-78; played with Buffalo Sabres American Hockey League affiliate, 1978-79; professional player in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Buffalo Sabres, 1979-84; Quebec Nordiques, 1984-85, and 1989-90; Minnesota North Stars, 1985-87; New York Rangers, 1986-87; St. Louis Blues, 1987-89; Detroit Red Wings, 1989; and Chicago Blackhawks, 1990-91; professional player in Europe, 1992—. 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. When the Sabres traded Rick Martin to the Kings, McKegney scores 37 goals in the 1980 season and at that point felt very comfortable in a Buffalo Sabres jersey. 2021
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