As the hockey world has celebrated Black History Month, the Hershey Bears have spotlighted several players who made contributions to the 87-year history of the hockey club's tenure in the American Hockey League. Below is a list of all known Black players in the team's history:
Mike Marson: Marson was a draft pick of the Washington Capitals and only the second Black player in the NHL after Willie O'Ree when he made his debut on Oct. 9, 1974. Believed to be the first Black player in Bears history - making his Hershey debut on Oct. 15, 1977 against Nova Scotia - Marson laced up his skates for Hershey for 20 games with the Bears during the 1977-78 season before earning a recall to the Capitals.
Bill Riley: Like Marson, Riley was a fellow player in the Capitals system - at one point, becoming the first set of Black teammates and linemates in the NHL - and tallied 30 points in 51 games for Hershey during the 1978-79 campaign.
Tony McKegney: McKegney's time with the Bears during the 1978-79 season was brief, but the future NHL star notched an incredible 39 points (21g, 18a) in 24 regular-season games - while setting a then-franchise record for an individual point streak with points in his first 19 games for the Chocolate and White - and helping Hershey make its return to the Calder Cup Playoffs after a two-year absence from postseason play.
Steven Fletcher: Fletcher played parts of two seasons for Hershey from 1988-90. His 223 penalty minutes in that time were the fifth-most of any Bears player, despite playing in only 57 games.
Claude Vilgrain: The native of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti finished third in team scoring with 89 points during his lone season in Hershey in 1993-94 while serving as an alternate captain.
Shawn Wheeler: Wheeler joined Hershey midway through the 1993-94 campaign when injuries had decimated the lineup, producing a goal and an assist in eight games. Wheeler went on to win the ECHL's Riley Cup with the Charlotte Checkers in 1996 and was inducted into the ECHL's Hall of Fame in 2024.
Mike McHugh: The captain of the 1997 Calder Cup championship squad left his mark on the Bears in his five seasons with the franchise from 1993-98. McHugh is tied for 29th in franchise history with 282 points, 40th with 101 goals, 23rd with 181 assists, 22nd with 556 penalty minutes, and 31st with 366 games played - while making history as Hershey's first Black captain.
Bruce Coles: The forward played parts of two seasons with the Bears before the Philadelphia Flyers moved their AHL affiliation to the City of Brotherly Love in the 1996 offseason. Coles helped the Phantoms claim the Calder Cup in 1998.
Paul Jerrard: The two-way defenseman played 153 career games with the Chocolate and White over parts of three seasons, generating 52 points (20g, 32a) and 325 penalty minutes while helping lead Hershey to the 1997 Calder Cup. After hanging up his skates, Jerrard joined the coaching ranks, later becoming an assistant coach - and the first Black coach in team history - when he served on Paul Fixter's staff from 2003-05, and later reached the NHL as an assistant coach. Jerrard passed away from cancer in 2023.
Chris George: The forward signed with Hershey late in the 1996-97 campaign after his OHL season had wrapped up. George got into two regular-season contests with the Bears before serving as an extra skater during the Calder Cup Playoffs, but never touched the ice. He returned to university hockey, then spent three more seasons in the minors before retiring. George went on to serve as a wealth advisor and portfolio manager, and since 2020, he has served as a member of the advisory board to the Hockey Diversity Alliance.
Roger Maxwell: The rookie forward joined Hershey on a tryout agreement out of the Mississippi Sea Wolves midway through the 1996-97 season, and scored one goal while racking up 137 penalty minutes in 18 contests.
Maxime Boisclair: Appeared in one game with the Bears during the 2007-08 season.
Chaz Johnson: Appeared in one game with the Bears during the 2007-08 season.
Lou Dickenson: Skated in six games with the Bears during the 2007-08 season.
Shawn Collymore: Joined Hershey for 13 games during the 2007-08 season.
Madison Bowey: Bowey played parts of three seasons with the Bears from 2015-18, helping Hershey reach the 2016 Calder Cup Finals as a rookie. The defender also had his name etched on the Stanley Cup in 2018 as a member of the Washington Capitals. The blueliner is currently playing in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters.
Devante Smith-Pelly: After helping the Capitals lift the Stanley Cup the previous spring, Smith-Pelly joined the Bears in late February of 2019, and registered 14 points in 20 games with the Chocolate and White. The forward hung up his skates in December of 2022, and now works as a television analyst for Capitals games on Monumental Sports Network.
Jordan Subban: The defenseman appeared in one game with Hershey during the 2021-22 campaign.
Micah Miller: Miller signed with the Bears during the 2024 offseason, and has appeared in two games with Hershey during the current season, while spending the majority of the campaign with the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays.
Written by Bears media specialist Jesse Liebman
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