This is a list of black National Hockey League players.
Players with at least one game of NHL experience:
Names in italics have won the Stanley Cup.
Bold:organization by which player is currently playing
*: Yet to have played an NHL game for his respective team
= NHL All-Star [1] · | = NHL All-Star [1] and NHL All-Star team · | = Hall of Famers |
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The National Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams – 25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered to be the top-ranked professional ice hockey league in the world, with players from 17 countries as of the 2023–24 season. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) also views the Stanley Cup as one of the "most important championships available to the sport". The NHL is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.
Jarome Arthur Leigh Iginla (born Arthur Leigh Elvis Adekunle Jarome Tij Junior Iginla) (; born July 1, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. He played over 1,500 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, and Los Angeles Kings between 1996 and 2017. He is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation.
William Eldon O'Ree is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player from Fredericton, New Brunswick. He is widely recognized for being the first black player in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing as a winger for the Boston Bruins. His accomplishment of breaking the black colour barrier in the NHL has led him to sometimes be referred to as the "Jackie Robinson of hockey," whom he had the chance to meet when he was younger. In 2018, O'Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and starting that year the NHL has introduced the annual Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award in his honor.
Martin Ernest Reasoner is an American former professional ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, Atlanta Thrashers and New York Islanders. He is currently in a player development coaching role within the New York Islanders organization.
Georges Laraque is a Canadian former ice hockey player noted for being one the most successful hockey enforcers of his time. Laraque retired from hockey in 2010 after the Montreal Canadiens bought out his contract. After being drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 1995, Georges still finds the team closest to his heart.
Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and current studio analyst for the Columbus Blue Jackets on Bally Sports Ohio.
Eric Paul Nesterenko was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1951 until 1956 and for the Chicago Black Hawks from 1956 until 1972.
Joel Randal Ward is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks. He is currently an assistant coach with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Wayne Simmonds is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres, and Toronto Maple Leafs between 2008 and 2023. During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Simmonds played in Europe with ETC Crimmitschau and HC Bílí Tygři Liberec. He is known to his teammates and fans by the nickname "Wayne Train".
Joseph Michael Crabb, is an American former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Atlanta Thrashers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers.
Dylan McIlrath is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and captain of the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played junior ice hockey for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and was drafted by the New York Rangers, 10th overall at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. McIlrath is of majority Scottish descent.
The history of black players in North American ice hockey has roots dating back to the late 19th century. The first black ice hockey star was Herb Carnegie during the Great Depression. Willie O'Ree broke the NHL's black color barrier with the Boston Bruins in 1958.
Adam Clendening is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing for Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Clendening was raised in Wheatfield, New York. He was selected 36th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
Maxwell Johannes Domi is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 12th overall, by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Domi has also previously played for the Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, and Dallas Stars.
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.
Ice hockey, referred to in the US simply as "hockey", is a popular sport in the United States. Hockey in the US began in 1894 when the first artificial ice rink was built in Baltimore, Maryland. Now hockey is most popular in regions of the US with cold winter climates, such as the northeast and the upper Midwest. However, since the 1990s, ice hockey has become increasingly popular in the Sun Belt due in large part to the expansion of the National Hockey League to the southeast and southwest US, coupled with the mass relocation of many residents from northern cities with strong hockey support to these Sun Belt locations.
Everett "Fitz" Fitzhugh is an American sportscaster who is the radio play-by-play announcer for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League.
Jalen Chatfield is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played with the Vancouver Canucks.
The 2021–22 Ukrainian Hockey League season is the 30th season of the Ukrainian Hockey Championship. Eight teams participated in the league in the start of the season.
John Frederick Utendale was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, ice hockey coach, and college professor. He signed a contract with the Detroit Red Wings in 1955, becoming the first Black man to sign a contract with a National Hockey League team. Utendale later became a professor at Western Washington State College as the first Black faculty member of the school's Woodring College of Education.