Race and ethnicity in the NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL) evolved from a mono-ethnic and primarily Canadian professional athletic league to span North America.[1][2][3][4][5] The distribution of ethnic groups has been gradually changing since the inception of the NHL.[6] The league consists of a variety of players from varying nationalities and diverse backgrounds. Once known as a league riddled with racism and exclusiveness, the NHL has made some positive steps toward a more diverse and inclusive institution.[7]
The NHL began its expansion of player nationalities in the 1970s, when players hailed from the United States, Sweden, and Finland.[8] The share of Canadians in the league dropped to 75% by the 1980s and is now slightly less than 50%.[8] In 2011, the NHL was composed of 93% of players who identified as white, with the remaining 7% identifying as varying ethnicities.[9][needs update]
History[]
A number of ice hockey leagues for players of African descent formed in Canada as early as the late-19th century. The Coloured Hockey League was an all-black ice hockey league established in 1895. Operating across the Maritime provinces of Canada, the league operated for several decades until 1930.
Although other ice hockey leagues saw integration in the early 20th century (including the Quebec Senior Hockey League), the NHL did not see its first non-white player until March 13, 1948, when Larry Kwong broke the NHL's colour barrier playing with the New York Rangers.[10] Born in Vernon, British Columbia, Kwong was a Chinese Canadian of Cantonese descent.[11] In 1953, Fred Sasakamoose was the first Cree NHL player, and the first Canadian indigenous player in the NHL, debuting with the Chicago Black Hawks. On January 18, 1958, Willie O'Ree became the first Black Canadian to play in the NHL. Playing with the Boston Bruins, he was also the first NHL player of African-descent.[12]
Val James was the first African American player to play in the NHL. James signed his contract with the Buffalo Sabres in 1982.[13] His stints with the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs were short lived and he eventually retired in 1987 due to injury.[13] He experienced racism as the first player throughout his skating career. He never spoke of racism on the ice until 30 years after his career ended. In his account, he reported he could not watch hockey games for 10 years after leaving the ice without being haunted by the memories of his treatment as a man of color in the NHL.[14] A biography of his life in the sport was published under the title Black Ice: The Val James Story written by John Gallagher.[15] The number of black NHL players moved to 26 by the end of the 20th century and sat at 32 in 2016. This is a seemingly minor yet significant change in the racial demographic of the NHL in its hundred-year history.[9]
Non-black minorities[]
In addition to black and white players, other races and ethnicities represented in the NHL include players of Asian, Latino, and Middle Eastern descent.
= NHL All-Star[16] · | = NHL All-Star[16] and NHL All-Star Team · | = Hall of Famers |
Players with at least one game of NHL experience. Names in italics have won the Stanley Cup.
Asian descent[]
First Nation/Native American descent[]
This section needs expansion. You can help by . (March 2021) |
Nat. | Name | Birthplace | Pos | Seasons | Teams Played | Ethnicity | Ref | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Garrett Pilon | Mineola, New York | C | 2021–present | WSH | Métis | [citation needed] | ||
Zach Whitecloud | Brandon, Manitoba | D | 2018–present | VGK | Dakota-Canadian | [citation needed] | ||
Ethan Bear | Regina, Saskatchewan | D | 2017–present | EDM | Cree descent | [38] | ||
Brandon Montour | Ohsweken, Ontario | D | 2016–present | ANA, FLO | Mohawk descent | [citation needed] | ||
