A Retrospective on the NHL and Ethnic Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

A Retrospective on the NHL and Ethnic Diversity

By: Emily Forloines & Alex Wenrich

(Support sources: Buffalo News & Minorities in NHL)

On November 7^th we discussed, “Race and Ethnicity in Sport and is it important.” In 1947 Jackie Robinson was credited with breaking the color barrier into the sports world. Most sports fans believe that he was the first African-American athlete in the United States. Ten years after Robinson broke the color barrier in basaeball Willie O’Ree was giving the opportunity of a lifetime. Willie O’Ree was recognized as “the Jackie Robinson of ice hockey” because he was the first African-American to break the color barrier in the NHL in 1957 with the Boston Bruins.

Those who are not avid hockey follows do not understand what minority groups have brought to this game. Most people have a hard time believing that minority groups participate in this sport because white athletes dominate it.

In the past season of 2012-2013, minority groups that display interest are becoming attracted to the NHL. The NHL estimates that there are 58 million United States ice hockey fans. Out of the 58 million, 9.4% are Latino, and 8.3 are African-American. The largest cause for the rise in the percentage is because of the success of the Chicago Blackhawks winning two Stanley Cups in the past four seasons. More minorities attend local ice rinks and are picking up the sport. This is most noted in the suburb Cicero, which is 78% Mexican descent. “Middle-class and upper-class African-Americans have started watching hockey as spectators,” Lapchick said. “Once there are some African-American star players in the game, that will help. The value of diversity for the NHL is that it would greatly expand their fan base. (NEWSELA)”

The 2012-2013 season was not only a plus for its now much larger diverse fan base, the league had a record of 44 minority players step on an NHL rink that very same season. Each ethnic group has their own unique skills and style of play.

During the 2013 Entry-level draft something happened in the NHL that had never happened before. At picks four and seven, two African-Americans were taken top ten.

 Seth Jones was the son of NBA legend Pop-Eye Jones. Seth and his two younger brothers went off the beaten path and played ice hockey. Seth Jones was drafted number fourth overall by the Nashville Predators and is a candidate for the U.S. Olympic roster in 2014. 

Darnell Nurse was the nephew of Philadelphia Eagle legend Donavan McNabb. Like Jones, Nurse picked up an unlikely sport to try to make a carrier in. All critics were kept quiet when the Edmonton Oilers drafted Nurse with the seventh overall pick.

According to Coakley’s text in chapter 9, many races such as African-Americans are stereotyped to be the best football players, and the best basketball players. If African-Americans that lack potential to become athletes, then they are associated to be criminals or in a gang. This should make people sick. They assume that you are a basketball player because of you height but realistically they are on the debate team and an honors student. So Coakley is telling us not to judge a book by the cover and get your facts straight before you have an opinion about someone.