As the hockey world celebrates Black History Month, the Hershey Bears will spotlight several players who made key contributions to the 87-year history of the hockey club's tenure in the American Hockey League.
Before Tony McKegney became the first Black player to score 40 goals in the National Hockey League, he was lighting up opposing goaltenders as a member of the Hershey Bears. His stay in Chocolatetown, U.S.A. during the 1978-79 season was brief, but marked a significant chapter in the team's history and in the development of Black players in professional hockey.
McKegney came to Hershey by way of the Buffalo Sabres - at the time, a Hershey affiliate - who had drafted McKegney with the 32nd overall pick in the 1978 entry draft. After making his NHL debut and putting up 21 points in 50 games with the Sabres to begin the campaign, Buffalo management felt the rookie would benefit from more ice time, and McKegney joined the Bears on Feb. 20, 1979.
McKegney's arrival came with the 20-26-6 Bears fighting to stay afloat in the Southern Division standings and in desperate need of a boost at center - it was only a week prior that pivot Fred Stanfield had stepped behind the bench to replace Chuck Hamilton as interim head coach of the struggling Bears on the condition that he would not serve as a player-coach. McKegney, normally a left wing, began his tenure in Chocolatetown at center.
It didn't take long for McKegney to make his presence felt in his Hershey debut the following evening, as he scored his first goal as a Bear to break a 2-2 tie in an eventual 6-3 victory over the Maine Mariners.
Two nights later, McKegney scored the game-winner and chipped in three assists in a 6-1 blowout of the Rochester Americans.
Hershey was on a roll, and so was McKegney. Over the next several weeks, McKengey showcased his skill and poise on the ice on a nightly basis, and the Bears began to find their stride. By mid-March, McKegney had played in 16 games for the Chocolate and White, recording 14 goals and 15 assists for an eye-popping 29 points, while the club had gone 10-5-1 in that span.
On March 18, the Bears visited the Philadelphia Firebirds at the Philadelphia Civic Center to play their third game in as many days. Despite a 4-1 loss to the Firebirds, McKegney assisted on Doug Patey's second-period goal to earn a point in 17 consecutive games and tie the club record for longest point streak, matching Bob McManama's feat from the 1973-74 campaign.
But McKegney wasn't finished. He potted a pair of goals in Hershey's next contest on March 21, an 8-4 romp over the New Brunswick Hawks to take sole possession of the record.
"This was the first time since I've been here that I was really nervous before a game," remarked a relieved McKengey to the late Bears scribe Steve Summers in the locker room after the game. "Everybody kept saying, 'Just one point, just one point.' I was thinking about it. I had it in my head."
"This is the first real record I've ever set," McKegney added after receiving a standing ovation from his teammates in the locker room. "But I'm glad this part of it is over. I had some good chances in the first period and came up with nothing. I started thinking then that I might not get chances like that again. But [Coach Stanfield] kept telling me to just keep working hard and not worry about it. It was a great feeling to finally get it. And it was great having all the guys come off the bench to congratulate me on the ice after I scored it. I'm just glad it came in a game that was good for the team with a lot of scoring for everybody."
For good measure, he added another two goals in the following game on March 24 against Rochester to push his point streak to 19 games, before he was finally held off the scoresheet the following night against New Haven. All told, through his first 19 games as a Bear, McKegney had 18 goals and 16 assists for 34 points.
The rookie would eventually be recalled to Buffalo on April 6 as Hershey managed to lock up second place in the Southern Division and eventually secure their return to the Calder Cup Playoffs. All told, McKegney notched an incredible 39 points (21g, 18a) in 24 regular-season games for Hershey as he played a central role in helping Hershey return to the Calder Cup Playoffs after the Bears had missed the postseason in the previous campaign.
McKegney's impressive point streak would later be matched a few years later by another electrifying Bears rookie (Tim Tookey), and the record would eventually be surpassed in later years by both Wes Jarvis and Alexandre Giroux.
McKegney's success with the Bears also represented a significant moment for Black players in the sport, as he was one of the few Black athletes in professional hockey at the time. His skill and success in the AHL helped pave the way for future generations of Black hockey players, both in the AHL and beyond. For many fans in Hershey, McKegney became a symbol of perseverance and talent, demonstrating that players from all backgrounds could excel in the sport and make their mark in professional hockey.
McKegney never saw time in the AHL again after that 1978-79 campaign, and played parts of five seasons in Buffalo before moving on to the Quebec Nordiques, Minnesota North Stars, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Blackhawks, ultimately playing 13 full seasons in the NHL, contributing 639 points (320g, 319a) in 912 games. His 40-goal, 78-point season with St. Louis in 1987-88 marked the first time in league history that a Black player hit the 40-goal plateau and was the highest scoring season recorded by a Black player in the NHL until Jarome Iginla's Art Ross-winning campaign in 2001-02.
Game photo courtesy of Burr Lewis/Democrat & Chronicle
Written by Bears media specialist Jesse Liebman
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