Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes recognized as event of national historic significance

CITYnews halifax / By Rachel Morgan

The Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes was recognized as an event of national historic significance by Parks Canada’s National Program of Historical Commemoration.

Through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and Parks Canada, the Government of Canada recognizes significant persons, places and events that have shaped our country as a way to help Canadians connect with their past. To date, more than 2,260 designations have been made nationwide.

In the late 1890s, Black Baptist leaders in Halifax created three hockey teams – the Eurekas, the Jubilees, and the Stanleys –with the goal of attracting young African-Canadians to Sunday worship and to foster a sense of pride within the community. The small local league of three teams soon erupted into the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes (CHLM), the only all-Black league in Canadian history. Despite prevalent anti-Black racism, that influenced the few existing hockey leagues to exclude Black players, the CHLM prevailed. The league also fought through poor conditions as a result of a lack of access to indoor rinks and ice time.

But the league provided a sense of community and identity for many young men, some of whom played throughout its entire 30 year existence. The league drew large, multiracial crowds and impressed mainstream journalists who reported on the innovative brand of hockey that founded fundamental techniques – including the slapshot and butterfly-style goaltending. The league served as a means for effecting social change and promoting equality for Black Nova Scotians.

But the CHLM endured many hurdles, including a suspension of operations during the First World War and rebuilding the league post-war. Continued racism aimed at players on and off the ice, along with economic factors, led to the disbandment of the league in 1925.

Nevertheless, CHLM players inspired generations of Black youth to participate in athletics, sharpening their skills and competing at high levels.

“The Government of Canada’s recognition of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes (CHLM) as an event of historical significance entrenches its importance in Canadian hockey history,” Bob Dawson, a sports writer, diversity management consultant and Black hockey historian, Diversity Management Consultant and Black Hockey Historian, said in a press release. “The league, through its highly talented players, who defied the established racist myths about their abilities and intelligence to play hockey, helped revolutionize the game as we know it today with their style of play and innovations such as the butterfly-style of goaltending and the slap shot. This recognition provides an excellent opportunity for all Canadians to learn more about the CHLM’s history.”