# Race and ethnicity in the NHL

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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 on 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.
| = NHL All-Star · | = NHL All-Star and NHL All-Star team · | = Hall of Famers |
* Bold = Currently playing in NHL
* Italics = Stanley Cup champions
* * = Yet to have played an NHL game for their respective team

### Asian descent

| Nat. | Name | Birthplace | Pos | Seasons | Teams Played | Ethnicity |
| | Kevin Bahl | New Westminster, BC | D | 2020–present | NJD, CGY | Biracial, Indian |
| | Arshdeep Bains | Surrey, BC | LW | 2023–present | VAN | Punjabi |
| | Victor Bartley | Ottawa, ON | D | 1998–2015 | NSH, MTL | Biracial, Taiwanese |
| | Robin Bawa | Duncan, BC | RW | 1987–1999 | WSH, VAN, SJS, ANA | Punjabi |
| | Chris Beckford-Tseu | Toronto, ON | G | 2007–2008 | STL | Jamaican-Chinese |
| | Jacob Bryson | London, ON | D | 2021–present | BUF | Biracial, Korean |
| | Matt Dumba | Regina, SK | D | 2013–present | MIN, ARI, TBL, DAL | Romanian-German-Filipino |
| / | Spencer Foo | Edmonton, AB | RW | 2017–present | CGY, VGK* | Chinese |
| | Yutaka Fukufuji | Kushiro, Japan | G | 2006–2007 | LAK | Japanese |
| | Akito Hirose | Calgary, AB | D | 2022–present | VAN | Japanese |
| | Taro Hirose | Winnipeg, MB | LW | 2018–present | DET | Japanese |
| | Josh Ho-Sang | Toronto, ON | RW | 2016–2019 | NYI | Jamaican-Jewish-Chinese |
| | Peter Ing | Toronto, ON | G | 1989–1994 | TOR, EDM, DET | Biracial, Chinese |
| | Paul Kariya | North Vancouver, BC | LW | 1994–2010 | ANA, COL, NSH, STL | Japanese-Scottish |
| | Steve Kariya | North Vancouver, BC | RW | 1999–2000 | VAN | Japanese-Scottish |
| | Jujhar Khaira | Surrey, BC | LW | 2014–present | EDM, CHI, MIN | Punjabi |
| | Larry Kwong | Vernon, BC | C | 1947–1948 | NYR | Chinese |
| | Manny Malhotra | Mississauga, ON | C | 1998–2016 | NYR, DAL, CBJ, SJS, VAN, CAR, MTL | Punjabi-French |
| | Andreas Martinsen | Bærum, Norway | LW | 2015–2019 | COL, MTL, CHI | Ugandan Indian-Norwegian |
| | Jon Matsumoto | Ottawa, ON | C | 2010–2012 | CAR, FLA | Japanese-German |
| | Jim Paek | Seoul, South Korea | D | 1987–2003 | PIT, LAK, OTT | Korean |
| | Richard Park | Seoul, South Korea | RW | 1996–2010 | PIT, NYI, MIN, VAN | Korean |
| | Jason Robertson | Arcadia, CA | LW | 2019–present | DAL | Scottish-Filipino |
| | Nicholas Robertson | Arcadia, CA | LW | 2020–present | TOR | Scottish-Filipino |
| | Bobby Robins | Peshtigo, WI | RW | 2014–2015 | BOS | Biracial, Filipino |
| | Raymond Sawada | Richmond, BC | RW | 2008–2011 | DAL | Japanese-Italian |
| | Devin Setoguchi | Taber, AB | RW | 2007–2018 | SJS, MIN, WPG, CGY, LAK | Biracial, Japanese |
| | Kiefer Sherwood | Columbus, OH | RW | 2018–present | ANA, COL, NSH, VAN | Biracial, Japanese |
| | Kole Sherwood | New Albany, OH | RW | 2018–present | CBJ, NSH | Biracial, Japanese |
| | Devin Shore | Ajax, ON | C | 2015–present | DAL, ANA, CBJ, EDM, SEA, MIN | Biracial, Filipino |
| | Jonas Siegenthaler | Zürich, Switzerland | D | 2018–present | WSH, NJD | Swiss-Thai |
| | Dylan Sikura | Aurora, ON | C | 2018–present | CHI, VGK, COL, ANA* | Slovak-Japanese |
| | Jordan Spence | Sydney, Australia | D | 2021–present | LAK | Biracial, Japanese |
| | Tim Stapleton | La Grange, IL | C | 2008–2012 | TOR, ATL, WIN | Irish-Filipino |
| | Jamie Storr | Brampton, ON | G | 1994–2004 | LAK, CAR | Biracial, Japanese |
| | Nick Suzuki | London, ON | C | 2019–present | MTL | Japanese-Scottish |
| | Ryan Suzuki | London, ON | C | 2024–present | CAR | Japanese-Scottish |
| | David Tanabe | White Bear Lake, MN | D | 1999–2008 | BOS, CAR | Japanese |
| | Mike Wong | Minneapolis, MN | C | 1975–1976 | DET | Chinese-Native |
| | Kailer Yamamoto | Spokane, WA | RW | 2017–present | EDM, SEA, UTA | Biracial, his father is half-Japanese and his mother is half-Hawaiian |
| / | Brandon Yip | Vancouver, BC | RW | 2009–2014 | COL, NSH, PHX | Biracial, Three quarter-Chinese and one quarter-Irish |

