This is a great story on the very first hockey player of Asian descent in the NHL, a Canadian guy named Larry Kwong who played for about a minute in a game for the New York Rangers in 1948: First NHL player of Asian descent beat long odds.
Unfortunately, after that one minute of play, he never got another chance at a professional game, not even to sit on the bench. Today, sixty years later, both his legs are amputated below the knee, and he's had to teach himself to walk again. It's pretty sad. But he deserves some respect as the first Asian player in the NHL, even if just for a minute.
Last week, Willie O'Ree was honored on the 50th anniversary of this becoming the first black player in the NHL. For Kwong, March marks the 60th anniversary of his debut... and yet no one from Rangers or the NHL has contacted him. Where's the respect? (Thanks, Chris)