Black NHL players from Scarborough forge tradition of success, support

TORONTO -- Kevin Weekes was 5 years old when Mike Marson, a native of Scarborough, Ontario, retired from the NHL in 1980. As a result, he never got to see the second Black player in NHL history take a shift, deliver a check or score a goal.

That didn't stop the aspiring goalie from being motivated.

"I remember seeing his hockey card," Weekes said. "It was different. My family had moved to Scarborough when I was about 10 and it was so inspirational to see that a guy that was from there and looked like me had made it.

"I was inspired by everyone and anyone, but this was different. He was one of the pioneers. And he was from the place where I was now living. I had confidence in my abilities, but seeing what a guy like that had accomplished was cool. It was validation. If a local guy could do it, a guy from where I was living now, why not me?"

Weekes, now an analyst for ESPN and the NHL Network, played 348 games in the NHL for the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. He was 105-163-6 with 33 ties, a 2.88 goals-against average and .903 save percentage.

The "Why not me?" message has resonated for more than a quarter of a century in Scarborough, which became part of Toronto in 1998.

For 25 straight seasons, there has been at least one Black player with Scarborough roots in the NHL, thanks in large part to a hockey school that has included instruction, and even funding, by Black NHL players who have come from there, in turn inspiring younger generations of players since the 1990s. It's a trend Weekes said he embraces, especially with the NHL celebrating Black History Month in February.

"We still have a lot of work to do as far as making the game a place for everyone, but I'm proud to see how many Black players subsequently have come from Scarborough and continue to try and help hockey be inclusive," the 46-year-old said. "The Anson Carters, Joel Wards, Stewart brothers, Wayne Simmonds, Devante Smith-Pellys, all guys who grew up in Scarborough and can trace their hockey background from there, none of us have forgotten where we're from and what we can give back."

Sixteen years after Marson's final NHL season, Carter made his NHL debut with the Washington Capitals in 1996. He went on to score 421 points (202 goals, 219 assists) in 674 games for the Capitals, Hurricanes, Rangers, Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings. The forward, who grew up in Weekes' neighborhood and was his teammate with Toronto of the Greater Toronto Hockey League, started a run of Black NHL players from Scarborough that's still going.

Weekes entered the NHL with the Panthers the next year. Next came Anthony Stewart, a forward who made his NHL debut in 2005 and scored 71 points (27 goals, 44 assists) in 262 games with the Panthers, Atlanta Thrashers and Hurricanes.

Ward, a forward, made his NHL debut in 2006 and scored 304 points (133 goals, 171 assists) in 726 games with the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Capitals and San Jose Sharks.

Forward Chris Stewart, Anthony's younger brother, broke into the NHL in 2008 and scored 322 points (160 goals, 162 assists) in 668 games with the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres, Wild, Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers.

Simmonds, a Toronto Maple Leafs forward, has scored 521 points (262 goals, 259 assists) in 993 NHL games. He has also played for the Kings, Flyers, Predators, Devils and Sabres.

Smith-Pelly, a forward with Laval of the American Hockey League, has scored 101 points (44 goals, 57 assists) in 395 NHL games with the Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, Devils and Capitals, and helped Washington win the Stanley Cup in 2018.

The baton continues to be passed from generation to generation. The latest to receive it is Akil Thomas, a 22-year-old forward who was selected by Los Angeles in the second round (No. 51) of the 2018 NHL Draft and is playing for Ontario, the Kings' AHL affiliate.

Val James (l.), one of the earliest Black players in the NHL, with Scarborough native Los Angeles Kings prospect Akil Thomas during the Black Hockey History Tour mobile museum visit to Scarborough in 2020.

"It's a proud line of Black players from Scarborough," Thomas said. "I remember in my draft year, Anthony Stewart took me out for coffee and talked to me about what to expect. It meant a lot. I ran into his brother Chris and Wayne shortly afterwards."

Simmonds said offering help has always been part of the group's mantra.

"That's the way it works, right?" the 33-year-old said. "I remember when Devante lived down the street and would come to workouts with the Stewarts and I. He was younger than us, and if he wasn't ready to go, we'd go to his house and make sure his butt was out of bed.

"If you were from Scarborough it was almost like you came out of the womb with a hockey stick in your hand. It was a close-knit community. You take care of each other. It's one for all and all for one. I think that's why all the camaraderie we've built as Scarbarians has always been like that. We've always looked out for one another. You didn't take a day off until everyone took a day off.

"You have each other's backs. That's what it's all about."

* * * *

Sixteen years after Willie O'Ree became the first Black player in the NHL, Marson made his NHL debut for the Capitals in 1974. It had been his dream to play in the world's top league since he was a hockey-crazed kid in Scarborough like all his white friends.

"Tim Horton, the great NHL defenseman, was with the Maple Leafs at the time and he was one of our neighbors," the 66-year-old former forward said last year. "I remember we'd finish playing street hockey and would knock on his door. He was huge (5-foot-10, 180 pounds). He filled the entire door.

"There were so many athletes in our area. Steve Vickers, Rick Middleton, Rick Tocchet, all guys who played or went on to play in the NHL."

