The Municipality of West Hants has renamed a Windsor, N.S., rink in honour of hometown hockey hero John Paris Jr., known to many as the “Chocolate Rocket.”
In an interview Saturday, Paris said he was “pleased and humbled” that the municipality extended the courtesy to him.
He said his mother and father would have been ecstatic.
Paris, 76, played at various levels, including minor pro, before embarking on a successful coaching career in 1970.
He was hired by the Atlanta Knights of the International Hockey League in 1993-94, becoming the first Black Canadian to coach in pro hockey, according to his Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame biography.
He led the team to a Turner Cup victory that season.
Paris said he started out coaching four teams in Quebec and went into it fully.
According to Paris, he was given every opportunity he needed in those early coaching days and the youth and parents there were behind him 100 per cent.
He said his career was not without obstacles as he moved up levels in the sport.
Paris said eventually people got used to him. Once he was doing the job and people were happy the obstacles went away.
“When you’re a pioneer, that’s just normal,” he said.
“You’re always going to have resistance, you’re always going to have people that maybe want to move you to the side. It’s up to you whether you want to do that — you shouldn’t quit, ever.”
Paris was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 2005. There has been a push in recent years to have his career recognized by the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in the builder category.
At the ceremony on Friday, Mayor Abraham Zebian said Paris sets an example to always remember where you come from and to never give up.
“It’s the epitome of everything that West Hants stands for — pride, humbleness, inspiration,” Zebian said.
“Regardless of what’s ever happened, John is from Windsor, N.S. He’s our John Paris Jr. He’s our Chocolate Rocket.”
Paris’s cousin, Lonnie States, said Paris overcame many obstacles over the years and emerged triumphant.
He did it not only for himself, States said, but for his family and community.
States said hockey was predominantly a white sport for a long time, but has become more diverse over the years.
Having a rink named after him was a recognition of the significant contributions Paris made to the sport, States said.
“This is a big thing for Windsor, it’s a big thing for Nova Scotia hockey, hockey in the world,” he said. “I think it’s still growing.”
The naming of the rink was the result of a unanimous vote by the West Hants municipal council on April 25.
The municipality’s website says Paris “overcame adversity; dealing with racism; and major health issues, with grace.”
Paris said his greatest achievement is helping young players in hockey and in school.
“Hopefully, what I tried to accomplish others will accomplish and do more than what I did,” he said.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
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