K-WINGS BLACK EXCELLENCE SPOTLIGHT: BERNIE SAUNDERS

K-WINGS BLACK EXCELLENCE SPOTLIGHT: BERNIE SAUNDERS

A brief history of one of the greatest to lace it up in Kalamazoo.

KALAMAZOO, MI – Bernie Saunders played four seasons at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo from 1975-79, before playing parts of three seasons for the K-Wings. During his time at WMU, Saunders recorded 154 points (76-78a) in 140 games. He then went on to become the fifth Black hockey player in National Hockey League history following Willie O'Ree, Mike Marson, Bill Riley and Tony McKegney.

Saunders led Western Michigan in goals three times, earned All-CCHA Second Team honors in 1977-78 and was twice recognized as the team's MVP. He captained WMU his senior year and was inducted into the Western Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Saunders played 10 games for the Quebec Nordiques during the 1979–80 and 1980–81 seasons, along with 181 games in the American Hockey League (Syracuse, Firebirds and Nova Scotia Voyageurs) and with the Kalamazoo Wings in the International Hockey League.

The Kalamazoo legend played parts of three seasons with the K-Wings. Saunders joined the K-Wings for three games after graduating from WMU in 1978-79 before the 

team’s ascent to the Turner Cup and then returned to the team in 1981-82. During that season, Saunders joined Brent Jarrett on the same line, en route to Jarrett’s IHL Most Valuable Player season with the two
combining for 197 points.

Following his playing career, Saunders spent 17 years in the pharmaceutical industry with the Upjohn Company before moving on to other commercial positions within the industry. Saunders also became a Diversity Equity & Inclusion advocate and voice for the mistreatment of Black hockey players in the NHL and the media, writing about his own experiences in a 2021 autobiography, Shut Out: The Game That Did Not Love Me Black.

Saunders has three sons, is the brother of the late ESPN sportscaster, John Saunders, and is currently retired in Greenville, South Carolina. 

This past January, Saunders returned to Kalamazoo as the Keynote Speaker for the 2025 ECHL Hall of Fame induction ceremony and was honored during the ECHL Hockey Heritage game that retired his friend and former linemate Brent Jarrett's No. 11. 

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The Kalamazoo Wings are a professional hockey team located in southwest Michigan that has been a staple in the Kalamazoo, MI professional sports landscape since 1974. The K-Wings compete in the ECHL and are the AA affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks and the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks. Kalamazoo plays their 36 regular season home games at Wings Event Center from October through April.

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