#### 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
Points :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | P/G |
| Paul Kariya | LW | 989 | 402 | 587 | 989 | 1.00 |
| Jason Robertson | LW | 292 | 133 | 181 | 314 | 1.08 |
| Manny Malhotra | C | 991 | 116 | 179 | 295 | .30 |
| Nick Suzuki | C | 373 | 108 | 178 | 286 | .77 |
| Devin Setoguchi | RW | 516 | 131 | 130 | 261 | .51 |
| Matt Dumba | D | 674 | 83 | 165 | 248 | .37 |
| Richard Park | RW | 738 | 102 | 139 | 241 | .33 |
| Devin Shore | C | 443 | 51 | 88 | 139 | .31 |
| Kailer Yamamoto | RW | 303 | 58 | 76 | 134 | .44 |
| David Tanabe | D | 449 | 30 | 84 | 114 | .25 |
Goals :
| Player | Pos | G | G/G |
| Paul Kariya | LW | 402 | .41 |
| Jason Robertson | LW | 133 | .46 |
| Devin Setoguchi | RW | 131 | .25 |
| Manny Malhotra | C | 116 | .12 |
| Nick Suzuki | C | 108 | .29 |
| Richard Park | RW | 102 | .14 |
| Matt Dumba | D | 83 | .12 |
| Kailer Yamamoto | RW | 58 | .19 |
| Devin Shore | C | 51 | .12 |
| Jujhar Khaira | LW | 33 | .10 |
Assists :
| Player | Pos | A | A/G |
| Paul Kariya | LW | 587 | .59 |
| Jason Robertson | LW | 181 | .62 |
| Manny Malhotra | C | 179 | .18 |
| Nick Suzuki | C | 178 | .48 |
| Matt Dumba | D | 165 | .24 |
| Richard Park | RW | 139 | .19 |
| Devin Setoguchi | RW | 130 | .25 |
| Devin Shore | C | 88 | .20 |
| David Tanabe | D | 84 | .19 |
| Kailer Yamamoto | RW | 76 | .25 |

