First Chinese-Canadian to play in NHL dies
INJUSTICE: Kwong’s only league game was with New York Rangers in 1948 at the Montreal Forum
Former National Hockey League player Larry Kwong, who was known by his pseudonym’s ‘King Kwong’ and the ‘China Clipper,’ broke barriers as the first Chinese person to play in the NHL, has died.
Kwong, 94, passed away in his Calgary home on March 15, according to a release sent out by the family.
He played his first and only NHL game with the New York Rangers on March 13, 1948 against the Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum — in fact, Kwong didn’t play much more than a minute in the game.
“He was in Madison Square Garden when he got the call,” said Chad Soon, a close friend of Kwong’s who first started as a fan of his.
“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. 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 him besides playing in the one game.”
Without explanation, Kwong got send back to the minor leagues never to appear in another NHL game again.
Kwong’s hockey career began with his hometown Vernon Hydrophones before playing with the Trail Smoke Eaters and later the Red Deer Wheelers while serving in the Canadian Army.
Following the war, he joined the New York Rangers farm team — the Rovers and lead 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 awarded the league 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.
Through all of 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 and yet, he grew up in 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 concerns including losing both legs due to complications from diabetes.
“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.