A Historical Shift

On March 13, 1948, the Rangers played a game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum. By all accounts, the game itself was a nondescript, 3-2 win for the Canadiens.

Except, NHL history was made that night. Larry Kwong, who had been playing in the Rangers farm system with the New York Rovers of the Eastern Amateur Hockey League, played one shift in the contest. With that shift, Kwong became the first player of Asian descent to play in an NHL game.

Unfortunately for Kwong, that night in Montreal would be the only time that he played in an NHL game. However, his legacy as a pioneer cannot be overstated. And, something that is often overlooked as it relates to Kwong's career, is how good of a player he was and the success at many levels throughout his life.

Larry Kwong was born on June 17, 1923 in Vernon, British Columbia. Like so many kids from the region, Kwong gravitated to hockey and loved playing the game, as he honed his skills by skating and playing on frozen ponds. He played senior hockey for the first time as an 18-year-old with the Trail Smoke Eaters during the 1941-42 season.

Throughout his life - and his hockey career - Kwong faced obstacles that made his journey all the more remarkable. For any hockey player, having to play for a different team for five consecutive years (which Kwong did from 1941-42 through 1945-46) while trying to establish yourself is a difficult challenge.

To do this while fighting through the discrimination that existed at the time - for example, the Chinese Exclusion Act - added to the perseverance that was necessary for Kwong to pursue his dreams of playing in the NHL.

After the Smoke Eaters shut down during World War II, Kwong joined the Nanaimo Clippers for 1942-43. In the fall of 1943, he received an offer from the Cleveland Barons of the American Hockey League. However, he was unable to receive a permit to leave British Columbia due to the wartime restrictions. As a result, Kwong played senior hockey in Vancouver. In 1944 he was drafted into the Canadian Army, but instead of being deployed overseas, he was kept in Alberta to play on military teams with other NHL players and prospects who were serving.

Following the war, Kwong returned to play with Trail. It was while he played for Trail during the Allan Cup in 1945-46 that a Rangers scout named Hank Viney saw Kwong play. Kwong, who was listed at 5'6" and 150 pounds when he played in his one game with the Rangers, certainly wasn't the biggest player on the ice during his era. His skill level, however, made him stand out among his peers. The scout identified Kwong as a player that the Rangers should pursue, and prior to the 1946-47 season, Kwong was invited to the team's hockey school and training camp in Winnipeg.

Kwong impressed the Rangers during his time at their hockey school, and he was assigned to the Rovers. The Rovers, like the Rangers, played their home games at MSG, and in November of 1946, Shavey Lee, the unofficial Mayor of Chinatown, extended an official invitation to Kwong upon his arrival in New York and gave him the key to Chinatown. Kwong had an impressive season with the Rovers in 1946-47, scoring 19 goals and recording 37 points in 47 regular season games, and then he followed up his strong regular season with a team-high seven goals in nine playoff contests.

Besides having the ability to dazzle fans with his ability, Kwong drew fans to games and - especially for the Chinese population in New York - became a hero to many. Because of discrimination and exclusion, there were not many pop culture icons of Chinese descent for people to idolize. But here was Kwong, several months before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier just a borough away in Brooklyn, playing a major role for a team at Madison Square Garden.

Kwong's scoring prowess was not by accident or by luck. Frank Boucher, who was one of the best players in Rangers history and the team's head coach and general manager while Kwong was in the organization, described Kwong as an "enthusiastic hockey student who asks a million questions." Hockey historian Stan Fischler, who watched Kwong play with the Rovers, noted how well Kwong could handle the puck, make plays, and skate, which was vital to him having success against the tough, physical defensemen of his era.

In 1947-48, Kwong was the Rovers' leading point scorer, registering 86 points (33 goals, 53 assists) in 65 games between the Eastern Amateur Hockey League and Quebec Senior Hockey League (QSHL). Since he only got into one game in the NHL with the Rangers in 1947-48, Kwong decided to pursue a new opportunity with the Valleyfield Braves in the QSHL in 1948-49. Kwong had a very successful seven-year stint in Valleyfield, tallying more than 30 goals in three of his first four seasons and consistently ranking among the league leaders in points. In 1950-51, Kwong was named the QSHL's Most Valuable Player, and he helped Valleyfield win both the league championship and national senior hockey championship.

In addition to his impact in North America, Kwong made a major impact in Europe. He joined the Nottingham Panthers for the 1957-58 season, and he scored a remarkable 55 goals in 55 games. Kwong then moved to Switzerland, where he first started as a player-coach with HC Ambri-Piotta. Over the next decade, he coached four more Swiss teams and helped to grow hockey as a world sport by starring in tournaments and exhibition games against Europe's best clubs and national teams.

Kwong was inducted into the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. Although he didn't have the opportunity to play more in the NHL, Kwong's legacy as a pioneer is something that will never be forgotten.