SPHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings coach reflects on racial struggles in professional hockey

Published on January 13, 2003 under SPHL (SPHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


RiverKings Assistant Coach Dave "Midnite" Nicholls knows what it's like to persevere in the face of obstacles and ridicule. As one of the first 10 black athletes to play professional hockey, Nicholls faced racial discrimination from the moment he played his first game. As a child, his natural talent was in other sports.

"I was much better at soccer and football," Nicholls said. "I just wanted to play hockey because there weren't a lot of blacks playing. It was more of a challenge to me, rather than to play two sports where I was gifted."

Before Nicholls began playing in Canadian Major Junior Hockey, his father took him to meet Willie O'Ree, the first black athlete in hockey, who now serves as the NHL Diversity program director.

"It kind of gave me confidence," Nicholls said. "He told me to keep my chin up and keep playing no matter what—that sort of thing. It set me in the right direction."

During Nicholls' first year with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey League, there were no other blacks in the league. Nicholls said racial slurs were a part of competition for him.

"I got it every game," he said. "People dressed up as gorillas, I got bananas thrown at me, basketballs thrown at me, footballs thrown at me—anything that could be construed as ‘black.'"

Nicholls said the treatment of black athletes has improved as the game grows more diverse, although the number of blacks playing professionally is still low.

"A lot of it has to do with the price of hockey," Nicholls said. "It's costly to play hockey. That's why it's not as popular a sport for blacks. I was really fortunate because my parents helped me so much. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here. I would probably be in Italy playing soccer."

In addition to the Marlboros, Nicholls also played for the Windsor Spitfires, Belleville Bulls, and Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. Nicholls played professionally for the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League and Newhaven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League; the Flint Spirits of the International Hockey League; the Saginaw Hawks of the IHL; and the Utica Blizzards of the Colonial Hockey League.

Nicholls lives in Olive Branch with his wife Lynda, who is the general sales manager for WUAB UPN and WOIO CBS in Cleveland, Ohio, and their son, Dallas, 5. His parents Judith Lascelles and Ken Nicholls still reside in his hometown of Toronto, Ontario in Canada.

Nicholls said his most memorable moment in his career was stepping onto the ice for his first professional game.

"It was actually being able to accomplish my dreams, finally being able to lace up my skates and say I was a pro," Nicholls said. "It was a big achievement for me, being the color I am, to play professionally."

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