Hockey Nova Scotia is pleased to announce that Greenfoot Capitals forward Genevieve (Evie) Rothenburg is the winner of our 2024 Bill Riley Award.

The Bill Riley Award is 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

Those who have watched her in action say Evie is deserving of this award because she plays just like Bill Riley.

Evie loves the sport and has taken great pride in developing her game. She is an exceptional teammate, very coachable, possesses an amazing work ethic, and she always strives to be the best competitor she can be.

This past season, Evie demonstrated her role as a teammate that others can rely on.  As a second year player on the Greenfoot Capitals, she led by example on the ice by playing hard, competing in practice, mentoring teammates, and including everyone in team activities.

She hates to lose and works to help her team in any way that she can. Evie works on her game regularly and can be found on the ice and in the gym throughout the summer, preparing for the next season.

An accomplished player, Evie took her compete level to a new high this season as she finished fourth in team scoring and had the third most goals on the team. She also led the team in power play goals.

Evie’s work ethic allows her to play and lead at the highest levels of the game, and she knows it is important to balance hockey with other sports, as well as school. A talented athlete, she also plays soccer and maintains good grades despite her demanding sport schedule. Evie also knows that it is important to give back to the game. She is very deserving of the Bill Riley Award.

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.

On behalf of everyone at Hockey Nova Scotia, we would like to congratulate Evie on winning our 2024 Bill Riley Award.