Breaking the Ice: The Black Experience in Professional Hockey

Since 1958, thirty-eight black men have played in the National Hockey League. Of the more than six hundred players today, fourteen are black. Breaking the Ice: The Black Experience in Professional Hockey is the first book to tell the unique stories of black hockey players -- how they triumphed over racial and cultural prejudice, or succumbed to it. Sports journalist Cecil Harris outlines the personal and professional battles as well as the victories of such hockey pioneers as Herb Carnegie and Willie O'Ree -- men whose determination, skill and sheer love of the game smoothed the ice for black players to follow. Harris also profiles former goaltender Grant Fuhr, who in 2003 became the first black to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, current stars Jarome Iginla, Anson Carter, Kevin Weekes and Mike Grier, as well as retired players Mike Marson, Ray Neufeld and Tony McKegney, among others. With a stickhandler's precision, Harris' Breaking the Ice documents the struggles and contributions of black players to hockey, and leaves an indelible mark on sports history.