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Lawrence Kwong (born Eng Kai Geong; June 17, 1923), was the first Chinese Canadian and the first person of Asian ancestry to play in the National Hockey League. Of Cantonese extraction,〔 NHL, ("CBC targets Chinese hockey fans with Mandarin broadcasts of NHL playoffs" ), Canadian Press, 2008 April 20 〕 he was also the first NHL player from Vernon, British Columbia, and the Okanagan region. Born to immigrant grocer parents, Kwong played as a forward and was called the "China Clipper" (a name later used for CFL player Normie Kwong) and "King" Kwong. ==Playing career== Kwong powered the Vernon Hydrophones to the midget hockey championship of BC in 1939 and then to the provincial juvenile title in 1941.〔Canadian Press. ("Eyes on Cup! Trail Moulding Mighty Puck Squad" ), ''The Leader-Post'' (Regina, SK), Nov. 11, 1941, p. 16.〕 As an 18-year-old, Kwong jumped the junior ranks to play senior hockey for the Trail Smoke Eaters, who had won the 1939 World Ice Hockey Championships. In Trail, he was denied a job working with his teammates at the smelter because of his Chinese heritage.〔''Encyclopedia of British Columbia.'' Ed. Daniel Francis. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing Ltd, 2000, p. 394. ISBN 1-55017-200-X.〕 In 1944 Kwong was drafted into the Canadian Army. Instead of being deployed overseas, he was selected to join "Sugar" Jim Henry and Mac Colville on the Red Deer Wheelers of the Central Alberta Garrison Hockey League. The Wheelers defeated the Calgary Combines (starring two-time NHL scoring champion Sweeney Schriner) in the playoff semi-final, before falling to Calgary Currie Army (whose roster included Hart Trophy winners Max Bentley and Tommy Anderson) in the final series.〔("Currie Soldiers Win Puck Title" ), ''Edmonton Journal'', March 13, 1944, p. 7.〕 After World War II Kwong returned to Trail and won the provincial senior hockey championship with the Smoke Eaters in 1946. In that BC Final series against the New Westminster Royals, Kwong led the Smokies in scoring (tied with Mike Buckna) and scored the Savage Cup-winning goal.〔Canadian Press. ("Smokies Oust Coast Squad" ), ''The Leader-Post'' (Regina, SK), March 30, 1946, p. 17.〕 Later that year, Lester Patrick scouted Kwong and was impressed, signing him for the New York Rovers, a farm team of the New York Rangers.〔Canadian Press. ("Larry Kwong Impresses Lester Patrick" ), ''The Calgary Herald'', Sept. 19, 1946, p. 17.〕 Kwong scored a goal in his debut for the Rovers against the Boston Olympics in Boston on October 27, 1946.〔Associated Press. ("Olympics Beaten Out" ), ''The Lewiston Daily Sun'', Oct. 28, 1946, p. 9.〕 At Madison Square Garden on November 17, 1946, Shavey Lee presented Kwong with the Keys to New York's Chinatown. Kwong went on to lead the New York Rovers in scoring in 1947–1948 with 86 points in 65 games. Less than a year after Jackie Robinson shattered the baseball color line, Kwong broke the barrier in hockey. On March 13, 1948, Kwong made his NHL debut with the New York Rangers, wearing number 11, against Maurice Richard and the Montreal Canadiens in the Montreal Forum. Kwong waited until late in the third period before seeing the ice for his only shift of the night. Playing only for about a minute, he tallied no points in what would be his only big-league game. The Rovers' top scorer had watched several other Rover forwards get called to the NHL ahead of him.〔Canadian Press. ("American Puck Teams Compete in Two Loops" ), ''The Calgary Herald'', Jan. 6, 1948, p. 13.〕 Demoted after a single minute, Kwong became convinced that he would not get an opportunity to prove himself at the NHL level with the Rangers. In the off-season, Kwong accepted a more lucrative offer to play for the Valleyfield Braves of the Quebec Senior Hockey League. Kwong went on to have a long career in senior leagues in Canada and the United States. Coached by Toe Blake, Kwong was named as an assistant captain of the Valleyfield Braves. In 1951 Kwong won the Vimy Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the QSHL. That year, he led the Valleyfield Braves to the league championship and then to the Alexander Cup, the Canadian major senior title. In the following QSHL season (1951–52), Kwong's 38 goals were topped only by Jean Béliveau's 45 tallies. In his nine-year tenure in the Quebec League, competing against future NHL All-Stars such as Béliveau, Jacques Plante, Dickie Moore, Gerry McNeil and Jean-Guy Talbot, Kwong averaged better than a point per game. Kwong also spent one season with the Nottingham Panthers in Britain, scoring 55 goals in 55 games, before moving to Switzerland where he led HC Ambrì-Piotta in scoring as player-coach.〔Hockey Club Ambrì-Piotta Official Website. ("Storia del Club". )〕 With this coaching assignment, he became the first person of Chinese descent to coach a professional hockey team.〔 Calgary Herald, ("Kwong (Puck) Moves Talents To Switzerland" ), Johnny Hopkins, 2 October 1958, pp.50 〕 He later coached HC Lugano and HC Lausanne. Kwong also became a tennis coach in Switzerland. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Larry Kwong」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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