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Minnesota Wild doctor highlights Black hockey history
The Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes was created by a group of Black churches in Nova Scotia more than 20 years before the NHL was formed. FOX 9's Maury Glover has a "Voices for Change" story that examines the impact it had.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - An all-Black hockey league in Canada played a pivotal role in modernizing the sport over a century ago.
The Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes
What we know:
Dr. Joel Boyd, who served as the team doctor for the Minnesota Wild for over two decades, was part of the U.S. men's hockey team that won gold in the Winter Olympics in Milan.
As the first African American physician in the NHL, Boyd is keenly aware of the contributions Black people have made to hockey.
"I think it's one of those things where people I think should know and also take pride in what came before," said Boyd.
‘I am thrilled that it existed before’
The backstory:
The Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes was created by a group of Black churches in Nova Scotia more than 20 years before the NHL was formed. The league was established to keep African American men engaged in church life.
Teams like the Africville Sea-Sides and the Halifax Eurekas competed from the mid-1890s to the early 1930s, until a lack of resources led to the league's dissolution.
"It was fast-paced, quick moving, celebrations after goals, I can just imagine how much fun they were having," said Boyd.
‘It doesn’t surprise me’
What they're saying:
Boyd expressed pride in the league's legacy.
"Africans in any country played a significant role in the development of the world, period. And so this is just another area that's uncovered what African North Americans were involved in," he said.
Boyd also noted that some techniques first used in the Colored Hockey League, such as allowing goalies to drop to their knees to block shots and an early form of the slapshot, are still part of hockey today.
Hockey is for everyone
Dig deeper:
In recent years, the NHL has launched several initiatives to make hockey more inclusive. Boyd believes the CHL is proof that people of color have long been part of the sport's history.
"I think that it demonstrates that hockey is for everyone. Just like the slogan for the NHL. And we should go back to trying to include everyone," said Boyd.