Ron's American World: 06/01/2025

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

How the Colored Hockey League Pioneered Modern Hockey

When we think of hockey in Canada, who do we think of? Most people think of Wayne Gretzky or Gordie Howe, but did you know that Black men in the 19th century were some of the first hockey players who helped revolutionize the sport?

Decades before there even was an NHL there was the Colored Hockey League, a group of 12 teams comprised of African-Canadian players from across the Maritimes. This league pioneered many of the most used techniques in hockey today, while rising to levels of popularity that were largely unheard of for Black leagues at the turn of the 20th century. Until politics, war, and changing societal factors brought about the end of the league, and its near erasure from history.

In Canada, hockey has earned a reputation as a “white man’s” sport. This may be the case since white historians gathered most of the data and records used to establish hockey history in Canada. Few people knew about black men’s contributions to hockey in the 19th century. Hockey is not typically associated with the word Black in people’s minds.

Between 1895 and the early 1930s, all-Black ice hockey teams in the Maritimes thrilled mixed audiences and news reporters alike as they challenged each other to exciting matches and vied for the ultimate prize — the Colored Hockey Championship. More than a century ago, hockey played a huge role in Canadian Black culture on the east coast. The Black leaders of the day recognized it, and they used hockey as a vehicle for advancement.

Hockey fans may know of the Montreal Wanderers, the Ottawa Silver Seven, the Winnipeg Victorias, the Vancouver Millionaires, the Seattle Metropolitans, and some of the teams from the early years of the Stanley Cup. But very few have ever heard of the Africville Sea-Sides, the Halifax Eurekas and the Halifax Stanley, who were the original teams that formed Canada’s first organized hockey league, the Colored Hockey League.

The Colored Hockey League has perhaps the most intriguing history of any sports league in North American history. It was formed in 1895, pre-dating the formation of the NHL by more than 20 years. The league also pre-dates the Negro Baseball League in the United States. What makes it interesting is that the league was actually formed by the Baptist Church. The mandate of the league was to use hockey as a way of advancing young Black men to a level equal to their white brethren through a game that would instill the qualities of leadership, community, organization, pride, teamwork and determination.

Created as a means of drawing more men to church and strengthening their religious path, all-Black hockey also served to dispel myths about Black people’s abilities. With their fast-paced, physical games and down-to-the-ice style of goaltending, the players made real contributions to the game. While winning on the ice was a moment to celebrate, the greater triumph was the pride experienced by Black communities across the region.

“I grew up watching hockey without knowing the legacy of these teams,” said Craig Smith, President of the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia. “Telling this important story will broaden the public’s understanding of the contributions of the African-Canadian community in the Maritimes to our national winter sport.”

The St. Catharine’s Orioles were the first all-black hockey team in Ontario. The group was formed in 1932 by three white men- Ben Walker, a local quarry operator, H.G “Touch” Woods, and Wally Walker (Wilks, 2018). The Oriole’s played in the Niagara District Hockey league in Southern Ontario against white teams. They paved the way for future African Canadian hockey players such as Herbert Carnegie and Willie O’Ree. The team’s history has been “overlooked, erased, and ignored” (Wilks, 2018), even though their contributions to hockey shaped the game we know today.

The St. Catharine’s Orioles: A Forgotten History

Who were the St. Catharine’s Orioles?

St. Catharine’s Orioles 1937.

One of the only known pictures of St. Catharine’s Orioles is a group photo of the entire team. The photo first resurfaced in the 1970s in a newspaper called St. Catharine’s Standard. The photo plays a part in remembering the team’s past and has an important significance. It was taken beside the British Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Catharine’s. The church played a crucial role in the Underground Railroad, offering refuge and support to thousands of people escaping slavery. The pastor of the church, Ivan J. Moore, was a part of the team; all players were congregants there (Robson, 2016). The church is also closely associated with Harriet Tubman, who helped African Americans escape slavery in the United States. She lived near the church between 1851-1858 and eventually started attending there. The church is an integral part of Oriole’s history and the history of Black Canadians.

The St. Catharine Orioles were often referred to as “the first all-black hockey team in Canada,” but this is not true. While the Orioles were the first all-black team in Ontario, they were not the first in the country. The Colored Hockey League was the first all-black hockey team in Canada. Founded in 1895 in Nova Scotia, The Colored Hockey League ran for three decades and consisted of over 400 players. The Colored Hockey League (CHL) members were sons and grandsons of enslaved people who escaped to Canada through the underground railroad.

https://kpe.utoronto.ca/black-canadian-hockey-histories#:~:text=Black%20Canadians%20are%20pioneers%20of%20hockey.%20Two,over%20400%20players%20in%20a%20three%2Ddecade%20span.

https://thehockeywriters.com/colored-hockey-league-black-history-month/

https://defector.com/the-all-black-league-that-invented-hockey-as-we-know-it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e8sLVgOpsg

https://thehockeywriters.com/colored-hockey-league-black-history-month/#google_vignette

https://knpe397.wordpress.com/2022/10/20/st-catharines-orioles/