Hockey trailblazer Bill Riley remembered after his passing

HALIFAX — Former NHL player and hockey trailblazer Bill Riley has passed away at age 75.

Riley died Sunday following a long battle with cancer. Flags in his hometown of Amherst, N.S. are being flown at half mast, and tributes from the hockey world continue to pour in.

Riley was the third Black player to reach the National Hockey League and the first Black NHL player from Nova Scotia. He made his NHL debut with the Washington Capitals in 1974.

“In the 1970s, it was an incredible accomplishment,” said Hockey Nova Scotia Diversity and Inclusion Chair Dean Smith. “He was very proud to know that he was the first African Nova Scotian to play in the National Hockey League and as a result, he spent the rest of his days contributing to help young athletes in the game, and young Black athletes in particular.”

Smith said Riley endured racism at all levels of his career, yet he remained positive about his hockey accomplishments and in retirement, he stayed closely connected to hockey.

In 2022, The Bill Riley Award and Bill Riley Scholarship were launched to honour Riley’s legacy.

Each year, two prizes are awarded to Black Nova Scotian players, in Riley’s name.

“It meant a lot to me, and I was honoured and proud to have won the award connected to someone like Bill Riley,” said 2022 winner and Dalhousie University women’s hockey player Evie Rothenburg.

“Knowing the impact he had, not just in hockey, but here in the community of Nova Scotia and the Black community, made it even more meaningful to me.”

Rothenburg said as she follows her own competitive hockey path, she continues to be inspired by Riley.

“He had such a big impact on me and so many people, and he opened so many doors for future generations,” she said. “It’s a huge loss and he will definitely be missed.”

For all his accomplishments on the ice, Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame president and CEO Bruce Rainnie said Riley is arguably best known for the positive example he provided for young players in his home province.

“Kids all across Nova Scotia, no matter their colour, when they read his legacy and they read his biography, they know with hard work, they can do it as well,” said Rainnie.

Riley’s NHL career included 139 games played with the Capitals and the Winnipeg Jets, scoring 31 goals.

He also won an American Hockey League Calder Cup championship with the New Brunswick Hawks in 1982 and served as a head coach in the QMJHL, as well as junior and senior leagues in the Maritimes and Newfoundland and Labrador.