Dorringtons are proud cousins of first Black player to sign NHL contract Prospects connect with hockey pioneer from Truro
As they climb the hockey ladder, two pro prospects from the Boston area draw inspiration from their late cousin Art Dorrington, a Truro native who was a pioneer in the sport more than 70 years ago.
NHL draft candidate Jackson Dorrington and his older brother Max are distant relatives of Art, who in 1950 became the first Black player to sign an NHL contact.
“It’s definitely cool to be carrying on what he started with our name,” said Jackson, a 17-year-old rookie defenceman with the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers and a Northeastern University commit.
“He was a great pioneer and I just want to keep that going.”
In its mid-season rankings, Central Scouting listed Jackson 57th among North American skaters eligible for this summer’s NHL entry draft. He hopes to return to action in March after having hand surgery at the end of January.
The Halifax Mooseheads selected Jackson in the 2020 QMJHL draft, but he elected to stay on the U.S. college path. He skated with the Boston Junior Bruins last season after playing prep-school hockey at Cushing Academy with his brother Max, now a sophomore forward at St. Lawrence University.
In recent years, the North Reading, Mass., brothers became aware of their relationship to a true hockey trailblazer in Art Dorrington.
“Being the first Black player to sign an NHL contract was definitely a significant accomplishment,” Max said. “That’s a major goal for a lot of hockey players, especially at the college level.
“In the Black community, to be able to be the first one to do that is definitely something that grabbed my attention. Hopefully me and my brother could try to achieve that accomplishment someday.”
When he inked his NHL deal with the New York Rangers, Art was 20 years old, the same age Max is now.
“Times were definitely a lot different,” Max said. “Art and other players faced a lot more difficult situations so that me and my brother and plenty of other players could play the level of hockey we do today.
“I don’t think that all the great Black NHL players would be there without Art or without Willie O’Ree or any of those guys.”
Art Dorrington signed with the Rangers eight years before Fredericton native O’Ree debuted with the Boston Bruins in 1958 and skated into history as the first Black player to play in the NHL. Both men overcame racism as they persevered to play the game they loved. The Bruins retired O’Ree’s No. 22 jersey in a pregame ceremony last month.
Art Dorrington was 87 when he died in 2017 at Atlantic City, N.J., where he resided after a standout minor-pro career. He never played in the NHL but left an indelible mark in the game not only for his pioneering ways, but also for his support of underprivileged youth.
“I don’t think that all the great Black NHL players would be there without Art or without Willie O’Ree or any of those guys.”
Max Dorrington
The Dorrington brothers never met Art, but as they became older and learned more about his legacy, they further appreciated his influence on generations of players.
“It’s definitely something that motivates me to keep pushing and live up to his name and carry on his legacy,” said Jackson, about six-foot-two and 195 pounds.
“I’m not exactly sure what he went through, since I haven’t been through those experiences probably to the same extent as him. But he probably went through a lot — verbal abuse, physical — but I’m sure he just wanted to play the game, so he just persisted through everything.”
While the game has strived to become more inclusive, racial incidents continue to surface at all levels, from minor hockey to pro. Just days before Black History Month began this February, both the AHL and ECHL suspended players for actions deemed to be racially offensive.
“It’s definitely frustrating to hear,” said Jackson, who turns 18 in April. “You just feel for the victims of those events.
“There are great role models at the highest level — for example, P.K. Subban — who keep bringing light to these things. And hopefully one day, it won’t be talked about because it won’t be happening anymore.”
Max believes that hockey culture is a long way from where it needs to be to make the game truly inclusive for all players.
“I personally haven’t encountered any of that outright racism, but I feel like hockey culture as a whole is something that I’ve experienced this far in my life and I think that it needs to keep on being developed,” said the six-foot-three, 215-pound centre.
“I heard P.K. (Subban) talking about it the other day. You know, we’re not there yet. But hopefully by the time me and my brother and all the players now are long out of the game, it’s that much better for the next generation.”
His brother agrees that personal insults of any sort must be purged from hockey.
“It’s just not something that should be tolerated,” Jackson said. “Not just about racism, it goes for anything. Homophobia, anything, you just shouldn’t say it, regardless of who you’re around.
“It’s like the locker-room talk (and) I understand it happens, but it shouldn’t happen and it shouldn’t be accepted as it is. People should start speaking up about it and change that narrative.”
Art Dorrington helped to change the course of hockey history, paving the way for players like his cousins who proudly share his name.
“That’s probably one of the coolest parts, is that not a lot of distant cousins actually have the same last name,” Max said. “So, to have the last name Dorrington on my jersey, it definitely has more significance than I thought it did at some points in my life.”
Along with their Art Dorrington connection, the hockey-playing siblings have even closer ties to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Michael Dorrington, father of Max and Jackson, was born in Truro and grew up in Saint John, N.B., before settling in the U.S. and studying at Harvard University, where he played varsity baseball. Michael’s mother, Carole Thompson, moved back to Nova Scotia from Ottawa in the past year.