Carolina Hurricanes: Remembering the Players of Color
The Carolina Hurricanes have had six players of color in franchise history.
In a time where persons of color are subjected to injustices, let us take a moment to remember the six players of color who have played for the Carolina Hurricanes.
It’s hard to miss what is going on in the country right now. It’s not a political issue, It’s a social one. Persons of color like myself are continuously subjected to a system that places us as second class citizens. That even applies to sports, none more so than Hockey where players of color are rare to see.
It’s not a matter of if they can play, but a matter if they are allowed to play and play without being subjected to rampant racism that we are seeing so little diversity in the sport. There are many racial gatekeepers in Hockey and it has caused many people of color to avoid this great sport. Which, is an absolute shame!
Now I understand that many people are not going to like that I have said this. To them, I say, there are other articles you can go read. But if you are still here with me, take a moment to promise yourself that after you are done reading this article, you will go and seek out ways to support those who have been the victims of this injustice.
Whenever I see a player of color in the sport, I see inspiration. Current players like Ryan Reaves, Seth Jones, Anthony Duclair, Dustin Byfuglien, Wayne Simmonds, and P.K. Subban amongst others always inspire me and give me hope for the future of the sport.
But when I look into the History of the Carolina Hurricanes, there are really only six players of color to have ever donned the jersey, either Whalers or Hurricanes. I am not going to offer any commentary on that number, there are teams that have even less and teams that have more.
But let’s take a moment to remember these players who have been pathfinders and even torchbearers for the team and the community of hockey players and fans of color around the Carolina Hurricanes.
Ray Neufeld
Ray Neufeld predates the Carolina Hurricanes. He is the only name on this list to have played for the Hartford Whalers. But his impact on the franchise and the sport is valid nonetheless. Drafted 81st overall in the fourth round by Hartford in 1979, Neufeld joined the team that season scoring his first NHL goal in eight games played and became a consistent 25+ goal scorer.
He would continue to play for Hartford for the next seven years before being traded to Winnipeg who eventually traded him to Whalers archrival Boston. In his eleven-year NHL career, Neufeld played an incredible 595 NHL games earning 157 goals and 200 assists for 357 points.
He also played 28 playoff games scoring 8 goals and earning 6 assists for 14 points. He also has a hattrick of hattricks with the Winnipeg Jets across his first two seasons with the team.
Unfortunately, his career died in Boston who only played him for 15 regular-season and 10 playoff games across two seasons even with 0.6 points per game average. His production in Winnipeg never matched what he did with Hartford and he was never given an NHL chance again. His final season in Boston saw him play a single game.
He was one of the first players of color in the sport of hockey and holds the tenth spot across all NHL players of color in points and goals. His career was stellar and he endured racial slurs and antagonism from both home and away team fans.
He has always been and will always be the true player of color pathfinder in the Carolina Hurricanes / Hartford Whalers franchise history. Today Neufeld works in the oil industry but continues to keep close ties with the sport of hockey as a minor and junior hockey scout.
Derek Joslin
Derek Joslin truly only played for two NHL teams. The San Jose Sharks who drafted him in the 5th round as the 149th pick and the Carolina Hurricanes who traded for him in exchange for future considerations. His career is mired in healthy scratches, waivers, lack of qualifying offers as a restricted free agent, and arbitrations.
As far as his actual career numbers go, the defender has played 116 games across five years in the NHL scoring four goals and earning a total of 16 points. More than half of those points came in his short tenure with the Carolina Hurricanes who called him up and played him for a total of 61 games in the two years he played with them from 2010-2012.
After being placed on unconditional waivers and bought out by the Carolina Hurricanes he signed a one year with the Vancouver Canucks right before the 2012-2013 NHL Lockout. He was assigned to the Chicago Wolves and eventually the Worcester Sharks before being called up to play two games with the Canucks.
After failing to receive a qualified offer from the Canucks, Joslin moved to the European leagues where he has had a resurgent career and continues to play today.
For many Carolina Hurricanes fans, Derek Joslin is not a name they immediately recognize and remember as a part of the team at one point. But he is still part of a small group of hockey players of color to have ever played for the team.
Sandy McCarthy
Sandy McCarthy is one many Canes fans will argue ever played for the team at all. His Carolina Hurricanes career was so short if you blinked you will miss it. He only played a whopping total of 13 games for the Carolina Hurricanes in the1999-2000 season after being traded to the team from the Philidelphia Flyers.
He never showed up on the scoresheet in those games, unfortunately, but his 11 year NHL career is still impressive. With 736 games played in the NHL, the right-winger has 72 goals and 76 assists having played for six different NHL teams. While not the most impressive scoresheet, McCarthy was a large body that played physically putting pressure on his opponents constantly.
McCarthy was also inducted into the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame in Barrie, ON.
While his short career with the Carolina Hurricanes was extremely quiet, his career was complete with the controversy surrounding racial slurs with accusations going both ways. As a half black half aboriginal Canadian, he was always subjected to racism and often with several incidents miring his career.
