From being the only Black kid in town to surviving life on the street, Leafs alumn John Craighead’s road to The Show was an epic of courage and persistence.

SHOW NOTES

Presented by Leafs Forever, Barrier Breakers is a mini-series about race, hockey and the way forward.

The show aims to celebrate Black players and fans who’ve broken barriers and helped change our game for the better. 

Today’s episode tells the story of Leafs alumni John Craighead’s road to the NHL. Though he’d only play 5 regular season games for the Blue and White, John’s journey to the Show is an epic tale of courage and persistence. John overcame ignorance and intolerance from Day 1 – and he’s still fighting, now as an owner in the junior league where he got his break.

This is the second episode of Barrier Breakers. Future episodes will come out every week for the next five weeks. Subscribe to Leafs Forever and please write us a review.

Producer: Katie Jensen, Vocal Fry Studios

Writer: Scott Willats & Paul Matthews

Director of Production: Shawna Morrison

Executive Producer: Michael Gelfand

Associate Producers: Renita Bangert, Emily Latimer, Erika Dreher, Savanna Hamilton