Bernie Saunders

Bernie Saunders (born June 21, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 10 games in the National Hockey League for the Quebec Nordiques during the 1979–80 and 1980–81 seasons.

Saunders was the fifth Black hockey player to play in the NHL. The others before him were Willie O'Ree, Mike Marson, Bill Riley, and Tony McKegney.

Early life Saunders was born in Montreal, Quebec, and moved to the Toronto area when he was a toddler. He returned to Québec as a teenager and spent most of high school at H.S. Billings High School in Châteauguay, Quebec. The Saunders family moved back to the Toronto area his senior year of high school, and Bernie graduated from Ajax High School, in Ajax, Ontario. It was during this year playing junior hockey in Ontario that Saunders first experienced racism on the ice.

Personal life and family Saunders' brother was the late ESPN sportscaster, John Saunders. After his playing career ended, Saunders fell back on his degree from Western Michigan and spent 17 years in the pharmaceutical industry with the Upjohn Company before moving on to other commercial positions within the industry.

Saunders has three sons: Jonathan, Shawn, and Andrew. Jonathan played defense for the Miami RedHawks men's ice hockey team; Shawn played four years at UMass, while Andrew pursued a career in law enforcement while attending East Carolina University. Saunders is retired and currently resides in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.