#### 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
Points :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | P/G | Team |
| Paul Kariya (LW) | 606 | 300 | 369 | 669 | 1.10 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim |
| Jason Robertson (LW) | 292 | 133 | 181 | 314 | 1.08 | Dallas Stars |
| Nick Suzuki (C) | 373 | 108 | 178 | 286 | .77 | Montreal Canadiens |
| Matt Dumba (D) | 598 | 79 | 157 | 236 | .39 | Minnesota Wild |
| Paul Kariya (LW) | 164 | 55 | 106 | 161 | .98 | Nashville Predators |
| Devin Setoguchi (RW) | 267 | 84 | 75 | 159 | .60 | San Jose Sharks |
| Manny Malhotra (C) | 344 | 53 | 92 | 145 | .42 | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Paul Kariya (LW) | 168 | 36 | 87 | 123 | .73 | St. Louis Blues |
| Richard Park (RW) | 316 | 45 | 75 | 120 | .38 | New York Islanders |
| Kailer Yamamoto (RW) | 244 | 50 | 68 | 118 | .48 | Edmonton Oilers |
Goals :
| Player | G | G/G | Team |
| Paul Kariya (LW) | 300 | .50 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim |
| Jason Robertson (LW) | 133 | .46 | Dallas Stars |
| Nick Suzuki (C) | 108 | .29 | Montreal Canadiens |
| Devin Setoguchi (RW) | 84 | .31 | San Jose Sharks |
| Matt Dumba (D) | 79 | .13 | Minnesota Wild |
| Paul Kariya (LW) | 55 | .34 | Nashville Predators |
| Manny Malhotra (C) | 53 | .15 | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Kailer Yamamoto (RW) | 50 | .22 | Edmonton Oilers |
| Richard Park (RW) | 45 | .14 | New York Islanders |
| Richard Park (RW) | 37 | .17 | Minnesota Wild |
Assists :
| Player | A | A/G | Team |
| Paul Kariya (LW) | 369 | .61 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim |
| Jason Robertson (LW) | 181 | .62 | Dallas Stars |
| Nick Suzuki (C) | 178 | .48 | Montreal Canadiens |
| Matt Dumba (D) | 157 | .26 | Minnesota Wild |
| Paul Kariya (LW) | 106 | .65 | Nashville Predators |
| Manny Malhotra (C) | 92 | .27 | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Paul Kariya (LW) | 87 | .52 | St. Louis Blues |
| Devin Setoguchi (RW) | 75 | .28 | San Jose Sharks |
| Richard Park (RW) | 75 | .24 | New York Islanders |
| Kailer Yamamoto (RW) | 68 | .28 | Edmonton Oilers |

### First Nation/Native American descent

| Name | Birthplace | Pos | Seasons | Teams Played | Ethnicity |
| George Armstrong | Skead, Ontario | RW | 1949–1971 | TOR | Biracial Ojibwe-Canadian |
| Bryan Trottier | Val Marie, Saskatchewan | C | 1975–1994 | NYI, PIT | Biracial Cree-Canadian |
| Ted Nolan | Garden River, Ontario | LW | 1981–1986 | DET, PIT | Ojibwe-Canadian |
| Grant Fuhr | Spruce Grove, Alberta | G | 1981–2000 | EDM, TOR, BUF, LAK, STL, CGY | Biracial Cree and Afro-Canadian |
| Everett Sanipass | Elsipogtog First Nation, New Brunswick | LW | 1986–1991 | CHI, QUE | Mi'kmaq |
| Craig Berube | Calahoo, Alberta | LW | 1986–2003 | PHI, TOR, CGY, WSH, NYI | Biracial Cree-Canadian |
| Theoren Fleury | Oxbow, Saskatchewan | RW | 1988–2003 | CAL, NYR | Métis Canadian |
| Gino Odjick | Maniwaki, Québec | LW | 1990–2002 | MTL, NYI, VAN, PHI | Biracial Algonquian-Canadian |
| Blair Atcheynum | Estevan, Saskatchewan | RW | 1992–2001 | OTT, NSH, STL, CHI | Cree descent |
| Arron Asham | Portage la Prairie, Manitoba | RW | 1998–2014 | MTL, NYI, NJD, PHI, PIT, NYR | Métis Canadian |
| Jordin Tootoo | Churchill, Manitoba | RW | 2003–2017 | NSH, NJD, DET, CHI | Inuit |
| René Bourque | Lac La Biche, Alberta | LW | 2005–2017 | MTL, CAL, CLB, CHI | Métis Canadian |
| Carey Price | Vancouver, British Columbia | G | 2007–present | MTL | Biracial Dakelh-Canadian |
| T. J. Oshie | Mount Vernon, Washington | RW | 2008–present | STL, WSH | Biracial Ojibwe-American |
| Michael Ferland | Swan River, Manitoba | LW | 2014–2020 | CAR, CAL, VAN | Cree descent |
| Brandon Montour | Ohsweken, Ontario | D | 2016–present | ANA, BUF, FLO | Mohawk descent |
| Henry Maracle | Ayr, Ontario | LW | 1930-31 | NYR | Mohawk descent |
| Ethan Bear | Regina, Saskatchewan | D | 2018–present | EDM, CAR, VAN | Cree descent |
| Zach Whitecloud | Brandon, Manitoba | D | 2018–present | VGK | Dakota-Canadian |
| Garrett Pilon | Mineola, New York | C | 2021–present | WSH | Métis American |
| Rich Pilon | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | D | 1989-2002 | NYI, NYR, STL | Métis descent |
| Fred Sasakamoose | Debden, Saskatchewan | C | 1954 | CHI | Cree |
| Reggie Leach | Riverton, Manitoba | RW | 1971-1983 | BOS, CGS, PHI, DET | Ojibwe |
| Jamie Leach | Winnipeg, Manitoba | RW | 1990-1994 | PIT, HAR, FLO | Ojibwe descent |
| Stan Jonathan | Ohsweken, Ontario | LW | 1976-1983 | BOS, PIT | Tuscarora |
| Jonathan Cheechoo | Moose Factory, Ontario | RW | 2003-2010 | SJS, OTT | Cree |
| Dwight King | Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan | LW | 2011-2017 | LAK, MTL | Métis descent |
| Connor Dewar | The Pas, Manitoba | C | 2022-Present | MIN, TOR | Métis descent |
| D.J. King | Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan | C | 2007-2012 | STL, WSH | Métis descent |
| Calen Addison | Brandon, Manitoba | D | 2021-Present | MIN | Métis descent |
| Travis Hamonic | St. Malo, Manitoba | D | 2011-Present | NYI, CGY, VAN, OTT | Métis descent |
| Brady Keeper | Cross Lake, Manitoba | D | 2019-Present | FLO | Cree |
| Michael McNiven | Winnipeg, Manitoba | G | 2022 | MTL | Métis descent |
| Jim Neilson | Big River, Saskatchewan | D | 1963-1979 | NYR, CGS, CLE | Cree |
| Ted Hodgson | Hobbema, Alberta | RW | 1967 | BOS | Cree |
| Harry York | Ponoka, Alberta | C | 1997-2000 | STL, NYR, PIT, VAN | Cree |
| Scott Daniels | Prince Albert, Saskatchewan | LW | 1993-1999 | HFD, PHI, NJD | Cree |
| Dale McCourt | Falconbridge, Ontario | C | 1978-1984 | DET, BUF, TOR | Cree |