Arron Asham | Portage la Prairie, Manitoba | RW | 1998–2014 | MTL, NYI, NJD, PHI, PIT, NYR | Métis Canadian | [39] | ||
T.J. Oshie | Mount Vernon, Washington | RW | 2008–present | STL, WSH | bi-racial Ojibwe-American | [citation needed] | ||
Carey Price | Vancouver, British Columbia | G | 2007–present | MTL | bi-racial Dakelh-Canadian | [citation needed] | ||
Jordin Tootoo | Churchill, Manitoba | RW | 2003–2017 | NSH, NJD, DET, CHI | Inuit | [40] | ||
René Bourque | Lac La Biche, Alberta | LW | 2005–2017 | MTL, CAL, , CHI | metis | [41] | ||
Michael Ferland | Swan River, Manitoba | LW | 2014–2020 | CAR, CAL, VAN | cree descent | [42] | ||
Gino Odjick | Maniwaki, Québec | LW | 1990–2002 | MTL, NYI, VAN, PHI | bi-racial Algonquian-Canadian | [43] | ||
Blair Atcheynum | Estevan, Saskatchewan | RW | 1992–2001 | OTT, NSH, STL, CHI | Cree descent | [39] | ||
George Armstrong | Skead, Ontario | RW | 1949–1971 | TOR | bi-racial Ojibwe-Canadian | [39] | ||
Ted Nolan | Garden River, Ontario | LW | 1981–1986 | DET, PIT | Ojibwe-Canadian | [44] | ||
Theoren Fleury | Oxbow, Saskatchewan | RW | 1988–2003 | CAL, NYR | Métis Canadian | [45] | ||
Everett Sanipass | Elsipogtog First Nation, New Brunswick | LW | 1986–1991 | CHI, QUE | Mi'kmaq | [46] | ||
Craig Berube | Calahoo, Alberta | LW | 1986–2003 | PHI, TOR, CGY, WSH, NYI | bi-racial Cree-Canadian | [47] | ||
Bryan Trottier | Val Marie, Saskatchewan | C | 1975–1994 | NYI, PIT | bi-racial Cree-Canadian | [48] |
Latino descent[]
Nat. | Name | Birthplace | Pos | Seasons | Teams Played | Ethnicity | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scott Gomez | Anchorage, Alaska | C | 1999–2016 | NJ, NYR, MTL | Mexican American | [49] | |
Bill Guerin | Worcester, Massachusetts | RW | 1991–2010 | NJD, EDM, BOS, DAL, STL SJ, NYI, PIT | Nicaraguan American | [50] | |
Auston Matthews | San Ramon, California | C | 2016-present | TOR | Half Mexican American | [51] | |
Al Montoya | Chicago, Illinois | G | 2006–present | NYI, MTL, FLA, WIN | Cuban American | [52] | |
Matt Nieto | Long Beach, California | LW | 2013-present | COL, SJ | Mexican American | [53] | |
Max Pacioretty | New Canaan, Connecticut | LW | 2008-present | LV, MTL | Half Mexican American | [54] | |
Raffi Torres | Toronto, Ontario | LW | 2001–2016 | EDM, SJ, PHO | Half Mexican Canadian Half Peruvian (of Italian, Greek, and Serbian ancestry) | [55] |
Middle Eastern descent[]
Nat. | Name | Birthplace | Pos | Seasons | Teams Played | Ethnicity | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Justin Abdelkader | Muskegon, Michigan | LW | 2008–present | DET | Jordanian Americans | [56] | |
Ramzi Abid | Montréal, Québec | LW | 2000–2014 | PHO, PIT, ATL | Lebanese-Canadian | [57] | |
Nazem Kadri | London, Ontario | C | 2010–present | TOR, COL | Lebanese-Canadian | [58] | |
Alain Nasreddine | Montréal, Québec | D | 1995–2010 | NYI, MTL, PIT | bi-racial Lebanese-Canadian | [59] | |
Brandon Saad | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | LW | 2011–present | CHI | Syrian American | [60] | |
Mika Zibanejad | Huddinge, Sweden | C | 2010–present | NYR | bi-racial Iranian Finnish | [61] |
See also[]
- Baseball color line
- Black players in ice hockey
- Black players in professional American football
- History of African Americans in the Canadian Football League
- Race and ethnicity in the NBA
References[]
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- ^ a b Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.
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- ^ ||https://www.windspeaker.com/news/sports/former-nhlers-tootoo-bourque-help-raise-funds-scholarships
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predecessor was Montreal's Ramzi Abid, a left-winger who played several seasons before heading to Europe in 2007.
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- African Americans and sport
- National Hockey League
- Race and society
- Ethnicity