The Light With Raymond Tyler
“The Light Is Now On”
By Raymond Tyler
Welcome to The Light. I am delighted to be a part of The Shore Local Family.
My goal is to bring you perspectives and information that you will not readily read or experience in mass media.
Art Dorrington…A Legacy On Ice!
Atlantic City’s Art Dorrington was a living legend that passed away on December 29th , 2017.
If you research Mr. Dorrington , you will find that Art Dorrington was the first African American to sign a contract with The NHL. The impact of Mr. Dorrington’s life can not be summed up in research, or columns. I have however in an effort to share a part of Mr. Dorrington’s story, reached out to one of the young men that learned to skate through The Art Dorrington Foundation.
Mr. Tyrone Logan , Jr. is a graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in American studies and a minor in African studies. Mr. Logan and his brother both knew Mr. Dorrington as “Coach” Dorrington.
Q: How did you and your brother get into Ice Hockey?
A: Our friends were playing ice hockey and we decided we wanted to play also. We had always seen the Mighty Ducks movie so this (The Art Dorrington Foundation) was our chance to try this amazing fast paced sport.
I loved baseball as a child but never had a chance to play catch with Jackie Robinson. How does it feel to have skated with the first Black Man to play professional hockey?
A. It was an amazing honor, It was even better when we went and won a championship in a tournament in Detroit. It was nice to train hard and play hard and win a tournament with the ADIHF (Art Dorrington Ice Hockey Foundation) logo on our chest.
- Did Coach Dorrington teach you about life beyond hockey?
A. Mr. Dorrington taught us how to win not only on the ice but off the ice as well. We related scoring goals to achieving goals in the classroom and in life. We learned to be goal oriented and to push hard towards our goals and to never give up. - How will you remember Coach Dorrington?
A. I will remember Mr. Dorrington as a 3rd grandfather. He was always there for me and so my brothers and I tried to be there for him as often as possible. We were close to Mr. Dorrington. We would shovel our parents walkway and cars out of the snow and then head around the corner to do the same for Mr. Dorrington. He always helped us out when we were looking for summer jobs. I even ended up working at the Flyers Skate Zone because I was always there with the Dorrington Foundation. Mr. Dorrington will be missed but the ideals he instilled in us will always be with us along with his memory.
You can connect with Raymond Tyler via Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram @RaymondTyler2018.
