Herb Carnegie is a name every hockey fan in Canada should know. Carnegie, a Toronto-born hockey player of Jamaican descent, was widely considered one of the great players of the 1940s.
But Carnegie never played in the NHL because he was Black, according to the new documentary Black Ice. He faced racism at every turn throughout his career.
In an interview with Hockey Night in Canada back in 2009, Carnegie explained why he never played for the Toronto Maple Leafs. "I was good enough for the Leafs. [Because] according to Conn Smythe, 'I would take Carnegie tomorrow for the Maple Leafs if someone can turn him white.'" He played for Shawinigan and Sherbrooke of the Quebec Provincial League and was named most valuable player three times.
In 1948, Carnegie tried out for the New York Rangers — he was offered contracts three times, all of them less than he was earning in the Quebec league.