The King has earned a deserved spot in his Okanagan homeland shrine.
Vernon hockey icon Larry (King) Kwong 鈥� the first player of Asian descent to break the NHL's colour barrier 鈥� is among the inductees that will be enshrined in the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame this summer in Penticton.
Kwong, who died in 2018 at the age of 94, will be inducted in the Pioneer/Player/Builder category.
Joining Kwong in the Class of 2025 are former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis of Smithers; former Edmonton Oilers forward Shaun Horcoff from Castlegar; Mike Penny (Builder); Ted Hargreaves (Builder); the 1987 Centennial Cup Junior A Hockey Champion Richmond Sockeys; and the 1978 Allan Cup Canadian Senior Hockey Champion Kimberley Dynamiters.
鈥淎ll of these great hockey people honoured the game in our province and now it's time to honour them,鈥� said Jim Hughson, chair of the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame.
Born and raised in Vernon, Kwong made history as the first player of Asian descent to compete in the NHL, suiting up in one game for the New York Rangers in 1948. A dynamic scorer, he led both the New York Rovers and Valleyfield Braves in points, earning MVP honours in the Quebec Senior League (1950-51) and capturing the Alexander Cup, Canada鈥檚 Senior 鈥淎鈥� Championship.
Born in Vernon in 1923, Kwong spent many hours of his youth skating and playing shinny at local outdoor rinks, including walking from his home in what was known as Chinatown (Coldstream Avenue and 33rd Street area), to Goose Lake in the Blue Jay subdivision above Swan Lake.
The five-foot-six-inch tall forward helped the Vernon Hydrophones win provincial midget and juvenile hockey championships in 1939 and 1941, respectively.
Kwong鈥檚 play in senior hockey with the Trail Smoke Eaters caught the eye of New York Rangers scouts and he was signed to the New York Rovers, their farm team. In his first year in New York, he scored 19 goals and 37 points in 47 regular-season games, and seven goals and 10 points in nine playoff tilts.
In 1947-48, while Kwong was putting together an MVP season with the Rovers, averaging more than a point-per-game, the Rangers ran into to injury trouble and had to recall players on an emergency basis ahead of their game against the Montreal Canadiens in mid-March.
They summoned Kwong to Montreal for that 1948 contest. He played one, one-minute shift in the third period at the famed Forum.
He was sent back to the Rovers following his historic appearance, where he would finish the season with 86 points through 65 regular-season games, leading the team in scoring.
Kwong then joined the Valleyfield Braves in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que., the following season, where he would end up playing for the next seven years, a rival with Canadiens鈥� hall of famer Jean Beliveau,who starred in the league with the Quebec Aces. Kwong was league MVP in 1950-51, and second to Beliveau in goals scored with 38 in 1951-52.
Kwong is a member of the Okanagan Sports, B.C. Sports, and Alberta Hockey Halls of Fame.
Hamhuis played 1,148 career regular season NHL games with the Nashville Predators, Canucks, and Dallas Stars after being the No.12 pick by the Predators in the 2001 NHL Draft. Hamhuis helped the Canucks reach the Stanley Cup Final during the 2010-11 season, his first with the organization.
He won gold with Canada at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, as well as the 2007 and 2015 IIHF World Championships and silver at the 2008 and 2009 World Championships.
In his 55th year as an NHL scout, Montreal鈥檚 Penny has been instrumental in finding hockey talent. He began with the NY Rangers in 1969, then spent 20 years with the Vancouver Canucks in various scouting roles and assistant GM.
For more than 20 years, Penny has lived and worked in B.C.鈥檚 Lower Mainland, while working for the Toronto Maple Leafs as a scout. He played a pivotal role in drafting Hockey Hall of Famers Pavel Bure, Cam Neely, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, as well as BC Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Trevor Linden and Gino Odjick.
Hargreaves was a player, coach, and educator whose influence on hockey has spanned decades. He won bronze with Team Canada at the 1968 Olympics and played for the Winnipeg Jets (WHA) and Nelson Maple Leafs (Western International Hockey League).
Off the ice, Hargreaves was a development pioneer. He was involved in the first motion picture (16mm film) instruction series on skills (became the foundation of Hockey Canada鈥檚 National Coaches Certification Program). He later contributed more than 400 illustrations to early coaching manuals and spent 20 years leading B.C. Hockey鈥檚 coaching programs, eventually serving as provincial coach.
The Richmond Sockeyes won the 1987 Centennial Cup. They defeated the Quesnel Millionaires to capture the Mowat Cup, then won the Doyle Cup, followed by defeating the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League champion Humboldt Broncos for the Abbott Cup. The Sockeyes and Broncos ended up meeting again for the Centennials Cup, with the Sockeyes earning a 5-2 victory in the championship game.
Vernon's Frank Romeo was the goalie for the Sockeyes and was named MVP of the Centennial Cup. Current Vancouver Canucks TV analyst Dave Tomlinson was the captain of the team.
The Kimberley Dynamiters (Western Canadian Champions) of the Western International Hockey League won the 1978 Allan Cup Championship. The Dynamiters defeated the Brantford (Ont.) Alexanders in the best-of-seven series in five games. They clinched the championship with a 7-3 victory.
Former Vernon Essos forward Glen Walton was a member of the Dynamiters, finishing third in team that season, scoring with 30 goals, 42 assists for 72 points.
The induction ceremony will be on July 12 at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
Tickets will be on sale on March 1 through the SOEC box office and through Valleyfirsttix.com.
