Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895-1925.

by George Fosty

It was here on one occasion, a large crowd of Whites assembled in an attempt to stop him from giving his sermon. For fear of violence and repercussions from the large mob of predominately White men, the deacons of the congregation had pleaded with Preston to delay or postpone his sermon. Instead, Preston moved the sermon outside allegedly stating: “We will go outside, as the grace of God gives me sufficient power over men and Devils; hence I fear neither.” At first the crowd had drowned out Preston, stopping him from being heard by the congregation assembled outside. Unmoved by the hostility, he continued speaking, eventually silencing his detractors. Hardened pioneering men who had first assembled to stop the service were now crying and asking for forgiveness for the acts of what they had attempted to do. Many came forward at the end acknowledging their guilt, asking personally for forgiveness and prayers. Some were eventually baptized, becoming members of the church itself. This would be the first and last known demonstration of its kind in Dartmouth. It would also mark one of

the first incidents where a Black preacher had converted a White mob into his own parishioners.

Hockey would in turn become a game with ties to religion, social mobility, politics, and the emergence of Black Nationalism. For it would be hockey, not baseball, that would be the initial driving force for the ultimate liberation and equality of Black Canadians.

The first league to allow the goalie to go down on ice was the Colored League; the first goalie to do so being Henry “Braces” Franklyn.

“Slave Stealer,”

Five nights later, the Eurekas and Jubilees would be scheduled to play. Their match would be called off at the last minute, as the Jubilees could not ice a full squad. Not wanting to let the fans go home disappointed, H. Young of the Chebuctos, along with several of the Chebuctos players who were in attendance, quickly formed a team playing an impromptu game against the Eurekas. This would be a historic event, as it would mark the first recorded game between professional level White and Black hockey players. The final score was a 9-7 Eurekas’ victory. In a short period of time it was clear that these Black players had honed their game to the point where they could not only compete with the powerhouse White teams of Nova Scotia, but also defeat them.

The first “officially” recorded game between an all-Black and all-White hockey team would take place later that year, in 1900, as the Rangers played a game against the top Senior League team in Prince Edward Island - the Abegweits.

to would witness an emotion filled game, as