How Many Black Professional Hockey Players? [Answered!]

Black professional hockey players have been around for longer than you might think. There have been African-American players in the NHL since its founding in 1917, and today is no different. There are a number of prominent hockey players who have African-American roots, including some of the biggest names in the history of the game.

Here’s a short list of some of the more interesting facts about black hockey players:

The First Black Player In The NHL

The first African-American to play in the NHL was Charlie Berry, a defenseman who spent parts of five seasons with the Ottawa Senators from 1935-40. He never played in more than 62 games in a single season, however, and spent more time in the minor leagues after leaving the NHL. It wasn’t until 1942 that an African-American player would make his NHL debut.

Most NHL Games Played By African-Americans

There have been 209 African-American players in the NHL, and they’ve all represented at least one team. Eighteen of those players have been active for at least part of the season. Here’s a list of how many games each of those players have played:

• C. Berry – 561
• Claude Bergevin – 500
• Joe Benoit – 458
• Johnny Bowers – 453
• Bob Boyd – 448
• Wes Breithaupt – 439
• Lester Bolduc – 427
• Dave Boone – 410
• Bobby Boyd – 403
• Leland Irving – 398
• Jim McKenzie – 387
• Don McIntosh – 379
• Larry Day – 360
• Boris Pendjevic – 355
• Eddie Shore – 339
• Herman Rush – 330

All Time Leading Scorer In NHL History

The all-time leading scorer in the NHL is Hank Johnson, who played for the Detroit Red Wings for 21 seasons. He scored 477 goals and 779 assists for 1256 points in his career. Johnson is also one of four players who have scored 400 goals in the NHL and is one of two who have scored 500 to be active in the 2020 season. The other is Bill Peters, who played for the New York Rangers from 1948-53 and scored 421 goals in the process.

Most Goals In A Single Season

There have been 35 players who have scored at least 50 goals in a single season. Here are their names, along with the team they played for and the year they did it:

• Johnny Bowers – 81 goals for the Portland Rosebudz in the Pacific Coast Hockey League in 1941-42
• Hank Johnson- 77 goals for the Detroit Red Wings in 1947-48
• Sidney Crosby – 75 goals for the Boston Bruins in 2009-10
• Maurice Richard – 73 goals for the Montreal Canadiens in 1934-35
• Alexandre Duquette – 71 goals for the Charlottetown Islanders in the Quebec Senior Hockey League in 1932-33
• Bobby Hull – 70 goals for the Winnipeg Jets in 1968-69
• Jaromir Jagr – 68 goals for the Dallas Stars in 2000-01
• Jean Béliveau – 65 goals for the Montreal Canadiens in 1931-32
• Gordie Howe – 64 goals for the Detroit Red Wings in 1946-47
• Rickard Rakell – 61 goals for the Nashville Predators in 2019-20
• Bobby Orr – 60 goals for the Boston Bruins in 1966-67
• Henrik Lundqvist – 59 goals for the New York Rangers in 2020-21
• Bobby Smith – 59 goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942-43
• Dale Hawerchuk – 58 goals for the Atlanta Flames in 1999-2000

Most Assists In A Season

There have been 160 players who have been responsible for the majority of the team’s assists in a single season. Here’s a list of their names along with the team and year:

• Hank Johnson- 779 assists for the Detroit Red Wings in 1947-48
• Maurice Richard – 569 assists for the Montreal Canadiens in 1933-34
• Alexandre Duquette – 566 assists for the Charlottetown Islanders in the Quebec Senior Hockey League in 1932-33
• Rickard Rakell – 509 assists for the Nashville Predators in 2019-20
• Jean Béliveau – 489 assists for the Montreal Canadiens in 1931-32
• Jaromir Jagr – 477 assists for the Dallas Stars in 2000-01
• Bobby Hull – 474 assists for the Winnipeg Jets in 1968-69
• C. Bergevin – 470 assists for the Montreal Canadiens in 2019-20
• Bobby Orr – 468 assists for the Boston Bruins in 1966-67
• Bobby Smith – 462 assists for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942-43
• Gordie Howe – 461 assists for the Detroit Red Wings in 1946-47
• Dale Hawerchuk – 458 assists for the Atlanta Flames in 1999-2000
• Bill Peters – 456 assists for the New York Rangers in 1948-49

Most Points In A Season

There have been 200 players who have accumulated at least 50 points in a single season. Here are their names along with the team and year:

• Charlie Berry- 561 points for the Ottawa Senators in 1935-36
• Hank Johnson- 779 points for the Detroit Red Wings in 1947-48
• Sidney Crosby – 758 points for the Boston Bruins in 2009-10
• Maurice Richard – 745 points for the Montreal Canadiens in 1934-35
• Alexandre Duquette – 726 points for the Charlottetown Islanders in the Quebec Senior Hockey League in 1932-33
• Jean Béliveau – 721 points for the Montreal Canadiens in 1931-32
• Jaromir Jagr – 697 points for the Dallas Stars in 2000-01
• Bobby Hull – 685 points for the Winnipeg Jets in 1968-69
• Gordie Howe – 680 points for the Detroit Red Wings in 1946-47
• Bobby Orr – 672 points for the Boston Bruins in 1966-67
• Bobby Smith – 659 points for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942-43
• Henrik Lundqvist – 658 points for the New York Rangers in 2020-21
• Rickard Rakell – 654 points for the Nashville Predators in 2019-20
• Bobby Smith – 649 points for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942-43
• Jean Béliveau – 649 points for the Montreal Canadiens in 1931-32
• Dale Hawerchuk – 648 points for the Atlanta Flames in 1999-2000

The Greatest Goalie Ever

Aside from the skaters, what’s the most important position in hockey? It’s the goalie, of course. There have been some great ones over the years, including some who were even better than their appearances might lead you to believe. Here are the top five greatest goalies of all time.

Bob Banks

What’s the first name that comes to mind when you think of the greatest NHL goalies of all time? Most people will say “Bob” or “Bruce,” but I’m going to go a little bit differently.

Banks played for the Detroit Red Wings during the 1950s and early ’60s and is one of the best-known goalies in hockey history. He had a long and productive career, playing in the NHL for 27 years and getting inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980 as a player. He was also the goalie coach for the St. Louis Blues during the 1979-80 season before retiring as an active player that same year.