I have very fond memories of meeting Herb when he attended my minor hockey game when I was very young. I remember the advice he gave me about working hard, giving your very best and making sure everyone remembers your name.
Those words and his Future Aces Creed, a philosophy Herb developed to help promote responsibility and good citizenship in youth, has stuck with me my entire career.
I played with Herb's grandson, Rane Carnegie, who was another top player on the team. On our team we had four BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) players and we were all best of friends.
I remember a visit to Herb's house one day and my first reaction was, "Wow, he must be rich," as it was the nicest house that I'd ever been in. I was amazed by all the trophies and memorabilia Herb had acquired as a hockey player, 'More than Wayne Gretzky,' I thought as a young boy.
There were articles about him about being the Quebec league leading scorer and how he, his brother, Ossie, and Manny McIntyre formed the first all-Black line dubbed, "The Black Aces." Headline after headline about the so-called "Brown Bombers" and their dominance throughout the Quebec semipros made them superheroes in my eyes.
I was amazed by all the halls of fame (will become 14 on Monday) that he's enshrined in. I was impressed by his accomplishments off the ice. He was an amazing golfer who won 23 championships and was the Ontario Senior Golf champion in 1977 and 1978.
He was a successful businessman who was a consultant for Investors Group in Toronto for 32 years. I was most amazed that he started one of the first hockey schools in Canada. What an accomplishment.
I didn't fully realize the struggles that Herb endured and the depth of his legacy until I read his book, "A Fly in a Pail of Milk: The Herb Carnegie Story," when I was much older.
I'm proud to call the Carnegie family friends and allies in the continuing effort to make hockey more diverse and welcoming to all. Herb's daughter, Bernice, has volunteered her time to speak and mentor the young athletes in our Hockey Equality programs regularly.
She is, by far, the most energetic and best storyteller I've ever met. Rane, my friend and former teammate, does amazing work in the community as well. His son, Myles, is a great hockey player and has a bright future in the game.
I'm most proud to help lend a hand in the Carnegie hockey legacy as Herb's great grandson, Jacob, participates regularly in Hockey Equality programs. At 5 years old, I can attest he will be the best skating Carnegie!
I knew Herb was a superhero 30 years ago as a young boy and now I'm happy the world now knows as he will be forever immortalized in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
