NHL Black History museum stops in Calgary, aims to break barriers in hockey

An exhibit putting the spotlight on Black History in the NHL made a stop in Calgary on Tuesday, as it makes its way across North America.

The Black Hockey History Tour is filled with memorabilia, moments, and tidbits about how Black people have made an impact in the sport.

The aim of the exhibit is to create another avenue where racial barriers are broken down.

“To have people of colour and all people come by, especially those kids to come see themselves on the wall and have a sense of pride, I know when I was growing up we never had anything like this so it was very hard to be in a position where you can say, ‘I see myself out there,’” said Kwame Mason, an NHL consultant and museum curator.

WATCH: CityNews’ Taylor Braat reports on a museum spotlighting Black history in the NHL making a stop in Calgary.

Set up at the Saddledome ahead of Tuesday’s game, fans like Rudy Johnson and his son showed up to take it all in. As big hockey fans and players, they say it was a great opportunity.

“We play on the community lake and whatnot, actually I learnt how to skate chasing him around which was kinda neat,” said Johnson.

“It’s important to bring my kid down and, you know, show him some of that history.”

And something special shown off for Calgarians–Jarome Iginla’s jersey. The long-time Flames captain is a major point of pride for Flames fans, but also for diversity in hockey.

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“Jarome is such a huge part of our history in the game because he was such a great player, so it was great to be able to make sure people got to see Jarome there, especially fans in Calgary,” said Mason.

The exhibit also features hockey cards from several players paving the way for a more diverse NHL.

“For us to get to a place where we want to be, we have to make sure we elevate the voices, normalize the faces and voices of these games of marginalized and minority people, and once we do that we can become more inclusive, and once we do that we can become more diverse,” said Mason.

The travelling museum is hitting 28 cities with NHL teams and the goal is to hit all 32 next year.