Black ice

A new documentary looks at racism in hockey's surprisingly colourful past

by JASON BOGDANERIS

There's a song on Ween's country album that enumerates life's anomalies, and topping the list is "a brother on skates." For the longest time this encapsulated the view of most sports fans. Except for a few notable exceptions, black guys just didn't play hockey--and the conventional wisdom was that the issue was one of participation, not discrimination. On Thin Ice, a documentary due out in February, is an attempt to bring this untold chapter in the game's history to light.

The idea for the film was the result of a chance meeting between local writer/co-producer Max Wallace and former hockey player Mannie McIntyre. As Wallace describes it, "McIntyre was a member of the all-coloured line, who were superstars in the Quebec Senior League in the '40s [at the time one notch below the NHL] and they tore up the league." But despite their obvious skill, none of them ever got as much as a tryout for a big-league club. In fact, the first black player didn't break into the league until Willie O'Ree suited up for the Boston Bruins in 1958, over a decade after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's colour barrier. Wallace, who has been writing about the subject for over 15 years, believes the documentary is long overdue. "It sort of became a personal crusade to tell this story and right this historical wrong," he says.

Much of the focus of the film is on the undisputed star of the "coloured line"--Herb Carnegie, known as "the black Jean Beliveau." The comparisons to the Montreal great aren't mere hyperbole, and are supported by testimonials from Beliveau himself--a former teammate--as well as Hall of Fame referee Red Storey. "He saw them play and testifies to how great they were and is absolutely convinced that any one of them could have played in the NHL," Wallace recounts. Evidence of Carnegie's talent, and the racist environment which prevented him from flourishing, is summed up by an especially telling anecdote. Sitting next to former Toronto Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe, watching Carnegie play, Smythe turned to Storey and said, "I'd pay $10,000 to turn that boy white."

Straight shooter

Carnegie himself has no doubt that what prevented him from realizing his dream was "racism to the highest degree." He vividly remembers a night 62 years ago when, from the rafters of Maple Leaf Gardens, came a taunt unmistakably aimed at him--"Get the black bastard!" When he skated back to the bench, his coach Bob Crosby said something which he has maintained as his personal philosophy ever since: "Herbie, the way to answer that remark is to put the red light on."

While statistics from the league are sketchy, Carnegie remembers the line filling the net with 10 goals in a game against future star Habs goalie Gerry McNeil. And according to Wallace, "The team played one of the strongest Montreal Canadiens squads in history--Maurice Richard, Toe Blake--and tied them." The reality of the situation was brought home to Carnegie during the 1949 season when he was voted Senior League MVP for the third year in a row and once again saw his white teammates getting tryouts ahead of him. He came to the conclusion that he and his linemates were "living in a different world."

As fascinating as the story of Herb Carnegie and the coloured line is, the film is no Ken Burns-style Baseball documentary told with talking heads and still photos. Its ambitious goal is to explore the often troubled relationship of blacks and hockey in a cinema verite style. Directed by Daniel Cross (The Street), the narrator-less film also explores the situation of current players from pee-wee to the pros. Although there has been a significant rise in the number of players of colour since Wallace started writing about the subject, On Thin Ice offers no shortage of proof that the racism which kept players like Carnegie out of the NHL is alive and well. "All the other major sports have come to terms with their racist past, but not hockey," Wallace notes.

The thread that runs through the film and provides its drama is the quest of Richard Lord to have the NHL recognize the contribution of black players and induct Herb Carnegie into the Hall of Fame. Already known for his successful crusade to move the Jackie Robinson statue to the Big O, Lord is an immigration judge who was also the first black player to play NCAA hockey in the '40s. The link to the past is so tenuous for current players that, until the film, many hadn't even heard of Herb Carnegie.

La Pas Si Belle Province

While Wallace is encouraged by the NHL's recent move to create a diversity task force which addresses racism at the pro level, he feels not enough is being done to help younger players. "Black kids step on the ice and the other players and people in the stands are screaming at them, 'Goddamn nigger get off the ice,'" he says. He adds that many of the horror stories occur right here in La Belle Province. "We've gone to games in rural Quebec and people throw bananas on the ice the second a black player steps out." The most notorious example is that of Montrealer Tommy Kane. A standout minor hockey league prospect, Kane would often outscore Mario Lemieux at tournaments, but abandoned the sport in the face of racist taunts as a teenager, eventually becoming a wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL.

As for Herb Carnegie, the film will undoubtedly ensure that his legacy is preserved, even if Gary Bettman and his cronies don't do so officially. While what happened to him would be enough to embitter anyone, he reacted by opening a hockey school in the '50s and starting a scholarship fund called the Herb Carnegie Future Aces Foundation. An eloquent, stoic gentleman, Mr. Carnegie doesn't express any rancour when describing his injustice. His tone seems more incredulous than anything when he asks rhetorically, "How could people treat other people in such a dastardly manner?"

On Thin Ice should be finished in February and the first English showing will either be on the CBC or Sportsnet

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