Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced the designation of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes as an event of national historic significance under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration.

In 1895, Black Baptist leaders in Halifax created three hockey teams – the Eurekas, the Jubilees, and the Stanleys – in hopes of attracting young men of African descent to Sunday worship and fostering a sense of pride within the community. This small local league would soon grow into the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes (CHLM), a competitive all-Black league in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, the only all-Black league in Canadian history. During this time, obvious anti-Black racism influenced the few existing hockey leagues to exclude/prevent Black players from joining their teams. At the same time, the league and its players faced many barriers, including limited access to indoor rinks and ice time. This meant that CHLM games were often played in poor conditions.

However, hundreds of determined men would go on to play in the league throughout its 30-year existence, entertaining large multiracial crowds and impressing mainstream journalists who reported on the fast, physical, and innovative brand of hockey the CHLM would become known for. It was in this league that many fundamental techniques – such as the slapshot and butterfly-style goaltending – were first introduced. The league would serve as a means for effecting social change and promoting equality for Black Nova Scotians throughout its time.

The CHLM endured through several hurdles, at one point suspending its operations and later having to rebuild as many of its members had served overseas during the First World War. Despite this determination, the continued racism the league and its players faced on and off the ice, coupled with economic and wartime factors, eventually led to the league's decision to disband in 1925. CHLM players inspired generations of Black youth to perfect/sharpen their athletic skills and, eventually, to compete at the highest levels.

The Government of Canada, through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and Parks Canada, recognizes significant persons, places, and events that have shaped our country as one way of helping Canadians connect with their past. By sharing these stories with Canadians, we hope to foster understanding and reflection on the diverse histories, cultures, legacies, and realities of Canada's past and present.

Quotes

"Today, I am honoured to announce the designation of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes as an event of national historic significance. The history of this league and its players is one that illustrates the many remarkable ways Black Nova Scotians worked to promote equality in the Maritimes and exemplifies the enduring legacy of Black heritage in Canada. By commemorating the national historic significance of events such as the Colored Hockey League, we highlight notable moments in the story of Canada and share diverse perspectives and experiences of people in Canada throughout time".

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

"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. 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."

Bob Dawson, Sports Writer, Diversity Management Consultant and Black Hockey Historian

Quick Facts

• Under the management of James A. R. Kinney and James Robinson Johnston, early 20th-century leaders for the advancement and equality of Black Nova Scotians, the league served as a means for effecting social change.
• CHLM matches attracted large and multiracial crowds and press coverage. In 1905–1906, however, a major dispute pitted leaders of the African Canadian community against landowners and the Halifax administration when railway companies wanted to run tracks through the seaside community of Africville, resulting in the CHLM losing ice time.
• The Dartmouth Jubilees' original goaltender, Henry Franklyn, introduced the butterfly style of goaltending in 1900, and around that time, the Halifax Eurekas' Eddie Martin began using the slapshot. That was before these techniques seem to have been permitted in other Canadian leagues, and decades before the slapshot was introduced in the National Hockey League (NHL).
• The designation process under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration is largely driven by public nominations. To date, more than 2,260 designations have been made nationwide. To nominate a person, place or historic event in your community, please visit the Parks Canada website for more information: https://parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/proposer-nominate.
• Created in 1919, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada advises the Minister of Environment and Climate Change regarding the national significance of persons, places, and events that have marked Canada's history. Together with Parks Canada, the Board ensures that subjects of national historic significance are recognized under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration and these important stories are shared with Canadians.
• Parks Canada is committed to working with Canadians in our efforts to tell broader, more inclusive stories in the places that it manages. In support of this goal, the Framework for History and Commemoration outlines a new, comprehensive, and engaging approach to sharing Canada's history through diverse perspectives, including shedding light on tragic and difficult periods of Canada's past.