October 9, 2024                         Gatineau, Quebec                                   Parks Canada

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. 

                                                                                                                           -30-