Black Ice - CHL Colored Hockey League, Nova Scotia

floridaeels

9 May 200808:01

Summary

TLDRThe video explores the largely unknown history of the Colored Hockey League (CHL) of the Maritimes, founded in the 1890s by descendants of American slaves in Nova Scotia. Historians George and Daryl Fosty argue that modern hockey innovations like the slap shot and aggressive goaltending originated in this league, not with the traditionally credited white players. The CHL offered a platform for Black athletes to challenge social norms and showcase athletic talent. Despite its influence, the league’s contributions remain underrecognized, and efforts are underway to bring this forgotten legacy to light.

Takeaways

📅 Black History Month celebrates pioneers such as Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, Jackie Robinson, and Muhammad Ali.
🏒 Hockey is often considered a predominantly white sport, but its roots have significant Black contributions.
📚 Historians George and Daryl Fausty argue that hockey was influenced by Black Americans and Nova Scotian descendants of slaves.
⛸️ The Colored Hockey League (CHL) of the Maritimes, founded in 1895, introduced innovations like the slap shot and athletic goaltending.
⛪ The CHL was rooted in the church, emphasizing sportsmanship and athleticism over brute force.
🥅 CHL's players, including Henry Franklin, revolutionized goalie techniques decades before the NHL adopted them.
🏆 The CHL's success, with Black teams defeating white teams, often led to these teams avoiding rematches.
🕰️ Despite its contributions, the CHL collapsed after World War I and was largely forgotten by history.
📝 Efforts to acknowledge the CHL are still ongoing, with plans for a Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame in Nova Scotia.
🎖️ The NHL has yet to officially recognize the contributions of the CHL, despite recent discussions with the Fausty brothers.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the transcript?
-The transcript focuses on the contributions of black athletes to hockey, particularly the largely forgotten history of the Colored Hockey League (CHL) and its influence on modern hockey, challenging the traditional narrative that credits only white players.
Who are George and Daryl Fausty, and what is their thesis regarding hockey's origins?
-George and Daryl Fausty are historians who argue that the roots of modern hockey, including innovations like the slap shot and athletic goaltending, were introduced by black players in the Colored Hockey League (CHL) of the Maritimes, not by the white pioneers who are often credited.
What role did the Underground Railroad play in the history of the CHL?
-The Underground Railroad helped ferry runaway slaves to Canada, particularly Nova Scotia, where many settled and later contributed to the creation of the Colored Hockey League (CHL), as part of a larger legacy of African American resilience and ingenuity.
What was the significance of the Colored Hockey League (CHL) according to the transcript?
-The CHL was significant because it introduced key hockey innovations, such as the slap shot and more aggressive goaltending, long before these techniques were adopted in the NHL. It also provided a platform for black athletes to compete and prove their athleticism in a predominantly white sport.
How did the CHL differ from traditional hockey leagues of the time?
-The CHL emphasized sportsmanship, faith, and athleticism over brute force, which contrasted with the rougher style of play in other leagues. The league used the Bible as a rule book, adding a spiritual dimension to the game.
Who was Henry Franklin, and what was his contribution to hockey?
-Henry Franklin was a goaltender for the Dartmouth Jubilees in the CHL. He is believed to be the first goaltender to play in a non-upright position, a style that would later become standard in hockey.
Why did the CHL eventually collapse, and what happened to its legacy?
-The CHL collapsed after World War I, and within a generation, it had largely disappeared from collective memory, even among Black Nova Scotians. Its innovations were forgotten or ignored by mainstream hockey history.
What has been the response from mainstream hockey organizations to the CHL's history?
-Although the CHL's contributions are not yet officially recognized by institutions like the Hockey Hall of Fame, the NHL has listened to George and Daryl Fausty’s research and is in discussions with them about the CHL's history.
What role does the Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame aim to play in preserving this history?
-The Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame, led by Craig Smith, aims to give proper recognition to the contributions of Black athletes in hockey, including those from the CHL, and to highlight their overlooked legacy.
What challenges exist in getting recognition for the contributions of Black athletes to hockey?
-One major challenge is overcoming the entrenched historical narrative that credits white pioneers with hockey's innovations. Changing this narrative requires fighting against long-held beliefs and securing recognition for Black athletes who were integral to the sport’s development.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Celebrating Black History Month: Honoring Pioneers and Education

Black History Month is a time to celebrate well-known figures like Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, Jackie Robinson, and Muhammad Ali, recognizing their achievements. However, it is also a time for education, allowing us to learn about lesser-known historic figures whose contributions have been overlooked. Jeremy Shap introduces the story of black athletes who have been largely left out of history, especially in the world of hockey.

05:01

🏒 Black Roots in Hockey: A Forgotten Legacy

Although hockey is often seen as a predominantly white sport, historians George and Daryl Fosty challenge this belief. They argue that the roots of modern hockey, including innovations like the slap shot and athletic goaltending, can be traced back to black athletes in the Colored Hockey League (CHL) of Nova Scotia. These innovations were introduced by descendants of American slaves who settled in the region after escaping via the Underground Railroad. However, much of this history was lost or ignored.

⛪ The Underground Railroad and the Rise of the Colored Hockey League

The story of the Colored Hockey League (CHL) is tied to the legacy of the Underground Railroad. Many runaway slaves from the United States escaped to Nova Scotia, where they eventually helped form the CHL in the late 19th century. Organized initially as a church league, the CHL emphasized sportsmanship and athleticism over brute force. This marked a significant social development for the black community, using hockey as a vehicle to gain equal footing with the larger white population.

