Over the weekend, Hockey Nova Scotia was proud to present two new awards in honour of a hockey trailblazer.

At the Halifax Hockey Summit on Saturday, the Bill Riley Award and Bill Riley Scholarship named in honour of hockey trailblazer Bill Riley were presented for the first time. Riley joined Hockey Nova Scotia president Arnie Farrell and Hockey Nova Scotia executive director Amy Walsh for the presentations.

On Dec. 26, 1974, the Amherst native 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.

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.

BILL RILEY AWARD

The winner of the inaugural Bill Riley Award was Ariel Lorde.

A graduate of the Hockey Nova Scotia Black Youth Ice Hockey Program, Ariel was an important member of the Metro West Force U13 AAA Hurricanes this season. By the end of the hockey year, the Hurricanes were the U13 AAA girls' hockey provincial champs.

Ariel has a reputation as a hard-working and competitive teammate who is truly passionate about hockey and its history. Off the ice, Ariel always strives to give back to her community.

BILL RILEY SCHOLARSHIP

Jeremiah Martin received the first Bill Riley Scholarship.

A student at Amherst Regional High School, Jeremiah played with his hometown Amherst Ramblers in the Maritime Jr. A Hockey League this season and was named the team's rookie of the year.

On the ice and in the classroom where he is an honours student, Jeremiah is known for his impressive work ethic.

Last season, the talented defenceman was drafted by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft.

The two new awards were introduced in May by Hockey Nova Scotia.

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.

Congratulations to Ariel and Jeremiah.

We would also like to extend a special thank you to Bill Riley for being there to personally present these awards. He truly is a trailblazer and a legend of the game.

Thank you, Mr. Riley.