Marson said he experienced snippets of racism growing up, but it wasn't until he went to the NHL that the severity of the issue became real.

"You'd go to a place like Atlanta and the hotel would try to tell you you couldn't stay with the rest of the team," he said. "You'd come down in the morning and you couldn't eat breakfast with your teammates. They'd announce preboarding at the airport for the team but stop me and say, 'Sorry, it's only for the hockey players.'"

Marson, selected by the Capitals in the second round (No. 19) of the 1974 NHL Draft, quickly realized he wasn't in Scarborough anymore.

"Here's a young kid who turned 19 one month after turning pro, so you have to imagine going into that environment from Scarborough, where we'd had isolated incidents but nothing like this," Marson said. "I'm being told I can't go into places because 'No one here looks like he does.'

"Remember, I'm still a teenager. There was no playbook. There was no one to sit you down and tell you how things were. It was overwhelming. Meanwhile, my friends are back in Scarborough at high school going to Wexford Collegiate and not having to deal with any nonsense like this."

After six NHL seasons, Marson finally had enough and called it quits, having scored 48 points (24 goals, 24 assists) in 196 games with the Capitals and Kings. He was 25 and entering his hockey prime but tired of the slurs, the discrimination and the double standard he was experiencing.

He moved back to Scarborough and eventually started driving a bus for the local transit system.

"Hard to imagine someone had to give up their career because of racism and ended up a bus driver," Weekes said. "We went through things when we got into hockey, but nothing near that."

Ward is an assistant with Henderson, the AHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights. The 41-year-old said he'll never forget what Marson endured in the fight to create opportunity for others.

"I've often wondered if I could have done that," Ward said. "I mean, Mike and his story are kind of forgotten by a lot of people, but he's still a main piece of paving the way for guys like myself to get a chance to play.

"To be honest, 'Weeksy' was kind of my Mike Marson, the guy I looked up to. He went to public school with my brothers, and they'd play road hockey together. … I would fetch the tennis balls. And when he got drafted and was with the Panthers organization, I just thought it was the coolest thing and told myself, 'I want to do that someday.'"

So did Carter.

" just lived a few streets away from him and was one of the first guys in the area to have Rollerblades," said Carter, 47. "I think I was the first person in Scarborough with them. I would blade over to his place and then walk home. The next day he'd blade over to my place, drop them off, then walk home.

"From a hockey standpoint, I never experienced a lot of racism in Scarborough. It came more during minor hockey tournaments outside of Scarborough and Toronto. Most of my Black friends who didn't play, we didn't talk about hockey a lot. Now, ironically, years later, they'll thank me for living my hockey dream because it shows their kids to follow theirs."

Helping those dreams become reality was the Skillz Hockey School in Scarborough, which was founded in 1992 by Kirk Brooks and Cayos Levy so their sons would have a place to play and learn the game without facing prejudice. The instructors included retired NHL players such as Tony McKegney, who scored 639 points (320 goals, 319 assists) in 912 games for seven NHL teams.

"Going to camp like that and seeing a guy like Tony, it gave you incentive," Weekes said. "By the time I was a pro, I was underwriting the costs for the camp."

Anthony Stewart (back l.) and Wayne Simmonds (r.) at the Hockey Equallity mentorship program last summer in Toronto.

Ward, who had gone to the camp, soon became an instructor at it for Weekes. Ward joined as a consulting coach. Among those who'd attend were Simmonds and Chris Stewart.

"You'd see these guys who looked like us, who came from the same place as us, who were playing in the NHL, and here we were on the ice with them," said Chris Stewart, 34. "It made the dream seem more reachable."

And realistic.

"It was great incentive," Simmonds said. "It helped open doors even wider for some of us who actually made the League."

* * * *

Scarborough, which has a population of 630,000, was a popular landing spot for European immigrants starting in the 1950s. By the late 1970s, an influx of Asian and Caribbean families had started making it a desired place to live for different cultures.

"It's a melting pot," Weekes said. "The good part is that there are so many people from so many backgrounds in Scarborough. You want to succeed. And there's an edge to being from there, a toughness about you, a realness.

"Even though we have a lot of nice areas in Scarborough, it's not powder puff."

The East Side Motel on Kingston Road certainly wasn't, as the Stewarts can attest.

The brothers lived there from 1996-2000 in Room 29 with their parents and five sisters. Toronto's shelter spaces for underprivileged families were overflowing at the time, and the city turned to motels like the East Side, which charged by the hour, the day or the week.

"I'm still scared of rodents to this day," said Anthony Stewart, recalling the mice scampering around the room. "I mean, it's the type of place that gave you the incentive to do anything possible to get out of there and fight to be successful in life.

"There were hookers in some of the other rooms. Drug addicts were all around. There were stabbings and other crimes. You fought to get out of there."

The brothers realized sports could be a way out. Their dad, Norman, would scrape together used hockey equipment for Anthony, who'd pass it down to Chris, three years his junior. They'd make the 2-mile walk to the local rink through blizzards and rain, whatever it took to play. So after Anthony was selected by the Panthers in the first round (No. 25) of the 2003 NHL Draft, one of the first things he did with his $800,000 signing bonus was buy his family a new home.

