Moezine Hasham, founder and executive director of the Hockey 4 Youth Foundation, said he hopes Kwong will follow the path Willie O'Ree and Herb Carnegie took to the Hall. Columbus on Saturday at 191 West St and Detroit on April 10 and 11 at Jack Adams Memorial Arena. A giant photo of Kwong adorns the outside of the trailer and a jersey he wore in 1942-43, when he played for the Nanaimo of the Pacific Coast Hockey League, is prominently displayed inside. Kwong's significance to hockey is recognized by the United By Hockey Mobile History Museum that's touring all 32 NHL markets this season. Video: Larry Kwong's incredible journey to the NHL in 1948 It can't be understated how much he opened eyes to the fact that hockey could be more than just a white sport." And Larry finds this way to climb the ladder to success. "One has to understand what he was to the Chinese Canadian community, the Chinese American community, because you were expected to be a servant, a laborer.
"I think a lot of times Larry's story is dismissed because of his short minute on the ice," said Chad Soon, a teacher from Kwong's home town of Vernon, British Columbia who has been advocating for greater recognition of Kwong's achievements for 15 years. The petition notes that Kwong's one game, his one 60-second shift with the Rangers helped pave the way to the NHL for other Asian heritage players, including Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki (Japanese Canadian) and Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson (Filipino American) and former NHL players Robin Bawa (South Asian Canadian), Jim Paek (Korean) and Paul Kariya (Japanese Canadian), who was enshrined in the Hall in 2017.
More than 9,200 people have signed an online petition calling for Kwong's induction. June 17 would have been the late forward's 100th birthday, a milestone that occurs five days before the Hockey Hall of Fame announces its class of 2023. March 13 marked the 75th anniversary of when Kwong became the first player of Asian descent to play in the NHL when he suited up for the New York Rangers against the Montreal Canadiens at the Forum in Montreal in 1948. The numbers align for Larry Kwong, his supporters say.
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