Celebrating Black New York Rangers
A spotlight on the fourteen Black players who’ve played for the Blueshirts over the years.
Today is the last day of Black History Month, something that sadly gets forgotten in a predominantly white sport like ice hockey. The New York Rangers are actually tied with the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks for icing the second most Black players in an NHL team’s history. A total of fourteen Black players have worn Rangers red, white, and blue over the years. The only other NHL team with more in their franchise’s history is the Buffalo Sabres—with a resounding fifteen. It is a bleak statistic considering this league employs a thousand players every season.
One bright spot in the conversation around hockey’s diversity came during the 2024 NHL Draft. It was the most diverse draft in league history, with 12 players of color being selected across the seven rounds. As the first round came to a close, the President’s Trophy-winning Blueshirts took to the stage at the Sphere to announce their only top 32 pick that year: “The New York Rangers are proud to select E.J. Emery of the U.S. National Team Development Program 30th overall.” Then came the flash of the young defenseman’s background information—his hometown, his position, his height, his weight, and his NHL role model. K’Andre Miller.
It was a sobering sight to see. Miller quickly reached out to congratulate Emery and welcome him to the organization.
Despite hockey’s historical lack of diversity, it’s important to remember moments like these. The NHL is making a slow march towards equity and inclusion, but it trudges forward nonetheless. It means something for a young player like Emery to see someone like Miller under the lights of Broadway. So let’s take the time to honor the fourteen Black New York Rangers, and make sure their stories continue to inspire generations of fans and players to come.
Art Dorrington (1950)
Art Dorrington was the first Black player to sign an NHL contract. Born in Truro, Nova Scotia, the centerman played in local semi-pro leagues until 1950, when the Rangers signed him to a two-way contract. Playing for the team’s Eastern Hockey League affiliate league, the Atlantic City Seagulls, he led the minor league in goals during 1954-1955, with 33 goals in 49 games. He would never play an NHL game, but he set a precedent for players like Willie O’Ree to break the league’s color barrier years later. He remained in Atlantic City following his retirement, where he founded the Art Dorrington Ice Hockey Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to helping lower-income kids develop skills through hockey and tutoring programs. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 87.
