This Amherst, Nova Scotia native made his NHL debut in 1974 with the Washington Capitals. He is the first black Nova Scotian to play in the NHL. William “Bill” Riley had come up through the hockey ranks, having played for the Amherst ramblers of the Metro-Valley Junior Hockey League before going west to play in British Columbia. He then went on to the Daytona Gems of the IHL before entering the NHL.

He stayed four seasons with Washington (1974-79) before ending his NHL career with the Winnipeg Jets in 1980. Riley registered respectable statistics during his NHL career scoring 31 goals and 30 assists in 139 games. He played in the AHL with Hershey, Moncton, and Nova Scotia, winning the Calder Cup with the Moncton Hawks.

Riley organized and built a brand new QMJHL franchise, the Moncton Wildcats, serving as both the coach and general manager until the end of the 1997-98 season. William “Bill” Riley was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 1998.