Being first is not unfamiliar territory for John Paris Jr.
In 1993, the former hockey player and coach from Windsor, NS, became the first black man to be named head coach of a professional hockey team.
Before that, he was the first black scout of the NHL and the first black coach in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
These are just a few of the many reasons why Hockey Nova Scotia is now spearheading a campaign to help Paris Jr. be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
Paris Jr. said, “I’ve always felt that I was a coach or GM by choice, and black by nature.”
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“I don’t think we ever think about that kind of praise because we’re so used to being in the background,” he said, “but when people step up and they do something like that, I respect them a lot.” , it’s polite.
On February 1, Hockey Nova Scotia launched a campaign called “Paris to Toronto” to garner support. change.org The petition has received nearly 2,000 signatures so far.
Prior to his transition into a long coaching career that spanned decades, Paris Jr. played in several professional leagues, including a handful of NHL exhibition games.
Due to battles with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and ulcerative colitis, Paris Jr.’s playing career ended in 1970.
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He said, ‘I did what I have always done.
“I looked for opportunities in an area I was comfortable with, where I could continue to grow and learn, so the coaching part of it became an integral part of my life.”
Paris Jr.’s brother, Percy, said his brother’s career came with a lot of sacrifices and he is proud that his contributions to the sport are finally recognized.
Percy said, “John Paris has been doing those amazing things his whole life, it wasn’t a day thing, it wasn’t a week thing, it was his whole life and he’s still doing it.”
“I think if John is included, it’s not only for John, but for all Nova Scotians,” his brother continued, “especially for the town of Windsor.”
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The brothers will face off as opposing coaches on Saturday in an annual exhibition game at Dartmouth. Organized by Hockey Nova Scotia and the Black Ice Society, the event is intended to serve as an official rematch of the Colored Hockey League’s 1895 Maritimes game.
Paris Jr. had family members who played in the All-Black Hockey League before it disbanded in the 1930s.
The campaign, started by Hockey Nova Scotia, has set a target of 2,500 signatures.
“If this happened, I think every young man would realize that nothing is impossible,” Paris Jr. said.
– With files from Global News’ Vanessa Wright
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