When he retired from hockey, Val James needed to forget

Val James says he always thought about writing a book, a book describing what he endured as he grew up in hockey.

He was always the only black player on his team, beginning with his youth hockey days on Long Island, then during his junior days in Canada, and finally when he began to play pro hockey.

When he was called up by the Rochester Americans late in the 1980-81 season, he was the first black player in franchise history.

When he appeared in seven games for the Buffalo Sabres late in the 1981-82 season, he became the first U.S.-born African American player to skate in the NHL.

But when he retired from the game due to a concussion during the 1987-88 season, James realized had no desire to recount via manuscript the many racial divides he was forced to conquer during his career.

The taunts of fans. The insults from opponents. The hatred he encountered simply because his skin was another color.

A hockey game is 60 minutes long, assuming there is no overtime. Back in the 1980s, it often took 45 to 50 minutes to play each period because brawling was commonplace.

"Now every three seconds throw in a racial slur," said James, a native of Ocala, Fla., who grew up on Long Island. "For two hours you endure this. Forty times a year (during each road game).

"Anyone who deals with that, it's going to take a toll. It took me 10 years before I could watch a hockey game. All the stuff that had gotten into my psyche had to be purged. It was a matter of letting it die down, letting your mind forget."

Now he remembers so many of the good times. Like his time in Rochester, where he was a hockey hero to so many Amerks fans.

"Those were really good years playing for the Americans' organization," James said on Saturday during a phone conversation from his home in Niagara Falls, Ontario. "It was a magical time. We were family. The players, the fans, the booster club, we were all family."

James, who turns 58 on Saturday, will be in Rochester on Friday. He's promoting the book he finally wrote, his autobiography Black Ice: The Val James Story. He'll sign autographs before the game and then drop the ceremonial first puck. The book will be available in the team store.

A reporter from ESPN.com is expected to be at Friday's game. The BBC will be represented.

James finally put words to paper after he was contacted by John Gallagher. Gallagher is a former New York City cop and now a federal prosecutor in Philadelphia. He's also a long-time hockey fan and was very familiar with James.

Gallagher ran the book idea past him — when he finally found James, that is.

"His favorite type of player was the enforcer type," James said. "He said, 'It took me 10 years to find you. I must not have been that good of a cop.' "

The book is a very good read, and fans who watched hockey in the 1970s and 1980s will surely enjoy the skate down memory lane, and the many names of AHL stalwarts like Mike Stothers, Jeff Brubaker and Bennett Wolf.

The book, James says, is about sports. It's about life. It's about determination. It's about character.

"Writing this book became a therapeutic aid," he said.

The book's message is very clear: "You always have a chance," James said.

He's proof.

He said he now wants to be an inspiration for youth. "I'm coming out from under my rock," said James, who not long ago celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary with his wife, Ina. "It's my way of giving back to the people that gave me more than most people get."

His return to Rochester will be special. He played here four seasons and is very likely the toughest player ever to wear an Amerks sweater. Mike Keenan, his coach for his first two seasons with the Amerks, said in the book, "No one was tougher."

In 253 games for the Amerks, he piled up 496 penalty minutes. He knew his job. But he wanted to play hockey, too, and produced 10 goals, 14 assists and 24 points.

"He loved chipping in with a goal or an assist," said former teammate Randy Cunneyworth, "and guys enjoyed seeing him contribute that way. When he scored or had an assist, it gave us an opportunity to give him a hug."

Opponents, meanwhile, always wanted to keep their distance.

"Val was the toughest man in the AHL in that era," Stothers says in the book. "He was so strong, such a big man. You could never truly beat James in a fight. You would think to yourself, 'If I can survive this, that itself would be a victory.' "