![]() While he continued to forge a respectable career mostly in the Western Hockey League (twice winning the scoring title), he never returned to the NHL. O'Ree scored an uninspiring four goals and 10 assists in 1961. I just wanted to be a hockey player, and if they couldn't accept that fact, that was their problem, not mine." "Fans would yell, 'Go back to the south' and 'How come you're not picking cotton.' Things like that. cities than in Toronto and Montreal," said O'Ree. "Racist remarks were much worse in the U.S. Through it all, he was met with an endless stream of verbal abuse. He played just two games with the Bruins that year, was sent down to the minors for the following two, and didn't come back to the NHL until 1961, when he returned for a 43-game stint. Despite being legally blind in his right eye (due to an errant puck that felled him two years earlier - a trait he kept secret), O'Ree rocketed through juniors and the minors, and reached the pinnacle of the hockey world. 18, 1958, when he made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins. Willie O'Ree became hockey's version of Jackie Robinson on Jan. Black players are bringing different things to the table, which means that black players are the same as everyone else." In the Beginning. We have different roles on a hockey club. Black players are tough, stay-at-home defensemen. ![]() Edmonton's Georges Laraque and Philadelphia's Donald Brashear have become valuable commodities as their teams' enforcers.Īs Carter told Sports Illustrated in October 1999, "Black players are scorers. Speaking of hard hits, there are also some black players that, to be blunt, have become known more for what they accomplish with their fists, rather than with their sticks. Grier has a reputation around the league for his scoring touch and hard hits. Iginla finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1997, won the 2002 Art Ross Trophy (scoring), and in 2003 made history when he became the first black team captain. His success has paved the way for other black goalies like Kevin Weekes, now with the New York Rangers.Īlong with Carter, black forwards Jarome Iginla from Calgary and Mike Grier in Buffalo have both become offensive leaders on their teams. The backbone of the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers of the late 1980s, Fuhr currently stands in ninth place in all-time wins for goalies and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003. Retired goaltender Grant Fuhr is considered to be the most successful black player in the history of the sport. In addition, the United States, with a much higher black population than Canada, now contributes approximately 15% of all NHL players while Canada produces just over 60%. Today, the black population in Canada has increased to 2%. ![]() In 1971, Canadians made up over 95% of the NHL, and only. While racism certainly played some role in keeping the figure to a minimum, it may have been more a function of the demographic makeup of Canada. It's a number that may seem low (given the 600+ players in the NHL today) but it still represents a noticeable increase in what has always been thought of as a "white" sport.Īccording to league reports, only 18 black players reached the NHL between 19. He was one of 17 black athletes in the NHL in 2004. One, he was almost always the best player on the ice, and two, he was black?a rarity in hockey.Ĭarter was the second-leading scorer for the Boston Bruins in 1999?2000, was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in 2000, to the New York Rangers in 2002, and went to the Vancouver Canucks in 2005. As he continued to play, advancing rapidly through his local leagues and on to Michigan State University, he began to stand out for two reasons. ![]() He went to school, came home, and played hockey. When Anson Carter was ten years old, his life was much the same as most of the other boys growing up in his Scarborough, Ontario, neighborhood. Unlike baseball, where Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier cleared a path for thousands of black ballplayers to follow, no other black athlete played in the NHL until 1974, when Mike Marson was drafted by the Washington Capitals. ?Willie O'Ree, who made his NHL debut in 1958 "Fans would yell, 'Go back to the South,' and 'How come you're not picking cotton.' Things like that. Updated Febru| Michael Morrison and Chris Frantz Black hockey players in a traditionally white sportĪnson Carter played for the Boston Bruins during the 1999-2000 season. ![]()
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