Today he is the associate coach of the Campbellton Tigers of the Maritime Hockey League.
Anthony Stewart
Anthony Stewart is the most recent player of color to have ever worn a Carolina Hurricanes Jersey and play for the NHL team. A first-round draft pick by the Florida Panthers at 25th overall in 2003, Stewart did not have a very long NHL Career.
After finally breaking into the NHL in 2006, he only played 10 games for the Panthers quickly finding the first and second goals of his career. The following season also saw him play 10 games as his initial contract was pushed. His third season saw his games played increased to 26. Both of these seasons saw him kept off the scoreboard.
It wasn’t until the 2008-2009 season that Stewart saw a healthy dose of playing time. But he still found himself as a healthy scratch often. The next season he left the Panthers for the Atlanta Thrashers who sent him to the Chicago Wolves for the full season. There he found his game once again earning himself another contract with the Thrashers.
The following season he played the full 80 game season with the Thrashers scoring 14 goals and 25 assists. However, when the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, they did not opt to give him a qualifying offer and he became a free agent.
That is when he found his way to the Carolina Hurricanes who signed him to a two-year contract. He only missed three games with the Carolina Hurricanes. He had 9 goals 11 assists and led the team with a +4 rating, but was still send on waivers. Luckily he cleared waivers and remained on the team.
During the lockout in the following season, Stewart played for Nottingham Panthers of the EIHL. Upon conclusion of the lockout, he was traded to the LA Kings who placed him on waivers and sent him down to the AHL Monarchs and he never got another NHL chance again.
He continued to play in Europe up until 2016. Today he is an NHL Analyst for Sportsnet 590 The FAN and runs Stewart Hockey camps with his younger brother Chris Stewart, who currently plays for the Philidelphia Flyers.
Anson Carter
Anson Carter is probably my favorite player in this list, well he would be if not for the next guy. He was unapologetically black from the nappy dreads to the fact that he is the founder of a hip hop record label called Big Up Entertainment. For ten games, he was the coolest player on the Carolina Hurricanes roster.
Carter was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1992 NHL entry draft in the TENTH ROUND at 220th overall. He would never play for the Nordiques and had his rights traded by the Avalanche to the Washington Capitals where he would break into the NHL in 1996.
Carter was traded to the Boston Bruins in his debut season which would kick off a ten year NHL career that saw him play for eight different teams. Even though he has 674 games played with 202 goals and 212 assists, good for an incredible 0.61 points/game average he was passed around teams like a hot potato.
During that time he has earned many accolades from scoring the gold-winning goal against Sweden for team Canada in the 2003 IIHF World Championships to being the Canucks “most exciting player” after playing a season on a line with the Sedin brothers. Among all hockey players of color, Carter is sixth overall in points, fifth in goals and ninth in points.
Teams seemed more anxious to move him than actually play him. From 2002 to 2007 he played for seven different teams. His final NHL destination, the Carolina Hurricanes, was also the result of a trade for a draft pick with the Colombus Blue Jackets. He scored one goal for the Hurricanes and was not signed the following season.
He went to Edmonton on a try-out basis, played one preseason game and was dropped. He then tried to play for the European leagues following what many players of color have done but only lasted a single season and 15 games. Today he continues to manage his record label in Atlanta Georgia.
Kevin Weekes
Of all the names on this list, this is the one that you should remember. Kevin Weekes has been the name that Carolina Hurricanes fans will quickly get to when asked to name any players of color to have ever played for the team. For good reason too.
Of all the names on this list, Kevin played for Carolina the longest. He also had the most success helping the team go to the Stanley Cup finals in 2002. With 119 games played as a Carolina Hurricane Weekes went 39-54-20 with a 2.39 GAA and a 0.912 Sv % and eleven shutouts.
After being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2001-2002 season he quickly found himself in the playoffs. He played eight games going 3-2 as he helped Irbe push the team to the Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history. He only saw playoff action with the Hurricanes and the Rangers.
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He continued to play for the Hurricanes as the primary goalie for the next two seasons.
Weekes ended up playing for seven teams in his eleven-year career. Of all the places he has played, he played the longest for Carolina and it remains his favorite NHL team. Don’t fact-check me, just take my word. But in seriousness, he always has excellent things to say about the Carolina Hurricanes and their fans.
He has since moved on to doing broadcasting and unless you live under a rock you can easily find him on NHL Network on shows such as On the Fly and NHL Tonight. Weekes might be the only one on those shows who has yet to underestimate the Carolina Hurricanes and their fanbase.
I hope that more and more players of color rise through the ranks and are given a fair shake and a fair opportunity to make the NHL. This sport is for everyone and the more there are the more young people of color will aspire to play and the more they will rise up to inspire young athletes of their own.
Until then the only statement I can make is this:
Black Lives Matter
Next. Rangers have never gone toe to toe with these Hurricanes. dark