RIP Herb Carnegie

[Tigger]

His memory had dimmed, and glaucoma had robbed him of sight. At 92, Herb Carnegie was living in an assisted-care home in northern Toronto.

But Carnegie, who many say should have been the Jackie Robinson of the NHL, laughed with delight when he reminisced about his youthful hockey experiences.

?We learned to skate on the frozen ponds right outside the front door,? he said. ?When I was 7, my sister Bernice said, ?Hey, Herb, you can play!? Getting a compliment like that, at that age? Boy, you got your wings.?

Carnegie died Friday in a Toronto hospital, his daughter Bernice Carnegie said.

 

[ZBBM]

As someone said in the comments on the article, he was a far better man the world he grew up in.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Eleven years earlier, then-Leafs owner Conn Smythe saw his talent but wouldn?t look past his skin colour.

In an emotional interview on Inside Hockey with Hockey Night in Canada?s Elliotte Friedman in 2009, Carnegie broke down in tears recalling what happened.

In the late 1930s, Carnegie was a member of the Young Rangers Junior A club in Toronto. The team would often practise at Maple Leaf Gardens.

?I was good enough for the Leafs because, according to Conn Smythe, ?I would take Carnegie tomorrow for the Maple Leafs if someone could turn him white,?? Carnegie recalled, choking back emotion.

?I got that statement when I was 18. How would you feel? I can?t forget it because he cut my knees off, he broke my legs ? it?s horrible.

?I loved the game and I feel cheated. I didn?t get the chance to prove myself. I just had a door closed where I couldn?t participate. As much fun as I had in the game, I had pain because I couldn?t have that other step.?

He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 and was named to the Order of Canada in 2003.

Carnegie started a popular hockey school called Future Aces, then created a foundation under the same name to help empower youth through athletics and academics. His foundation also awards college scholarships.


Source:. CBC


A pioneer nevertheless.  Rest in peace.