Tributes have poured in from across the hockey world following the death of Larry Kwong – renowned for being the first Chinese-Canadian to play in the NHL.
The 94-year-old passed away peacefully in his Calgary home Thursday.
READ MORE: Hockey hero Larry Kwong passes away
The son of Chinese immigrants, Kwong was born in Vernon, BC in 1923. Growing up he was regularly confronted with the racist attitudes of the day.
Despite that, he flourished on the ice – playing first for teams in British Columbia, and then the United States. In the 1940s he impressed a scout and was brought onto the farm team for the New York Rangers.
“For him it was always, I think, a fight to prove himself and to show people his ability,” Kwong’s friend Chad Soon said in Vernon.
Kwong’s big breakthrough came on March 13, 1948 when he played a single minute for the Rangers against the Montreal Canadiens, becoming the first person of Chinese heritage to play at the highest level of the sport.
“Even for a minute is such a huge accomplishment. I would say it’s tragic that he didn’t get more,” Soon said.
“But the times weren’t ready for him. He never let it embitter him though.”
Kwong went on to play hockey competitively in Quebec and Europe, until he returned to Canada in the 1970s.
READ MORE: First Chinese-Canadian NHL player talks racial discrimination
He made Calgary his home and found success managing the Food Vale grocery stores with his brother. Not long after, he joined the Calgary Rotary Club.
“He served on various committees and he was always very community-minded. A guy who really wanted to do a lot for the community,” Rotary Club of Calgary South president Bill LeClair said.
“In later years he was slowed down for health reasons… but the man did more than his share.”
LeClair said on top of his important contributions to the community, Kwong was also always game for some good-natured banter.
“Larry was a guy who played one shift in the NHL, first Asian-born player in the NHL. Even in his eighties I’d be walking in saying, ‘Larry, you ready to go for training camp? Your pension has got to be running out!’”
Kwong stayed active with the Rotary Club for as long as he could. His final appearance was on Feb. 2, for the annual Larry Kwong Chinese New Year dinner.
“Larry had been slowed by a stroke about a year ago. But God love him, he was still there. He knew what was going on,” LeClair remembered.
According to Kwong’s family, a funeral will be held March 23 at First Alliance Church.
WATCH: Here’s a look at Larry Kwong’s career. He was the first Chinese player to be in the NHL. Global News reporter Julia Wong spoke with him for this story in 2011.
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