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There was one particular line from the Q&A with Dre Barone featured in our last “Carnegie Corner” that stood out to me. He commented, “as it's said, if you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re probably on the menu.”
“Having a seat at the table” is at the foundation of what we believe at The Carnegie Initiative (The CI). Our work to make hockey more inclusive and welcoming to all starts by being invited, along with a diverse range of others, “to the table” to engage in meaningful and substantive conversations. This isn’t always easy, and quite often not comfortable, but this is the only way that real change happens.
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You will read in this newsletter about some recent events in which The CI participated. We always appreciate the opportunity to attend any type of event where our voice can be heard. And, when we speak, we do so with a style of conversation that is rooted in warmth, comfort, compassion, kindness, and care.
Thank you for reading the “Carnegie Corner,” a newsletter intended to keep you informed about the progress being made to change the culture of this great sport we love. We invite you to join us at the table for a conversation. Together, we will make a difference.
Warm Regards,
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Bernice Carnegie
Co-Chair
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Bernice Carnegie Speaks at GTHL Annual General Meeting
The CI Co-Chair Bernice Carnegie delivered an impactful opening address to members, Board and staff at the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) Annual General Meeting last week. The GTHL is the largest minor hockey organization in the world.
Bernice’s message centered around the findings and conclusions from the GTHL’s “Roadmap for Change,” a document published in March 2022. Her talk tied those findings to the life journey of Herb Carnegie. She emphasized how her father broke the barriers and stepped outside the box to open doors for others. Bernice went on to state that hard work and perseverance are key to attaining success in life.
She relayed to the audience the importance of not going alone and that it is more important than ever to find a common ground and work together for the benefit of everyone. She closed by stressing the time is now to ensure that equity, diversity and inclusion are interwoven at all levels of the game so as to “pass the puck” to the next generation that will drive the sport to new heights.
Bernice was accompanied by her daughter, Brooke Chambers and nephew, Rane Carnegie. Several dignitaries were on hand at the meeting including Hockey Canada Chairman Hugh Fraser.
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Brooke Chambers and Bernice Carnegie pose for a picture with GTHL Board member
(and "ultimate hockey dad") Karl Subban and Hockey Canada Chair Hugh Fraser.
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Carnegie Family Well Represented at The Black Hockey Summit
The Carnegie Initiative (The CI) was well represented at the Annual Black Hockey Summit at Scotiabank Pond in North York, Ontario in early July. The CI’s Co-Chair Bernice Carnegie along with her daughter Brooke Chambers and nephew Rane Carnegie, both of whom serve as advisors to The CI, attended the event.
After 30 years of being known as the Skillz Hockey Camp, the event was rebranded this year and hosted by Hockey Equality. The weeklong summit, held in conjunction with Skillz Hockey and supported by numerous partners, attracted more than 200 kids. Skillz Hockey was founded by 2023 Herbert Carnegie Trailblazer Award Winner Kirk Brooks.
Rane participated as a skills coach and mentor at the camp. He attended the annual event for years as a child. He also was thrilled to have his two children, Myles and Mya, participate in the camp along with Bernice’s only grandson, five-year-old Jacob Chambers.
The summit brought together Black-led hockey programs from Toronto and surrounding areas to provide a unique experience for house league to elite Black hockey players to gather, improve, connect, and develop relationships. The event is focused on growing diversity in the future leaders of the hockey community.
Bernice took part in a special panel, Black Queens of Hockey: Straight Talk. The session followed the screening of the film “Ice Queens” directed by Kwame Damon Mason. It was moderated by Marsha-Gaye Knight and included three other panelists: Hockey Hall of Famer and The CI Board Member Angela James and players Dayton O’Donoghue and Saroya Tinker. The talk focused on their experiences, on and off the ice, as Black women.
The week was capped by a final day filled with off-ice activities as the participating children enjoyed music, special events and games along with a BBQ and ice cream truck.
|  | Bernice Carnegie, Angela James, and Kwame Damon Mason at the screening of the documentary "Ice Queens." |
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HCTA Winner’s Son Attends Washington Capitals Development Camp
Antonio Briggs-Blake, the son of Herbert Carnegie Trailblazer Award winner Alexandria (Alex) Briggs-Blake, spent a week at the Washington Capitals Development Camp earlier this month to learn more about coaching.
He is a junior at Adrian (Mich.) College where he is majoring in Sport Management and Entrepreneurial Studies and is a forward on the school’s hockey team.
