Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes honoured as part of Black History Month celebrations

On Feb. 15, the league’s 130th anniversary will be celebrated. (Hockey Nova Scotia/Black Ice Society)

The Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes began in Nova Scotia in 1895 and folded around 1930.

The all-black hockey league featured a group of teams sprinkled in cities around the Maritimes and was seen as a symbol for equality and advancement for African-Canadians.

On Feb. 15 in Dartmouth, N.S., the league’s 130th anniversary will be celebrated with a commemorative exhibition as part of Black History Month.

“We are celebrating the very first recorded game, which happened February 27, 1895, between the Halifax Eurekas and Dartmouth Jubilees,” said Hockey Nova Scotia Diversity and Inclusion Chair Dean Smith.

Bill Riley will also be honoured in a pre-game ceremony. Riley was the first African-Nova Scotian to reach the National Hockey League. More than four decades after his playing days ended, Riley looks back on what he calls his improbable journey to the NHL and his special place in hockey history.

“For me, growing up and watching those famous arenas on TV and then the fact that little old me from Amherst, Nova Scotia, was actually playing in these arenas, that was very special to me,” said Riley.

According to former Saint Mary’s University star player Percy Paris, celebrating the legacy of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes sends and inclusive message, that the contributions of those trailblazing players from long ago will never be forgotten.

“We are part of the fabric of this country, and we made contributions,” said Paris. “And so, to be recognized for those contributions is so rewarding.”

Over the past several years, as local organizers continue to honour and spotlight the legacy of the CHL, non-profit organizations and companies have stepped forward to assist in with the effort.

“It is a partnership between the Black Ice Society, Hockey Nova Scotia and the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia,” said Smith. “We also have had sponsorship coming in from everywhere with Hockey Canada, Pro Hockey Life, Jumpstart Charities and the NHL.”

The exhibition game will feature a mix of current high-level hockey players playing alongside some former local stars, all coming together in a celebration of a meaningful chapter in Canadian history.