In one shift, Kwong made NHL history
A trail-blazing athlete known as “King Kwong” to his followers, Larry Kwong broke barriers as the first person of Chinese heritage to play in the National Hockey League.
Kwong died in his Calgary home last Thursday, according to his family. He was 94.
He played his first and only NHL game with the New York Rangers on March 13, 1948, against the Montreal Canadiens at the Forum — although Kwong wasn’t given much more than a minute on the ice.
“He was in Madison Square Garden when he got the call,” said Chad Soon, a close friend of Kwong ’s.
“He took a train to Montreal and I think the starting lineup for the Canadiens had five Hall of Fame players. He was doing flips is what I remember him telling me. (His chance) didn’t come until the third period.
“With just a few minutes left, he finally got the tap and was over the boards.
“He made a pass, but there is no stat line for him besides playing in the one game.”
Without explanation, Kwong was sent back to the minor leagues, never to appear in another NHL game again.
Kwong’s hockey career began with his hometown Hydrophones in Vernon, B.C. (where he was born), before playing with the Trail Smoke Eaters and later the Red Deer Wheelers while serving in the Canadian Army.
Following the Second World War, he joined the New York Rangers farm team, the Rovers, and led the team in scoring for two seasons.
It was from there that he got the call for his NHL debut, but not before he saw many of his teammates get the call before him.
“I think there was a slow burn there, where he was seeing players of lesser ability were getting the opportunity and he wasn’t,” said Soon.
Kwong went on to play in the Quebec Senior League, where he was named MVP in 1951. At the time, it was considered to be one of the best leagues in the world and Kwong scored 384 points in 347 games played.
He later played a season with the Nottingham Panthers in England, where he met and married his first wife.
In 1972, he moved back to Canada to join his brother, Jack, in managing a grocery store chain in Calgary until his retirement in 1996.
Despite his success on the ice and many calling him a trailblazer, Soon said that Kwong never looked at himself that way.
“That’s one of his charms is that he never had this big ego — he just loved the game,” said Soon.
“He had the same dream that so many other Canadian boys had and he always saw himself as a Canadian,andyethegrewupin a society that didn’t see him that way. I think Larry’s story is often discounted because they only gave him a minute. It neglects what it took Larry to get there, and of course, the injustice of not really getting that opportunity to prove himself at the highest level.”
Later in life, Kwong suffered from health challenges, including losing both legs to complications from diabetes. After losing his first wife to cancer, Kwong marriedagain,buthissecondwifealso lost her life to cancer.
“He was given not long to live at various times, but he said that he wanted to see his granddaughters grow up,” said Soon. “When he lost his legs, he became determined to walk again with his prosthetic legs on.”
Kwong has been recognized for his professional and athletic accomplishments including the Milner-Fenerty Award, Calgary’s Asian Heritage Award and inductions into the Okanagan and Alberta sports halls of fame.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of the legendary Larry Kwong, the first NHL player of Chinese descent during the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act,” said Teresa Woo-Paw, founder and chair of the Asian Heritage Foundation, which honoured Kwong with the Asian Heritage Award in 2002.
“I’ve had the privilege to know as well as honour Larry on several occasions and he was definitely a revered groundbreaker and inspirational role model to us all. Larry has paved the way for our continued collective efforts to break the various ceilings to full equality.”