Anthony Walsh (author)

Anthony Charles Walsh (born November 6, 1994) is an American athlete, author, coach, community organizer, cannabis rights leader, and politician.

Walsh is a 2024 Legal Marijuana Now candidate for United States Representative from Minnesota's 3rd congressional district.

Edina Hornets
Walsh led the 2013 Minnesota state champion Edina High School hockey team. KSTC-TV christened Walsh's five-hole goal during the second period of the championship the "play of the game." Walsh was named player of the week by Let's Play Hockey.

Being from Edina, Minnesota, a predominantly Caucasian community, resulted in Walsh becoming the only African-American player for an all-White team. Faced with racist slurs and insults from opposing team members that were intended to spoil his composure, Walsh credits support he received from his family and teammates for his perseverance.

Brockville Braves
After graduating from high school, Walsh played for three months with the Bethel University hockey team, before joining the Canadian Junior league, where he played for one year. Later, Walsh remembers struggling harder against racism, in Canada, while away from his support network. From 2015 until graduating in 2018, Walsh played on the University of North Dakota hockey club team.

Coaching
After retiring from the sport, Walsh began coaching youth hockey in 2022. Walsh was recruited as assistant coach for the Panthers, a multi-state, all-Black AAA team. Walsh's North Commons youth club team won a Park Board championship. In 2023, Walsh taught Hockey for Everybody, a summer camp for blind, LGBTQ, and BIPOC hockey players, held on the campus of St. Cloud State University.

Congressional candidacy
In 2023, Walsh launched an independent campaign for United States Congress, stating that the Democratic and Republican parties no longer represent the interests of the average American. Walsh joined the Legal Marijuana Now Party, an independent, U.S. third party headquartered in Minnesota, during caucuses held by Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now in February, 2024.

Political views
Walsh was attending law school in Washington, D.C., when George Floyd was murdered, in 2020. Later, Walsh told reporters that he remembers watching news broadcasts about his home state, while in Washington, and thinking, "This could have been me under other circumstances." Walsh said that inspired him to move back to Minnesota to coach, in 2021, because he wants to be a role model for young minority athletes, something he did not have when he was growing up. Walsh uses the term third place, describing hockey arenas as safe spaces for community building. According to Walsh, his platform is pro-choice, pro-Second Amendment, pro-peace, pro-cannabis, pro-small business, and pro-climate.

Early life and education
Walsh, who was born in Washington, D.C., was adopted as an infant by Paul Walsh and Pam Huey, and together with his older brother, Ben Walsh, moved to Edina, Minnesota. He began playing hockey when he was five years old. Walsh enrolled for primary education in the Hopkins school district, and by seventh grade transferred to Edina High School. After graduating in 2013, Walsh attended Bethel University for one semester before moving to Ontario, Canada to play Junior hockey for one year. In 2015, Walsh enrolled at the University of North Dakota, where he earned bachelor's degrees in history and interdisciplinary studies. Walsh attended David A. Clarke School of Law in Washington, D.C., from 2019 through 2020, and then moved back to Edina, in 2021, completing his Juris Doctor at Michell Hamline in Saint Paul, in 2023.

Career
Walsh serves on the board of directors for the nonprofit Mosaic Hockey Collective. In November, 2023, Walsh participated in an Edina panel discussion called Building an Inclusive Community. Walsh is employed by Hennepin County as a community engagement specialist. In honor of Black History Month, Walsh announced "Let's Play Hockey!" for the Wild versus Sabres game on February 17, 2024.

Writings

 * Hockey is for Everybody: Anthony's Goal (2022)
 * Hockey is for Everybody Coloring Book (2022)
 * Hockey is for Everybody: Anthony Goes to Camp (2023)