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Blacks & Jews in Dialogue

Herbert Carnegie Gets His Due

By Norman L. Epstein, April 19, 2001

Hank Greenberg endured. Jackie Robinson endured. Both succeeded in being the first of their respective minorities to break through the barriers of major league baseball. Despite the antisemitic and racist taunts and slurs, they withstood significant adversity and opened the doors for other players.

In contrast, Herbert Carnegie, perhaps one of the most talented players in the 40s and 50s, was not afforded the same opportunity and was denied entry into the NHL because of his "complexion". The words of hockey icon Conn Smythe “I would give $10,000 to anyone who could turn Herb Carnegie white” epitomize the overt racism entrenched in the hockey establishment at the time. Although he lacked the "opportunity to fail" on merits and was "crushed" and "angered", Carnegie channeled these powerful energies into a life’s work that far transcends the game of hockey.

Now, it seems he’s getting his due. The North York Centennial Centre is scheduled to be renamed in his honour on Wednesday, May 2^nd.

In February, the Black-Jewish Dialogue honoured 81-year-old for his great contribution to the community and for his tenacious resolve and resilience to overcome adversity. Carnegie started his career in Sherbrooke in the Quebec Senior Circuit, a league that was frequently a stepping-stone to the NHL. He played centre on an all Black line with his brother, Ossie, on one wing and Manny McIntyre on the other. The line was one of the highest scoring lines in the league, and Carnegie was named MVP for three successive seasons, 1944-47. In 1949, Carnegie was traded to the Quebec Aces, where he played with the likes of Jean Beliveau and Doug Harvey and coached by the dynamic Punch Imlach.

Carnegie was a centreman who had the potential to be an outstanding NHL player, but that door was shut. Carnegie was justifiably angry, but did not allow bitterness to destroy him.

In 1956, Carnegie started the first Canadian Hockey School. He wanted to teach not only the skills of hockey, but also the skills of life. To achieve this, he founded the Future Aces, a charitable foundation that is run today by his daughter, Bernice.

Future Aces is linked to 90 schools, mostly in Ontario but also as far away as South Africa and Hong Kong. The program helps to ensure a safe environment for study and responsible behaviour by students, and offers scholarships to students who fulfill the program’s principles and want to go on to post-secondary education. Carnegie has also written a book A Fly In A Pail of Milk, and continues to lecture in elementary schools four or five days a week.

At a time when playing the victim has become a popular pastime, Carnegie proves that it’s possible to overcome circumstance. He told the Black-Jewish Dialogue, “it’s not what happens to you, but how you respond.”

Though he is now an 81-year-old man blinded by glaucoma, Carnegie still presents an image of great vision infused with serenity. In a world where professional athletes seek multi-million dollar contracts, Herb Carnegie is priceless.

Herb Carnegie gets His Due

From left to right: Judge Arthur Downes, Herbert H. Carnegie, Audrey Carnegie, Bernice Carnegie, Harvey Starkman, Dr. Lorne Foster

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