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. The distribution of ethnic groups has been gradually changing since the inception of the NHL. 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.

The NHL began its expansion of player nationalities in the 1970s when players hailed from the United States, Sweden, and Finland. The share of Canadians in the league dropped to 75% by the 1980s and is now slightly less than 50%. In 2011, the NHL was composed of 93% of players who identified as white, with the remaining 7% identifying as varying ethnicities.

History of Representation
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 minor ice hockey leagues saw integration in the early 20th century (including the Quebec Senior Hockey League), the major league NHL did not see its first non-white player until November 16, 1926, with Indigenous Native American Taffy Abel broke the NHL colour barrier that day with the New York Rangers.

On March 13, 1948 Larry Kwong was an Asian playing with the New York Rangers. Born in Vernon, British Columbia, Kwong was a Chinese Canadian of Cantonese descent. 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. Val James was the first African American player to play in the NHL, called up by the Buffalo Sabres in 1982. His stints with the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs were short-lived and he eventually retired in 1987 due to injury. The number of black NHL players was 26 by the end of the 20th century and sat at 32 in 2016.

Racism and Discrimination
In the 1970's there were zero African-American players in the NHL. That number rose to 26 in the 1980s and rose slightly to 32 in the 1990s. Though seemingly minute, it was a significant change in the racial demographic of the NHL at the time.

Herb Carnegie was the first black player to play one ice in a professional hockey game. Val (Valmore) James, the first U.S.-born African American hockey player called up by the Buffalo Sabres in 1982, refrained from openly discussing his experiences with racism in the league until three decades after retiring from the sport.

The depth of his ordeal was so profound that he reported being unable to watch hockey for a full decade without being haunted by memories of discrimination in the league. James's tumultuous journey serves as a poignant illustration of how societal racism can infiltrate sports cultures. "'When I started skating, I set out to be a hockey player, not a black hockey player,” he wrote. “However, the two concepts quickly became intertwined. And not by choice. From early on, there were some people who were determined to prove that being black and being a hockey player were mutually exclusive.'"Further insights into James's life and experiences can be found in the autobiography Black Ice: The Val James Story, authored by Valmore James and John Gallagher.

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.


 * Bold = Currently playing in NHL
 * Italics = Stanley Cup champions
 * * = Yet to have played an NHL game for their respective team

NHL career
These are the top-ten players of Asian descent by career points, goals, and assists. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; G/G = Goals per game; A/G = Assists per game

Franchise career
These are the top-ten players of Asian descent, by career points, goals, and assists, when counting only their production with a specific franchise. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

''Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; G/G = Goals per game; A/G = Assists per game