By Victoria Cha
Throughout his time playing hockey, Liam Ross has been no stranger to experiencing discrimination on the ice.
“There have been instances where I have felt different, whether I’ve been called slurs or whatnot,” said Ross, a third-year defender on the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s hockey team.
East Asian hockey players have historically been subjected to discrimination that makes it harder for them to feel included in the world of sports. In 2022, a diversity and inclusion report found that 83.6 per cent of employees across the NHL and its teams were white. Racist comments and abuse towards players of colour—including Asian players, like NHL’s Matt Dumba, who has described facing discriminatory instances in the past—are not uncommon on the ice.
Ross has endured his share of this treatment from opponents.
“Early on, there were definitely challenges where players on different teams would see me as different and call me names,” remembered Ross.
Ross is half-Chinese and was introduced to hockey at a young age by his dad, where he “fell in love with playing.” While going through youth and junior hockey, he didn’t perceive people’s differences as something “glaringly obvious” and instead took notice of his peers’ intentions, which he said were all welcoming.
“Every team I played for, I’ve felt very included. No one on my team has ever treated me differently. I’m very happy to say everyone…has always been very supportive,” said Ross.
Similarly, first-year Bold defender Kalysta Song never took notice of her race while playing until she was older.
“[Underrepresentation] wasn’t something that I was made aware of or felt ashamed of because I was always surrounded by people who accepted me,” said Song in an email statement. “But as I grew older, I definitely started to notice that I was always one of the only people of colour on the teams that I played on.”
Song—who is half-Korean and a quarter Japanese—and second-year forward Kayla Kondo—who is half-Japanese—are two East Asian players currently on the TMU Bold women’s hockey team. Both are described by their head coach Lisa Haley as great leaders in representing diversity.
“[Song] and [Kondo] on our team feel a sense of responsibility…to be that role model and I think they embrace it very well,” said Haley. “I hope we can continue to foster that type of mentality within our sport.”
Song takes this responsibility to heart. “I always try to put my best foot forward. Since there aren’t as many East Asian players in women’s hockey, I want to set a positive example and show that we belong in the sport just as much as anyone else,” she said.
According to Haley, when it comes to women’s hockey, it is more common and welcomed to see players of varying identities—such as race and ethnicity—compared to men’s hockey. In the professional realm, many BIPOC women have been seen as role models—such as Sarah Nurse with the Toronto Sceptres or Fatima Al Ali representing the United Arab Emirates—who break stereotypes and represent different diverse groups.
“I’m not saying that [discrimination] doesn’t exist in the female hockey world but I do think it’s much less prevalent,” noted Haley. “Discriminatory…scenarios just don’t exist at the same level on the female side. I think that, as a whole, our sport is much more accepting of people from diverse backgrounds, beliefs and identity.”
Establishing a welcoming team dynamic has allowed players like Song to feel enriched by the diversity on the Bold women’s squad.
“In most instances, everyone just realizes that they are there for the same reason: to play hockey and to have fun,” said Song. “Regardless of our backgrounds, we share a common goal, which helps create a strong sense of unity. At the same time, having players from different identities and experiences makes the team dynamic even stronger.”
In December 2024, Kevin He became the first Chinese-born hockey player to sign an entry-level contract with the NHL, while at a Canadian youth level seven out of 16 players on the Greater Toronto Hockey League’s Don Mills Flyers U16 team are East Asian, according to the Toronto Star.
Before joining TMU, Ross was invited to play for the Kunlun Red Star, a team in the Kontinental Hockey League based in Beijing, China.
“It was a great experience. Most of the team was either born in China or of Chinese heritage, so that was something that was definitely different from previous teams I played for, and it was something special, seeing how diverse hockey has become,” Ross recalled.
With the lack of representation in hockey, some see the few Asian players in the sport as role models, one being Nick Suzuki who plays for the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL.
“Suzuki has been a pretty big inspiration to me. Seeing him succeed as a player of Asian heritage in a predominantly-white sport has been really motivating,” said Song. “His journey reminds me that representation in hockey is growing and it pushes me to keep striving for my own goals.”
“We are all human and race shouldn’t create a barrier between us”
Asian women have started to be recognized in professional hockey as well. In 2024, Akane Shiga became the PWHL’s only Japanese player. In 2021, Ye Eun Park, who played for the Bold between 2018 and 2020, went on to represent the South Korean national team and continues to do so.
“I think hockey in general is too dominated by Caucasians, whether it’s male or female. But I think that the diversity within our sport is growing…and I hope it continues to do so,” said Haley.
Diversity in hockey has taken strides in recent years with the 2024 NHL draft sparking conversations about how the sport is becoming multicultural. With this positive change, TMU Bold athletes can be seen as representatives of a brighter, more inclusive future in hockey for young East Asian athletes.
“We’re very proud of the diversity that exists within our program already and I think for…young female East Asian [athletes] that are looking to pursue hockey, if you can see someone that you can relate to, then obviously that pathway is just a little bit easier,” said Haley.
To Haley, Song and Ross, the growing visibility of race amongst teams is revealing a shift in the sport’s inequity.
“I think [more representation] just shows a change for the better where hockey has become open to everyone and everyone’s welcome to come and play and no one’s treated differently because of their heritage, background or their ethnicity,” said Ross.
Song strives for more than just representation in the sport and acknowledges that the shift in hockey’s status quo will open up the floor for everyone, without having to face the same struggles as their predecessors.
“I would just tell [young Asian athletes] to chase their dreams. At the end of the day, we are all human and race shouldn’t create a barrier between us,” said Song. “Hockey is for everyone, and if you love the sport, you deserve to be a part of it.”
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