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Hockey 4 Youth in the News
75 years ago, Larry Kwong broke the colour barrier in the NHL, as the first Asian-Canadian on the ice. Why there’s now a push to get him in the Hockey Hall of Fame with Moezine Hasham from Hockey 4 Youth Foundation.
[Listen to Hockey Hall of Fame - Larry Kwong on CBC Radio - Ottawa Morning]
Moezine Hasham is the founder and executive director of Hockey 4 Youth. The group is part of a campaign calling for Larry Kwong to be inducted in the Builder Category in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
[Listen to The legacy of Larry Kwong: Why this Toronto foundation is rallying for this player's spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame on CBC Radio Metro Morning]
Moezine Hasham of Hockey 4 Youth talks with Chris dela Torre about the 75th anniversary of Larry Kwong becoming the first player of Asian descent to play in a National Hockey League game.
[Listen to The Homestretch with Chris dela Torre & Jenny Howe on CBC Radio]
It's been 75 years since Chinese-Canadian hockey player Larry Kwong hit the ice for the New York Rangers, becoming the first non-Indigenous person of colour to play in the NHL. Heather Yourex-West explains the story of the "China Clipper", and how his supporters (Moezine Hasham, Chad Soon and Samantha Heintz) are pushing for his impact on the sport to be formally recognized.
[Watch ‘China Clipper: Remembering Larry Kwong's barrier-breaking impact on the NHL’ on Global News]
Moezine Hasham: "I knew about who Larry [Kwong] was. I didn't know the depth of his story, but I knew that he had broken into the NHL.
When you look at his career and how he even gets to New York Rangers, he's showcasing it through his skill. But there's a lot of barriers for him.
The racism and discrimination that he would have faced at that time, that fact that he just continued to play and he had a successful career as a pro for many years, not only here in Canada, but also in Europe, that's what's really remarkable.
And if it wasn't for discrimination and racism, Larry would have remained in the #NHL. We know that. We see that with Herb Carnegie's story, and we see that with Willie O'Ree's story.
There are just these barriers that existed at that time and that continue to exist in some way, shape or form today. But then after his career as a player in North America is done, he goes to Switzerland, he goes to England, he plays there.
He, in fact, coaches and plays in Switzerland in five cities. And that's where he really cements himself as a perfect person to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He's building the game of hockey in Europe as an Asian player facing those barriers that exist for him.
And that's what makes him perfect for the #Hockey Hall of Fame in the builder category. Because the builder category is not about just your stats on the ice, but it's about what did you do for the game."
[Watch ‘Petition to put Chinese Canadian NHL player into the Hall of Fame’ on CityNews]
