O'Ree scored an uninspiring four goals and 10 assists in 1961. And that was that. And 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. Diversity in the NHL To its credit, the NHL has taken an active role in promoting diversity throughout the league. Each player is required to enroll in a diversity training seminar before the beginning of each season.
Hockey is an expensive sport to play, with full equipment packages costing hundreds of dollars.
In 1997, the NHL and USA Hockey developed the Used Equipment Bank , designed to encourage people to donate their used equipment to economically disadvantaged youths. Carter has also been instrumental in trying to give inner city youths more access to the sport. Grier believes the professional black players are role models for youth. The 1918 outbreak of Spanish influenza killed over 500,000 people making it the worst single U.S. epidemic. Inc. All Rights Reserved.