Zoomer News Videographer Darrin Maharaj visited with Herb Carnegie who was named one of CARP’s Top 25 Canadians in celebration of Aging Canadians who have and continue to make a special contribution to our society.
Born November 8, 1919, Herb Carnegie was a legendary athlete; the first African-Canadian hockey star who enjoyed an outstanding career in the Ontario Hockey Association and Quebec Hockey Leagues in the 1940s, where he played alongside the famous Jean Beliveau.
Denied an opportunity to pursue his dream of playing in the National Hockey League due to racial discrimination, he channeled his energies in making a positive difference in society.
In 1955, he founded the Future Aces Hockey School, one of Canada’s first hockey schools and wrote the “Future Aces Creed”, a remarkable code of ethics fostering mutual respect, justice, fair play, self-esteem and self-confidence among youth.
In 1987, he established the Herbert H. Carnegie Future Aces Foundation to provide students with college and university scholarships and encourage responsible citizenship. In 1996, he published his autobiography, A Fly in a Pail of Milk: The Herb Carnegie Story. Herb is a member of the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada, an inductee in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, and Honourary Doctor of Laws (York University).
Herb remains a local hero in North York, Toronto, where Toronto Parks and Recreation renamed the recreation centre at 589 Finch Avenue West – the Herbert H. Carnegie Centennial Centre. Herb reflects the steadfast commitment of a community elder who continues to believe that each individual can rise above unfair treatment and be empowered to make choices that are a positive force for good in the community.
Keywords: Herb Carnegie
