Fans urge Larry Kwong to be inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame, 75 years after he broke NHL’s color barrier | CBC News

Nearly 75 years after Chinese-Canadian Larry Kwong broke the color barrier in the NHL, a group of dedicated fans are pushing for him to be posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF).

Born in Vernon, BC, Kwong received awards for his skills as a centerman while leading his minor hockey team to a provincial championship at age 16.

In 1948, Kwong was drafted by the New York Rangers as the top scorer for the minor league New York Rovers and played a shift late in the third half in a game against the Montreal Canadiens at the old Montreal Forum.

The Rangers’ move to put Kwong on the ice is now widely viewed as a publicity stunt, but with that 60-second delay, Kwong became the first person of color to play in the NHL.

His NHL career was short-lived, however, as Rangers sent Kwong back to the minors after the game.

Disappointed with his short stint in the NHL, Kwong left Rangers to play professional hockey in Quebec, where he faced off against hockey legends like Jean Beliveau. In 1957, Kwong moved to Europe, where he played and coached ice hockey for more than 15 years.

Kwong died in 2018 at the age of 94.

Sharing Kwong’s story

It’s a story that elementary school teacher Chad Soon has been telling his students in Kwong’s hometown of Vernon for more than a decade.

“I just want to keep telling this story because, as a teacher, I really see how inspiring it is for kids,” said Soon.

Soon found out about Kwong from his grandfather. He contacted Kwong after moving to Vernon and eventually developed a close friendship with Kwong, who was in his late 80s at the time and living in Calgary.

“Larry was very humble. That was the thing about his generation and my grandparents’ generation…they didn’t talk about the discrimination they faced,” Soon said.

“He always wore a smile, despite all the things he faced — all the rude treatment, he never let that stop him.”

In 2013, Soon helped bring charges to have Kwong’s contributions recognized that year in the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

HHOF introductory bid

Now Soon is part of the group of Kwong supporters calling for his induction as a builder into the 2023 class of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

If successful, Kwong will join an exclusive group of hockey players, coaches and executives in the builder category, including Willie O’Ree and Herb Carnegie – other players of color who helped diversify the game of hockey.

An online petition calling for Kwong’s HHOF launch has garnered more than 1,000 signatures in less than a week.

It was started by Chris Woo who runs a website and Instagram page promoting the achievements of hockey players of Asian descent from where he lives in California.

“A special year for all things Larry Kwong”

“Over the past several years, the NHL and hockey in general have made tremendous strides in celebrating diversity,” Woo said, adding, “2023 is an important year because it would mark the 75th anniversary of Larry’s historic game with the New York.” Rangers, if Larry were still alive it would have been his 100th birthday, so 2023 really marks a special year for all things Larry Kwong.”

Bringing Kwong to the HHOF will not be an easy task. Only one or two people are accepted as builders each year after an extensive voting process in which they are nominated by one of the 18 members of the selection committee.

“It’s going to be an incredibly difficult process,” said Moezine Hasham, who served on the NHL’s Youth Hockey Inclusion Committee from 2019-2021 and runs the nonprofit Hockey 4 Youth.

Hasham grew up in BC and says he was inspired by Kwong’s story as a young player of South Asian descent.

Kwong’s story inspires youth

Hasham hopes to use his connections in the hockey world to spread Kwong’s story.

“All we can do is do our best and gather whatever we need to present Larry for who he was, not just as a hockey player but as a person who gave back to his community, that Canada gave back, that gave something back to Switzerland,” he says.

Having recognized role models like Kwong at the highest levels of hockey is important to further diversifying the sport and making it something all Canadian children can see play, he said.

“It will inspire young people to believe that they are part of the game, that they have always been part of the game.”