Motivated by the struggles of childhood, the Stewarts, like many of the Black Scarborough players of today and yesterday, are trying to use their public platforms to help bring change and make the game available to everyone.

In 2014, Anthony established Stewart Hockey, a series of camps and clinics run with Chris with the goal of creating an environment where players of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds can advance their hockey skills. In 2020, Chris became a co-owner of Minnesota Hockey Camps, the brainchild of Herb Brooks, coach of the United States men's hockey team at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, in 1976.

Chris also joined Simmonds and Ward as founding members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance 19 months ago, joining past and present NHL players Evander Kane, Akim Aliu, Trevor Daley and Mathew Dumba. Simmonds said the concept of the group, which aims to eradicate racism and intolerance in hockey, was long overdue.

"People talk about bringing change to the game, but racism remains significant in it," Simmonds said. "Talk is talk. We need actions. And not just from us."

Weekes and Carter are part of the NHL Executive Inclusion Council, comprised of owners, team presidents, general managers and retired and current players. It is geared toward ensuring diversity and inclusion within NHL organizations.

"We all know that if the owners aren't on board, the Commissioner is not on board, the National Hockey League Players' Association isn't on board, then nothing is going to happen," Carter said. "Instead, it's the opposite. And it's great to see so many pulling on the rope in the right direction."

For Weekes, Carter and Anthony Stewart, their voices and push for change are magnified by their roles as national broadcasters.

Weekes became the first Black former player to be a hockey analyst on national television when he joined "Hockey Night in Canada" in 2009. Carter joined NBC Sports in 2013 as an analyst and has continued in that role for TNT this season. Anthony Stewart is an analyst on "Hockey Night in Canada" and midweek games on Rogers Sportsnet.

"This goes beyond playing hockey," Stewart said. "This is about showing kids of all ethnicities that they can be whatever they want: hockey players, broadcasters, whatever their dreams are."

Simmonds' dream of being an NHL player came true, albeit with a caveat.

When he was playing minor hockey, his mom, Wanda, made him promise that he would give back to his community if he made it to the NHL. Keeping his word, Simmonds and a friend created Wayne's Road Hockey Warriors in 2012, a summer ball hockey tournament in Scarborough aimed at raising funds to help children in the area of all ethnicities get the same opportunity he did to play the sport.

"We haven't had it in the past few years," Simmonds said. "Most recently COVID has kept me from initiatives like that. But there are some things in the works. The key is to help kids."

One of those kids is Flyers prospect Zayde Wisdom, a Black player selected in the fourth round (No. 94) of the 2020 NHL Draft.

The 19-year-old, who was living in Toronto's west end at the time, remembers traveling to Scarborough for one of those tournaments. Simmonds immediately took an interest in Wisdom, and the two have been close since then.

"We were struggling at the time," said Wisdom, a forward who has scored 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 18 games this season for Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League. "For a time, we'd be without electricity in spurts. My mom (Mairri McConnell) would say there was a blackout in the neighborhood. Finally, she told me when I was 13 or 14 it was because she couldn't pay the bill. It was a life-changing moment. You realize the struggle she'd been through.

"You go through things like that, you're looking for stability. Wayne has done that. I can call him anytime and ask him for advice. He has been so supportive for me on and off the ice, and I can't thank him enough."

In 2020, Simmonds was on hand to present Wisdom with the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence, presented annually to the NHL Draft prospect who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.

"For what people like Wayne are giving back to kids and creating hope for the future, I can't say enough," Wisdom said.

Simmonds was at it again last summer, invited by Anthony Stewart to speak to a group of kids as part of a mentorship program through Hockey Equality, a charitable organization formed by Anthony and his wife, Chante, in 2020 that partners with the NHL and NHLPA. The goal: to help hockey become more inclusive, both in terms of affordability and race.

"Hockey gear is so expensive now, so the generosity of people is so appreciated," Anthony said. "I have $20,000 of equipment in my garage right now that will go to kids. We were able to put seven kids through the Greater Toronto Hockey League for the season. And four of the kids who were in our mentorship program will be in the GTHL Top Prospects Game on March 1. I'll be coaching one of the teams; Ted Nolan, one of the first prominent Indigenous coaches, will coach the other."

As part of the Hockey Equality mentorship program, three summits were held in Toronto last year for Black, Indigenous and South Asian kids. Two more are in the works: one for girls, one for East Asian kids.

"Having an NHLer like Wayne speak to the group really helps," Anthony Stewart said. "It helps them understand the future. But it also educates them to the past, which is important. We named one of the first groups I had there after Mike Marson. It's important they know and appreciate the role people like that had in breaking barriers in the sport."

For Marson, the efforts of the Stewarts and the other members of Scarborough's Black hockey community are encouraging. But he said they must continue.

"It's good and these guys need to be commended," Marson said. "But there are a lot of guys out there who know what's going on who are tentative to speak out. The only way progress happens is if you keep pushing. It's good to see they're doing it, but more have to do it.

"The push for change can never stop."

Photos: Hockey Hall of Fame, Anthony Stewart, Kevin Weekes