### Latino descent

| Name | Birthplace | Pos | Seasons | Teams Played | Ethnicity |
| Scott Gomez | Anchorage, Alaska | C | 1999–2016 | NJ, NYR, MTL | Colombian Mexican American |
| Bill Guerin | Worcester, Massachusetts | RW | 1991–2010 | NJD, EDM, BOS, DAL, STL SJ, NYI, PIT | Nicaraguan American |
| Auston Matthews | San Ramon, California | C | 2016–present | TOR | Half Mexican American |
| Al Montoya | Chicago, Illinois | G | 2006–2018 | NYI, MTL, FLA, WIN | Cuban American |
| Matt Nieto | Long Beach, California | LW | 2013–present | COL, SJ | Mexican American |
| Max Pacioretty | New Canaan, Connecticut | LW | 2008–present | MTL, VGK, CAR | Half Mexican American |
| Bryce Salvador | Brandon, Manitoba | D | 2001–2015 | STL, NJD | Half Afro-Brazilian Half Ukrainian |
| Raffi Torres | Toronto, Ontario | LW | 2001–2016 | EDM, SJ, PHO | Half Mexican Canadian Half Peruvian (of Italian, Greek, and Serbian ancestry) |

### Middle Eastern descent

| Nat. | Name | Birthplace | Pos | Seasons | Teams Played | Ethnicity |
| | Justin Abdelkader | Muskegon, Michigan | LW | 2008–2021 | DET | Jordanian-American |
| | Ramzi Abid | Montreal, Québec | LW | 2000–2014 | PHO, PIT, ATL | Lebanese-Canadian |
| / | Nick Cicek | Winnipeg, Manitoba | D | 2022–present | SJS | Turkish-Canadian |
| | John Hanna | Sydney, Nova Scotia | D | 1958–1968 | NYR, MTL | Lebanese-Canadian |
| | Ed Hatoum | Beirut, Lebanon | RW | 1968–1971 | DET, VAN | Lebanese |
| | Nazem Kadri | London, Ontario | C | 2010–present | TOR, COL, CGY | Lebanese-Canadian |
| | Alain Nasreddine | Montreal, Québec | D | 1995–2010 | NYI, MTL, PIT | Biracial Lebanese-Canadian |
| | Brandon Saad | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | LW | 2011–present | CHI, CBJ, COL, STL | Syrian American |
| | Mika Zibanejad | Huddinge, Sweden | C | 2010–present | OTT, NYR | Biracial Iranian-Finnish |