Val James made history 39 years ago

[Marvin]

The first American-born Black player in the NHL.

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/val-james-historic-achievement/t-277437090/c-6880467

Part of the "Hockey Is for Everyone", which were discussing recently.

[Taro T]

13 minutes ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

The first American-born Black player in the NHL.

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/val-james-historic-achievement/t-277437090/c-6880467

Part of the "Hockey Is for Everyone", which were discussing recently.

"Player" is stretching it.  

Tony McKegney was a hockey player.  Val James was a pugilist  on skates.  James was in the lineup for only 1 reason.  Kicking the everloving snot out of Terry O'Reilly. 

[Andrew Amerk]

Not bad for someone who didn’t start skating until 13, and had to endure a lot of abuse to achieve what he did. 
 

Also scored the Calder Cup winning goal for Mike Keenans Amerks. 

[Cal Naughton Jr]

My hockey history isn’t that great and I had never heard of Val James until today. Pretty cool story. Especially the part about him only being in the lineup to beat the ***** out of Terry O’Reilly

[IKnowPhysics]

16 hours ago, Taro T said:

"Player" is stretching it.  

Tony McKegney was a hockey player.  Val James was a pugilist  on skates.  James was in the lineup for only 1 reason.  Kicking the everloving snot out of Terry O'Reilly. 

Eh.

16 hours ago, Let's Go B-Lo said:

That's a good enough reason for me.

Agreed.

I don't look back on the old days with rose-colored glasses; I don't slight a player's existence because of the state of the game in those days.  If an individual played, they played.  If they suited up with a Sabres jersey on, they're a Sabre.  Nothing borderline about having to dish out and take physical beatings on the ice.  Same thing for Rayzor, Boulton, Peters, Scott, et al.  If they went to war for us, they're a soldier.

And a games played argument doesn't work for me either.  They're not famous former Sabres, but Paul Byron, Jarolsav Kristek, Wayne Simmonds, Domink Kahun, Mike Hurlbut, and Scott Nichol are all former Sabres.

[thewookie1]

If you are a Sabres player for any amount of time, even Dalton Smith and Jaro Halak, and don’t burn bridges with the city then I see them as former Sabres and former combatants for our cause. 

 

[msw2112]

I remember, as a kid, going to a game with my dad and Val James playing it it.  I recall discussing that he was not a very good skater, etc., but I think it was kind of obvious that he was called up to bring some toughness to the lineup and was not being counted on to shoulder the scoring load.  Kind of cool to see a mention of him decades later.

[IKnowPhysics]

I'll further pontificate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_James

Quote

James was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 16th Round, 184th overall in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft after playing 2 seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for the Quebec Remparts, although he never played in any regulation games for the Red Wings.^[3] He also played several seasons, in the late 1970s, for the Erie Blades, in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL). James's propensity for using hip checks garnered notoriety in the Erie County Field House, home of the Blades. He signed with the Buffalo Sabres on July 22, 1981.^[4] James made his NHL debut for the Sabres during the 1981–82 NHL season, playing seven games.^[5] James became the first black American to play in the NHL when he debuted with the Sabres.^[6] He was not the first black American to be exclusively trained in the country; that milestone did not occur until 1996, when Mike Grier made his NHL debut.^[7] James was the first native-born Floridian to play in the NHL.^[8]

In 1983, while playing in the American Hockey League (AHL), under the direction of rookie coach Mike Keenan, James scored the winning goal for the Rochester Americans in the Calder Cup.^[9]

His next NHL stint came in the 1986–87 NHL season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing four games. As an African-American, James often faced situations at all levels of his career where he was the victim of incidents of racial prejudice by opposing fans, and, sometimes, opposing players.^[10]

On the ice, James became revered for his fighting ability. Spirited bouts and victories over noted enforcers Terry O'Reilly and John Kordic were part of his record. One of the NHL's all-time top enforcers, Dave Brown, singled out James as one of the hardest punching players, and toughest opponents, he had ever fought.^[11] After only 14 professional NHL hockey games a shoulder injury forced Val James to retire from the sport in 1988.^[12] After retirement he taught hockey for 10 years before leaving sports altogether.^[13]

From the NHL's article:

Quote

He endured unimaginable levels of racism along the way, on and off the ice, especially at road games in Southern states. "CBS News Sunday Morning" captured a particularly disturbing scene during a game in Virginia in 1981 where most of the crowd chanted a racial epithet at James.

James said he persevered through the indignities because he wasn't going to let anything or anyone deter him from his ultimate goal.

Taro is right.  Calling him a "player" is a stretch.

 

He's a ***** hero.

Edited November 3, 2020 by IKnowPhysics

[Andrew Amerk]

6 hours ago, IKnowPhysics said:

Eh.

Agreed.

I don't look back on the old days with rose-colored glasses; I don't slight a player's existence because of the state of the game in those days.  If an individual played, they played.  If they suited up with a Sabres jersey on, they're a Sabre.  Nothing borderline about having to dish out and take physical beatings on the ice.  Same thing for Rayzor, Boulton, Peters, Scott, et al.  If they went to war for us, they're a soldier.

And a games played argument doesn't work for me either.  They're not famous former Sabres, but Paul Byron, Jarolsav Kristek, Wayne Simmonds, Domink Kahun, Mike Hurlbut, and Scott Nichol are all former Sabres.

Ryan Vinz 

[Eleven]

8 hours ago, IKnowPhysics said:

Eh.

Agreed.

I don't look back on the old days with rose-colored glasses; I don't slight a player's existence because of the state of the game in those days.  If an individual played, they played.  If they suited up with a Sabres jersey on, they're a Sabre.  Nothing borderline about having to dish out and take physical beatings on the ice.  Same thing for Rayzor, Boulton, Peters, Scott, et al.  If they went to war for us, they're a soldier.

And a games played argument doesn't work for me either.  They're not famous former Sabres, but Paul Byron, Jarolsav Kristek, Wayne Simmonds, Domink Kahun, Mike Hurlbut, and Scott Nichol are all former Sabres.

 

4 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

If you are a Sabres player for any amount of time, even Dalton Smith and Jaro Halak, and don’t burn bridges with the city then I see them as former Sabres and former combatants for our cause. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Szczechura

2 hours ago, IKnowPhysics said:

 

 

He's a ***** hero.

Anyone who has read James's story knows this is true.  Thank you.

[PerreaultForever]

On 11/1/2020 at 6:36 PM, Taro T said:

"Player" is stretching it.  

Tony McKegney was a hockey player.  Val James was a pugilist  on skates.  James was in the lineup for only 1 reason.  Kicking the everloving snot out of Terry O'Reilly. 

Ya, he was a goon, but every team had them back then. I remember when he first came into the line up, he was built more like a linebacker than a typical hockey player in those days and that stood out for me. He could fight for sure, the hockey skills not great, but still, he played and he contributed what he was asked for. Good for him. 

[Andrew Amerk]

19 hours ago, Eleven said:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Szczechura

Anyone who has read James's story knows this is true.  Thank you.

I’m familiar with his story already, and didn’t realize he had a book out, so I had to order it. 

[Andrew Amerk]

On 11/1/2020 at 10:01 PM, Andrew Amerk said:

Not bad for someone who didn’t start skating until 13, and had to endure a lot of abuse to achieve what he did. 
 

Also scored the Calder Cup winning goal for Mike Keenans Amerks. 

Thanks @bob_sauve28 for 1,000