‘Not really a white boys’ sport’: Canadian youth hockey gets inclusive

As a boy, Sinh Nguyen wanted to play hockey like his friends did. But his parents were immigrants to Canada, and looking back, he says they had neither the money nor the know-how to make that happen.

Today he’s an assistant on his son’s team in youth “rep” hockey in Brampton. And as minority team members in this city 30 miles northwest of Toronto which is 73.3% “visible minority” – how Canada describes nonwhite, non-indigenous racial minorities – they fit right in at South Fletcher’s Sportsplex on a recent Saturday morning, as Southeast Asian, South Asian, and black Canadians lace up.

“I think it just depends on where you live, but

“Hockey has to connect with Canadians”Opening up to newcomers