🏅 CHL's Innovative Play Style and Decline

The CHL was known for its creative and fast-paced play style, which included the slap shot—a technique credited to white NHL players decades later. Goaltenders like Henry 'Braces' Franklin, despite his small stature, were aggressive and broke conventional norms, introducing new methods of play. Although the CHL flourished in the early 20th century, attracting significant audiences, it eventually collapsed after World War I and faded from collective memory, even within the black Nova Scotian community.

⏳ Black Athletes' Contributions Erased from Hockey History

Despite the contributions of the CHL, black athletes have been largely erased from mainstream hockey history. The Hockey Hall of Fame does not recognize these pioneers, and black players like Willie O'Ree, who broke the NHL color barrier in 1958, receive limited acknowledgment. Efforts are being made to build a Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame in Nova Scotia to rectify this oversight and honor those who helped shape the game.

📖 Struggling for Recognition: The Fight to Acknowledge Black Pioneers in Hockey

The CHL's impact on modern hockey remains unrecognized by official bodies like the NHL. The Fosty brothers have presented their findings to the NHL's Diversity Task Force, but no official recognition has been granted to the Colored Hockey League. The struggle to give these black pioneers their rightful place in hockey history continues, as their contributions to the sport have been overshadowed for over a century.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Black History Month

Black History Month is an annual celebration of the achievements and contributions of Black individuals throughout history. The video ties this concept to a broader education effort, emphasizing lesser-known figures in Black history, particularly in sports, such as the pioneers of the Colored Hockey League.

💡Colored Hockey League (CHL)

The Colored Hockey League (CHL) was a Black hockey league founded in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1895. The video highlights its importance as one of the earliest hockey leagues that introduced key innovations to the game, such as the slap shot and dynamic goaltending, which were later credited to white players. This league is central to the video's theme of forgotten Black achievements in sports.

💡Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved African Americans to escape to free states and Canada. In the video, the connection between the Underground Railroad and the CHL is explored, with many of the league's players being descendants of American slaves who fled to Nova Scotia through this route.

💡Slap Shot

The slap shot is a powerful and fast hockey shooting technique, typically credited to white players in the 1950s. However, the video claims that this innovation was actually introduced by players in the CHL decades earlier, challenging conventional narratives about the development of modern hockey.

💡Henry Franklin

Henry Franklin was a goaltender for the Dartmouth Jubilees in the CHL, notable for his aggressive style of play. The video mentions him as the first goalie to play in a down-on-the-ice position, an approach that was later adopted by mainstream hockey, but Franklin's contributions remain unrecognized.

💡Jericho, New York

Jericho, New York, is a key location in the video, as it was a hub for the Underground Railroad. Many of the Black residents in Nova Scotia, including those who helped establish the CHL, trace their roots back to runaway slaves who passed through or stayed in Jericho.

💡Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is a province in Canada where the CHL was formed. It became home to many former slaves and their descendants who fled the United States. The video emphasizes Nova Scotia's role as a center of Black culture and sports innovation, particularly in hockey.

💡Innovation in Hockey

The video discusses several key innovations in hockey, including the slap shot and athletic goaltending, which are traditionally credited to white players. However, it argues that these innovations originated in the CHL, thereby reframing the narrative of who shaped modern hockey.

💡Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass

Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass are two prominent African American figures mentioned at the beginning of the video. Their legacy represents the broader theme of Black achievement, and the video draws a parallel between their well-known contributions and the lesser-known achievements of Black athletes in the CHL.

💡Recognition and Legacy

The video underscores the importance of recognition and legacy, particularly regarding the contributions of Black athletes in the CHL. It highlights the struggle to gain acknowledgment for their innovations and accomplishments in the face of historical oversight and the reluctance of institutions like the Hockey Hall of Fame to give them their due.

Highlights

February is celebrated as Black History Month, honoring pioneers like Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, Jackie Robinson, and Muhammad Ali.

Black History Month is an educational opportunity to learn about lesser-known figures, including black athletes erased from history.

Historians George and Daryl Fosty argue that hockey's roots are black and American, contrary to conventional wisdom.

The Fosty brothers authored 'Black Ice,' which chronicles the lost history of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes.

According to the Fosties, hockey innovations like the slap shot, athletic goaltending, and advanced skating were first introduced by black athletes in Nova Scotia.

The Colored Hockey League (CHL) was founded in Nova Scotia by descendants of American slaves, dating back to 1895.

The CHL emphasized sportsmanship and athleticism over brute force, with roots tied to faith and the church.

Henry Franklin of the Dartmouth Jubilees was the first goaltender to play in a more aggressive, upright style in the CHL, predating NHL techniques.

The CHL's slap shot was referenced as 'baseball hockey,' introduced 50 years before its official debut in the NHL.

The CHL flourished in the early 20th century, attracting large crowds and often beating strong white teams.

Despite black teams defeating white teams, rematches were often avoided due to fear and prejudice.

The Colored Hockey League collapsed after World War I, with its legacy largely forgotten by mainstream history.

The Hockey Hall of Fame does not currently recognize the contributions of the CHL to modern hockey.

The Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame in Nova Scotia aims to recognize and celebrate black contributions to the sport.

The NHL has begun discussions with the Fosties about the CHL's history, though there is no official recognition yet.