Breaking Racial Barriers at National Hockey League National Historic Event

Breaking racial barriers in the National Hockey League

Since the founding of the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1917, athletes have faced racial barriers, including widespread, systemic, and overt racism on and off the ice, that prevent them from playing in the league. Paul Jacobs, Larry Kwong, Henry “Elmer” Maracle, Fred Sasakamoose and Willie O’Ree were five players who broke racial barriers at every stage of their careers and eventually reached the premier hockey league during the NHLthe first decades and beyond. These hockey players came from different regions of Canada and from diverse communities, including Black, Chinese-Canadian and Indigenous communities. Representing greater diversity and inclusion in professional hockey, these pioneers have been recognized for their skills and perseverance, inspiring future generations of players.

After the training of NHL in 1917, a national network of developmental teams and leagues emerged, eventually becoming a controlled feeder system that funneled players into the NHL. Although hockey was played and enjoyed by Canadians from all backgrounds, discrimination and racial bias existed in player development programs across Canada. This limited the number of people who could advance to play in professional leagues. There are a few examples of players who broke hockey’s ultimate racial barrier before 1930, including Paul Jacobs, a Kahnawá:ke defenseman who appeared on the Toronto Arena broadcast. NHL roster during the 1918-1919 season. In general, however, the structure of hockey which came to be defined by the NHL was closed to racialized Canadians and Indigenous peoples and, although there was no official rule of exclusion, the NHL composed almost exclusively of white players during its early years.

Depending on where they were in Canada, some racialized and Indigenous athletes played hockey in separate leagues, on separate teams, such as the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes (CHL), founded in Halifax in 1895, or in residential schools, where many Indigenous children learned to play hockey. Yet neither option fueled the NHL system. This both limited opportunities to play at the highest level and perpetuated the status quo, reinforcing the idea that racialized Canadians and Indigenous peoples had no place in the world. NHL. It is this culture of exclusion that players have had to face on their path to NHL.

Some racialized and Indigenous players, however, have broken these racial barriers to play in hockey’s biggest league, demonstrating their elite skills and perseverance. Among them was Henry “Elmer” Maracle, also known as “Buddy”, who played 15 games for the New York Rangers during the 1930-31 season. Maracle, who was a Grand River Six Nations Haudenosaunee, had one goal and three assists this season, which was his only year in the NHL. On March 13, 1948, Larry Kwong, a Chinese Canadian from Vernon, British Columbia, also made his NHL debut for the New York Rangers. Five years later, on November 23, 1953, Fred Sasakamoose, a member of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation in Saskatchewan and survivor of the residential school system, played his first NHL game for the Chicago Blackhawks. It took another five years before Willie O’Ree of Fredericton, New Brunswick, became the first black player in the NHLmaking his debut with the Boston Bruins on January 18, 1958. O’Ree played two seasons in the NHLscoring 14 points in 45 games.

When players reached the league, they were regularly subjected to racial taunts from teammates, opponents and fans. This was also the case for racialized fans, who generally did not find a welcoming environment at NHL games. Even though the accomplishments of these pioneering players inspired millions of players who followed in their footsteps, their careers did not result in systemic change and the league continued to strive for diversity and inclusiveness. In recent years, there have been efforts to make hockey more inclusive.

This press briefing document was prepared at the time of the ministerial announcement and the unveiling of the plaque in 2022.