Color of Hockey: 'Soul on Ice' still resonating 10 years after premiere

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles the 10th anniversary of "Soul on Ice: Past, Present & Future," the Black hockey history documentary by filmmaker Kwame Mason.

Filmmaker Kwame Mason can hardly believe it has been a decade since the premiere of "Soul on Ice: Past, Present & Future," the Black hockey documentary he poured his heart, money and, yes, soul into.

“When I sit back and I look at it, you know, time does go by fast,” Mason said. “But then when you think about it being 10 years, you're just like, ‘Oh, wow, man, it's been a road, a very interesting road traveled.'”

“Soul on Ice” made its United States debut on Jan. 13, 2016, at a screening in Washington, D.C., hosted by the NHL and Washington Capitals.

Commissioner Gary Bettman and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis attended. So did Willie O'Ree, who became the NHL’s first Black player on Jan. 18, 1958, when he debuted with the Boston Bruins. Anson Carter, Kevin Weekes and other current and former NHL players were also in the house.

They were awed by Mason’s 86-minute labor of love that chronicles Black history in the sport from the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes in the 1890s to the successes and obstacles encountered by today’s Black players.

“What stood out most was the energy in the room -- you could feel that people knew they were experiencing something important,” Leonsis said recently.

“If anything, time has reinforced its importance. The film was ahead of its moment in how honestly it told these stories and how intentionally it connected history to the present. A decade later, the themes of recognition, access, and belonging are still central to the game, and the film continues to resonate because it’s rooted in truth. That’s what gives it staying power.”

Mason’s first film endeavor has elements of a tear-jerker, from Herb Carnegie having his dreams of becoming the NHL’s first Black player dashed to the racist abuse Mike Marson endured when he joined the Washington Capitals as the NHL’s second Black player in 1974 to junior hockey forward Jaden Lindo suffering a devastating knee injury the season he was eligible for the 2014 NHL Draft.

But it has also proven to be a game-changer from its showings on NHL Network, art houses across North America, on college campuses and on Jumbotrons at several NHL arenas.

“I think the impact has been exactly what the mission was: To help normalize the faces and voices of people of color, especially Black people, in the game of hockey,” Mason said. “Not a lot of people knew about the Color Hockey League of the Maritimes. Not a lot of people knew about Herb Carnegie's history. Not a lot of people knew about Willie O’Ree’s history. The other thing it did, for Black people who played the game when they were younger or who never really got their shot, it allowed them to sit back and have some sort of good feeling about what they did.”

Hockey has become more diverse from ice level to the front office to the broadcast booth and to fans in the stands since Mason’s movie debuted.

Kim Davis, NHL senior executive vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs, said “Soul on Ice” has been a guidepost in the League’s efforts to make the game of hockey more welcoming and accessible for all.

“With the storytelling of ‘Soul on Ice’… as the central inspiration, we’ve built a ‘movement not a moment’ that has engaged and inspired the hockey community to lean into the future with courage and conviction,” Davis said. “The results over the past 8-10 years speak for themselves: First ever Inclusion Impact Report in the history of the League, the largest number of multicultural draft picks over the past two seasons than ever in our history; fan code of conduct to ensure that fans can feel safe in arenas across North America; the Player Inclusion Coalition as a substantive, meaningful group that advises the Commissioner and the (NHL Players' Association) on “training up” the next generation of players in Inclusion practices; a league-wide strategy to attract/develop/retain young, female, multicultural, purpose-driven “fans in waiting,” and the list goes on.”

Leonsis said “Soul on Ice” prompted discissions within his organization that led to stronger ties with Washington’s Fort Dupont Ice Arena, the District’s only indoor ice rink, the creation of “Celebrating Black History” jerseys, and the construction of a permanent display at Capital One Arena that honors the Black players in the team's history.

“The film did an exceptional job of illuminating stories that deserved a lasting place in the fabric of the sport,” he said. “Our display at Capital One Arena reflects that same commitment -- to recognition, education, and ensuring fans understand the full history of hockey and the diverse individuals who helped build it.”

Lindo said he’s proof of the impact and staying power of the film. Ten years ago, he was a teenager fretting about his hockey future. Today, he heads the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Willie O’Ree Academy, a training and enrichment program established by the Penguins in 2020 and presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.

“I’m always going to be grateful to have been part of something special like that,” said Lindo, whose selection by the Pittsburgh in the sixth round (No. 173) of the 2014 NHL Draft is a key storyline in the film. “Kwame is part of hockey history. He did something that a lot of people didn’t believe could be done, didn’t believe there was a market for. And now you look at the trickle-down effect that it has had on hockey as a whole? It’s incredible.”