Larry Kwong made history in 1948 when he became the first person of Asian descent to play in the National Hockey League. Jean Beliveau praised him as a player who made everyone around him better. This is the story of a player who made history. 🧵1/10 - ThreadSky

cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social • 24 days ago

Larry Kwong made history in 1948 when he became the first person of Asian descent to play in the National Hockey League.
Jean Beliveau praised him as a player who made everyone around him better.
This is the story of a player who made history.

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cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•24 days ago

Larry Kwong was born in Vernon, B.C. on June 17, 1923, the second youngest of 15 children. As a child, Kwong saw several acts of racism against himself and others, including being denied service at a barbershop.
Kwong loved hockey, and played it on frozen ponds.

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cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•24 days ago

It was not until he was 16 that he started playing organized hockey.
He joined the Vernon Hydrophones and led them to championships in 1939 and 1941.
He then joined the Trail Smoke Eaters. At the time, players were given high-paying jobs at the local smelter.

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cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•24 days ago

Kwong was the only player not offered a job. In 1942, the Chicago Black Hawks invited Kwong to training camp. He couldn't attend as the Canadian government refused to give him documentation to leave the country.
In 1944, Kwong joined the Canadian Army.

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cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•24 days ago

Two years later, Lester Patrick saw Kwong and signed him to the farm team of the New York Rangers. Playing for the New York Rovers, he led the team in scoring in 1947-48 with 86 points in 65 games. On March 13, 1948, Kwong made his NHL debut with the Rangers.

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cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•24 days ago

He was benched until the third period and played less than one minute on the ice. Despite being the top scorer on the farm team, he was never called to play again in the NHL. Kwong spent the rest of his career in the senior leagues in North America.

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cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•24 days ago

He won the Alexander Cup with the Valleyfield Braves, and spent nine years in the Quebec League averaging over a point per game.
Jean Beliveau said:
"Larry made his wing men look good because he was a great passer. He was doing what a centre man is supposed to do."

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