Bill Riley Award and Scholarship

In 2022, we were proud to introduce a pair of annual awards that honour the legacy of one of this province’s great hockey trailblazers.

On Dec. 26, 1974, Amherst’s Bill Riley made history by becoming the third Black player to skate in the National Hockey League, and the first of African Nova Scotian descent, when he suited up for the Washington Capitals. The hard-working and respected winger would go on to spend parts of five seasons in the NHL with the Capitals and Winnipeg Jets, scoring 31 goals and adding 30 assists in 139 career games.

"This is a tremendous honour from Hockey Nova Scotia, and I am very proud to help inspire the next generation of great African Nova Scotian hockey players in the game,” Riley said.

After his NHL career, the former Amherst Junior Ramblers star would captain the AHL’s now-defunct New Brunswick Hawks to a Calder Cup championship in 1982. He also served as captain of the Halifax-based Nova Scotia Voyageurs.

“Through his resilience, work ethic, and passion for hockey, Mr. Riley has inspired so many in this sport,” said Dean Smith, Hockey Nova Scotia’s Diversity & Inclusion Chair.

“On behalf of our board of directors and our diversity and inclusion committee, I am thrilled to launch this award and scholarship in honour of a great Nova Scotian and a true difference-maker in the game,” Smith said.

The Bill Riley Award will be presented annually to a player in Nova Scotia of African descent who embodies the characteristics and traits that Riley demonstrated during his hockey career including:

• An exceptional teammate
• Competitive
• Passionate about the sport
• Tenacious work ethic

The Bill Riley Scholarship, a $2000 scholarship, will be presented annually to a graduating player in Nova Scotia of African descent who plans to pursue a post-secondary education after high school. Like Riley, the recipient should be a driven, hard-working student who is passionate about hockey.

Award and scholarship applications can be found below. 

APPLY FOR AWARD

APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP (GOOGLE FORMS)

Please note: Must use a Google account to submit the scholarship application through the Google Form link. Alternatively, you can submit a scholarship application (including an application form and an academic reference form) via mail or email.

Mail

Hockey Nova Scotia
259 Commodore Drive
Dartmouth, N.S.
B3B 0M1

Email

kdalrymple@hockeynovascotia.ca