Antonio was immersed in the team’s activities throughout the camp. He stayed with the team at the hotel where he joined them at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In addition, he attended meetings, participated in some on-ice drills, and accompanied the team on a trip to the Iwo Jima Memorial followed by fireworks on the 4th of July.
“It was mostly about learning, development, and connecting,” Alex shared. “It was a fabulous experience; one he won't soon forget.”
Alex is the President of the Tucker Road Parent Hockey Organization (TRPHO) and mother of former Tucker Road Ducks players including Antonio who hit the ice at age four. The Tucker Road Ducks are a predominantly African American ice hockey team in Maryland that suffered a devastating fire in 2017, which left their rink destroyed and their team without a place to play. Alex used her passion for hockey to rally her community together to build a new rink.
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Antonio Briggs-Blake inside the Washington Capitals locker room
during the team's development camp.
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Rane, the youngest grandchild of Herb Carnegie, is a motivational speaker, mentor, life and hockey coach. He followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, and pursued a path in both the hockey and finance industries. A first round draft pick in the 2001 OHL draft, he went on to play professional hockey in the AHL, ECHL, CHL and finished his career overseas in Sweden, Finland, and France. | |
CI: You and others in the hockey community give back by mentoring kids such as your involvement at the recent Black Hockey Summit in Toronto. Why is it so important for you to devote the time and energy to these efforts?
RC: Representation matters! Growing up in the game of hockey as a minority can be a lonely experience at times. I had an opportunity to give back and provide support that I wish I had when I was playing.
CI: Was there a particular instance in your life you recall as the moment you fell in love with hockey?
RC: I fell in love with hockey from the first time I stepped on the ice with my grandfather at Downsview Arena in Toronto. The smell, the sounds, the cold brisk air and cooling sensation you got when getting on the ice…. EVERYTHING! It was love at first sight!
CI: When did you fully understand the impact your grandfather had in blazing a trail in the sport?
RC: I’ve always known that my grandfather was extraordinary and well accomplished but there were five distinct events that I remember where I thought… “WOW… Grandpa is a really big part of hockey history and Canadian history.”
1) When North York Centennial Arena was renamed to Herbert H. Carnegie Centennial Arena.
2) When a junior public school in the GTA was named Herbert H. Carnegie Public School.
3) When he received the Order of Ontario.
4) When he received the Order of Canada.
5) When he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
|  | Rane and his son Myles inside the NHL Mobile Museum at the Black Hockey Summit. | |
CI: What are some of the most important lessons you take from competing in hockey and apply them to the rest of your life?
RC: Being a great teammate, having a positive attitude and working hard are three lessons that I’ve learned while competing in hockey that I try to apply into everything that I do!
CI: What do you see as the most immediate challenges The CI must focus on to see more progress in making the sport more inclusive and welcoming to all.
RC: I think that the most immediate challenges that we need to focus on to help see more progress in making the sport more inclusive and welcoming would be in our collective ability and willingness to be open minded and understanding to the diverse demographic of voices and experiences that hockey currently is. And, then actually applying those lessons learnt from those voices and experiences to make meaningful changes. It’s time to walk the walk. 💪🏾😊👊🏾
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A Poignant Message in July
The CI Board member Karina Villegas became an above knee right leg amputee in 1991 after being hit by a Venezuelan’s government vehicle in her high school zone. She was granted political asylum and became a United States citizen in 2010. Karina began her sled hockey career at age 40 and has been a member of the USA Women’s National Para Ice Hockey Team since 2016.
She delivered a moving message to the more than 400 attendees at The CI Summit in Toronto earlier this year. Her comments especially resonate in July as Disability Pride Month “celebrates disabled persons embracing their disabilities as integral parts of who they are, reclaiming visibility in public and interacting fully with their disabilities out in the open, and rejecting shame and internalized ableism.”
Watch Video:
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By the Numbers
Many guest coaches took part in the NHL Development Camps this month. Here is the list of those who participated through the NHL Coaches' Association's Female Coaches and BIPOC Coaches programs intended to increase diversity in hockey's coaching ranks.
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Calendar
January 2024 - The CI Summit in Toronto, Ontario.
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Help Blaze the Trail
The CI gratefully appreciates donations, large and small, that help us with our mission: “Work to ensure that hockey is inclusive, supportive, and welcoming to all.”
Please consider a donation today.
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Emily Engel-Natzke became the first woman to be a full-time coach in the NHL when the Washington Capitals promoted her to Video Coordinator in June 2022. |
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