A national historic event
On 7 December 2022 Parks Canada designated "Breaking Racial Barriers in the National Hockey League" an event of national historic significance. The designation honours five players: Paul Jacobs, Henry "Elmer" Maracle, Larry Kwong, Fred Sasakamoose and Willie O'Ree. Parks Canada notes that many Indigenous players learned the game while forced to attend residential schools, and that these players' careers did not by themselves bring systemic change to the sport.
The barrier-breakers, in order
| Date | Player | First | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918-19 season | Paul Jacobs, Mohawk, Kahnawake | On the Toronto Arenas' NHL roster; listed by Parks Canada as the first Indigenous player (disputed, see below) | Parks Canada |
| 16 November 1926 | Taffy Abel, Ojibwe | Joined the New York Rangers; called by Wikipedia the first Native American to break the NHL colour barrier | Wikipedia |
| 1930-31 season | Henry "Elmer" Maracle, Haudenosaunee, Six Nations of the Grand River | Played 11 games for the New York Rangers | Parks Canada |
| March 1948 (13 March per Wikipedia) | Larry Kwong, Chinese Canadian, Vernon, British Columbia | NHL debut with the New York Rangers; the first player of Asian descent in the NHL | Parks Canada; Wikipedia |
| November 1953 | Fred Sasakamoose, Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation | First NHL game, for the Chicago Black Hawks | Parks Canada |
| 18 January 1958 | Willie O'Ree, Fredericton, New Brunswick | First Black player in the NHL, for the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens | Parks Canada; Wikipedia |
| 1981 or 1982 (disputed) | Val James | First African American NHL player, with Buffalo | Wikipedia |
Who was the first Indigenous NHL player?
The two main sources give different answers. Parks Canada lists Paul Jacobs, a Mohawk defenceman from Kahnawake, as being on the Toronto Arenas' roster in 1918-19, the league's second season. Wikipedia's article on race and ethnicity in the NHL instead names Taffy Abel, an Ojibwe player who joined the New York Rangers on 16 November 1926, as the first Native American to break the league's colour barrier. This page does not choose between them.
Before the NHL: the Colored Hockey League
Black players had their own league long before any reached the NHL. Parks Canada notes that the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes was founded in Halifax in 1895. Wikipedia says it ran until 1930.
Willie O'Ree
O'Ree, from Fredericton, New Brunswick, made his NHL debut for the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens on 18 January 1958, becoming the first Black player in the league. Parks Canada and Wikipedia both give that date. According to Wikipedia:
- He had lost the sight of his right eye to a puck around 1956 and kept it from the Bruins.
- All four of his NHL goals came in 1961.
- He became the NHL's diversity ambassador in 1998.
- He received the Order of Canada in 2008.
- He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2018.
- The Bruins retired his number 22 on 18 January 2022.
- A United States Congressional Gold Medal act in his honour was signed in 2022.
Others on the way
Wikipedia records several more milestones, each resting on that one secondary source:
- Herb Carnegie, 1948: the first known Black player to be offered a tryout and contract within an NHL organisation, in the New York Rangers' minor-league system. He declined.
- Val James: the first African American to play in the NHL, with Buffalo. Wikipedia's article gives both 1981 and 1982.
- Jay Sharrers, 3 April 2001: the first Black referee to work an NHL game.
- Mike Grier, July 2022: the first Black American general manager in the NHL, with San Jose.
Players from the Soviet bloc
A different kind of barrier was political. According to Wikipedia, Vaclav Nedomansky, who joined the World Hockey Association in 1974, was the first Czechoslovak to defect to North America to play hockey. NHL.com says Sergei Priakin, who debuted with Calgary in 1989, was the first Soviet player allowed by the Soviet authorities to play in the NHL.
Women in the NHL
Wikipedia names Marguerite Norris, president of the Detroit Red Wings from 1952 to 1955, as the first female NHL executive. The wider history of the women's game is on the women's hockey history page.
About the sources
The Parks Canada designation is a government primary source and covers the five players it honours. The later milestones, the Taffy Abel claim and most details of O'Ree's career come from Wikipedia and were not confirmed in a second source for this page. Where the two disagree, as on the first Indigenous player, both are given.
Sources
- Parks Canada, Breaking racial barriers in the NHL recognised as an event of national historic significance (7 December 2022)
- Wikipedia, Race and ethnicity in the NHL (secondary)
- Wikipedia, Willie O'Ree (secondary)
- Wikipedia, National Hockey League (secondary)
- Wikipedia, World Hockey Association (secondary)
- NHL.com, this date in NHL history: March 31