Ranking the 5 greatest Black NHL players in league history

The NHL had the first Black player in 1958 and since then, many Black players have gotten into the league and become Hall of Famers.

The first Black NHL player was Willie O'Ree and currently, it's projected that only 3% of the league is Black. However, even with limited Black players, some of the league's best players are Black.

Here are the top five Black NHL players in history.

#5 Seth Jones

Seth Jones was drafted fourth overall in 2013 and has been one of the best defensemen in the NHL.

In 11 NHL seasons, Jones has played in 730 games and has 374 points. He has also won a world junior gold and competed at the World Cup of Hockey.

Jones is currently a member of the Chicago Blackhawks and is a top-20 defenseman in the NHL.

#4 PK Subban

PK Subban made his NHL debut during the 2009-10 season and became a full-time player the following year.

Subban played 12 full seasons in the NHL for 834 games and 467 points, along with 96 playoff games and 62 points. He was one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL, was a three-time All-Star and won gold twice in the world juniors. He also won gold for Team Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

#3 Kyle Okposo

Kyle Okposo is the captain of the Sabres

Kyle Okposo was drafted seventh overall in 2006 and is currently the captain of the Buffalo Sabres.

Okposo began his career with the New York Islanders and had some success before spending the past seven years with Buffalo. Okposo currently has played in 984 NHL games and has recorded 592 points and will pass 1,000 NHL games in all likelihood this season. He also was an All-Star in 2017.

#2 Jarome Iginla

Jarome Iginla is in the Hockey Hall of Fame and is one of the best Black NHL players of all time.

Iginla is the fourth Black player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2020 in his first year of eligibility. The Canadian played in 1,554 regular-season games and had 1,300 points. He also played in 81 playoff games with 68 points.

Iginla won two Olympic golds, a World Cup of Hockey gold, a world junior gold and a world championship gold. He is also an Art Ross winner for most points, won the Rocket Richard award twice and was a multiple-time NHL All-Star.

#1 Grant Fuhr

Grant Fuhr is not only one of the best Black players of all time but is arguably one of the best goalies of all time.

Fuhr was named one of the best 100 players in NHL history in 2017 and was the first Black player to win the Stanley Cup and the first inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Fuhr played in 868 NHL games and had a 3.38 GAA and a .887 SV%, which was very good back then as games were much more high scoring. He's a six-time NHL All Star, a Vezina winner and won the Stanley Cup five times.