Born in Halifax and adopted into a white family in Sarnia, Ontario, Mike McKegney grew up on a backyard rink that helped shape three high-level players: Mike, his older brother Ian (who reached the NHL with Chicago), and his younger brother Tony (who starred in the NHL with Buffalo, St. Louis, and Quebec). In this candid conversation, Mike reflects on his adoption journey, growing up as a Black player in 1960s–70s Canadian hockey, and becoming the first Black player ever signed by the Montreal Canadiens. He shares stories from Sarnia minor hockey, the Kitchener Rangers, pro stops in Nova Scotia, the NAHL, San Francisco, and Switzerland, and what it was like to skate alongside legends in Montreal’s system. Mike also opens up about his experience with hockey's drinking culture in the 1970s, his own struggle with addiction, and how it derailed his NHL ambitions, and the 26 years of sobriety that transform his life. With honesty and humility, he looks back on what might have been, what he’s learned, and why he’s ultimately grateful, for his family, his career, and his life now in Belize.
