Colored Hockey League facts for kids
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1895 |
| Founder |
|
| Ceased | c. 1911 and 1930 |
| Country | Canada |
The Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes (CHL) was a special ice hockey league. It was started in Nova Scotia, Canada in 1895. All the players in this league were Black. Teams came from different parts of Canada's Maritime Provinces. The league played for many years, until 1930.
Contents
History of the Colored Hockey League
How the League Started
The Colored Hockey League began in 1895 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was created by four important Black leaders and thinkers. These were Pastor James Borden, James A.R Kinney, lawyer James Robinson Johnston, and Pan-African organizer Henry Sylvester Williams.
The main idea was to get young Black men to attend Sunday church services. After church, they could play a hockey game against teams from other churches. Over time, the league became very important. It helped push for equality for Black Canadians. This was especially true with the rise of the Black Nationalism Movement.
Teams and Players
Some of the teams in the league were the Halifax Eurekas from Halifax. Another team was the Amherst Royals from Amherst. At its best, the league had teams in seven towns in Nova Scotia. It also had one team in Prince Edward Island.
More than 400 Black Canadian players took part in the league. They came from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. There were often as many as twelve teams playing.
Amazing Innovations in Hockey
The Colored Hockey League is known for some big changes in hockey. Some people say it was the first league to let the goalie leave their feet to cover the puck. This happened in 1900. Other leagues, like the National Hockey League (NHL), did not allow this until much later. The NHL started in 1917.
It is also believed that the first player to use the slapshot was Eddie Martin. He played for the Halifax Eureka team in 1906.
Lasting Legacy
Honoring the League
In January 2020, Canada Post released a special postage stamp. It showed the 1906 champion Halifax Eurekas team. This stamp celebrated the history of Black hockey players in Canada.
The story of the league is also shared in books and films. Darril Fosty and George Fosty wrote Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895-1925 in 2004. They wrote more about it in their 2014 book Tribes: An International Hockey History. The league's history is also shown in the 2022 documentary film Black Ice by Hubert Davis.
See also
- Black Nova Scotians
- Soul on Ice (film)
