Get to know these black women in hockey history

This week, UNINTERRUPTED Canada announced that LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Drake and Adel Future Nur are producing Black ice a full-length documentary that follows the history, influence, and racial journey of black hockey players and explores the subject of systemic racism in the game.

This project offers a great opportunity to learn about a significant part of sports history, said content director Vinay Virmani. Despite the difficulties and struggles, this story is about sustainability and how society sees itself today and at the same time offers the way to a fairer and more inclusive future.

According to a press release announcing the project, the film explores the journey of black hockey players from the founding of The Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes to today’s NHL and highlights their often-forgotten and marginalized stakes in the game.

But by defining the current journey of black hockey players through the National Hockey Federation, is Black Ice going to discuss black women? Several black women have made NHL history. At least, these women should be included. Here is the starting list:

Black women in NHL history

• Sheila Johnson, The first black woman in the NHL. He also owns stakes in the Washington Wizards and the 2019 WNBA Champions, Washington Mystics.

• Blake Bolden, the first and only black woman to work as an NHL scout. Bolden was also the first black player to play in the National Wocens Hockey League. She and Boston Pride won the grand opening of the Isobel Cup in 2016, when she became the first black woman to win an NWHL championship.

• Kim Davis is Director, Social Impact, Growth Initiatives and Legislative Issues in the NHL.

• Renee Hess founded Black Girl Hockey Club to create a safe and inclusive space for hockey. Although BGHC was started primarily for NHL fans, the organization has grown to influence the levels of many other leagues and grassroots.

The contribution of black men and women is, of course, not limited to the NHL, and no story of black hockey is complete without discussion of other professional leagues, college hockey, and the international scene. Here are a few other black women to consider:

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Black women in hockey history

• Doxie McCoy was the founder of the Boston College Womens Ice Hockey Club team, which became the women’s college team in which Bolden himself played.

• Angela James, the first and only black woman to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. She was the first black player to compete in Canadian hockey at the International Women’s World Hockey Championships. James is now the assistant coach of the Toronto Six at the NWHL, making him the first black and white coach in league history.

• Sarah Nurse was the first black player on the Wisconsin women’s hockey team. In 2018, he became the first black Canadian to compete on the Olympic team and win silver. The nurse competes with the Professional Womens Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) from downtown Toronto.

This is far from an exhaustive list of black women in hockey or even women with direct NHL ties. The delivery behind Black Ice should be able to find women at all levels by changing the game.

Are they going? Well, we went ahead and asked!

Black Ice includes and profile the journey of many well-known and rising black female players and their contributions not only to the game but also to their impact at the grassroots level, Virmani said in a newsletter.

Time will tell how the above women and others will be highlighted in the new project. What is clear? They deserve to be more than in hindsight in film and its marketing.

Get to know these black women in hockey history originally appeared NBCSports.com