Exploring the long history of Black hockey in Nova Scotia

The Colored Hockey League began in Nova Scotia in 1895 and functioned until 1925but many its history is not widely known.

Teams from across Canada's Maritime provinces played in the league. In 2006, some of the players from those early years were inducted into the newly established Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame.

ThisAug. 25, 2006 report contains interviews, still images of the early players and archival film footage.

This content is being presented as it was originally created and may contain references or representations of people and cultures that audiences may find offensive or triggering.

Historic Black hockey league honoured with stamp

4 years ago

Duration 2:02

A once-forgotten black hockey league from Nova Scotia was honoured with a new postage stamp.

In this 2017 report, CBC's Colleen Jones interviews Damon Kwame Mason, director of Soul on Icea documentary film about the history of the Coloured Hockey League and the history of Black players in ice hockey in the U.S. and Canada.

Atthe time the report aired on Oct. 14, 2017, the NFL "take a knee" protest was growing.

Black Nova Scotian hockey pioneers honoured

4 years ago

Duration 1:43

Early Black hockey pioneers were inducted into the newly created Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame in this 2006 report.

In 2020, Canada Post issued a stamp recognizing the 125 years since the inaugural season of the pioneering league.

Augustus Adams and his team are featured on the stamp.Adamshelped form the hockey league in 1895.

His grandson, Wayne Adams, went on to become Nova Scotia's first Black member of Nova Scotia' legislature.

In this Jan. 23, 2020, report, Wayne Adams talked to the CBC's Jack Julian about the stamp and what it meant to him.

Soul on Ice

4 years ago

Duration 1:59

A 2017 look at 'Soul on Ice' a documentary film that critically examines the history of Black players in ice hockey in the U.S. and Canada'.

For suggestions on content to feature in CBC's online collection of African Nova Scotia archival material, please emailansarchives@cbc.ca

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of.You can read more stories here.