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Willie O'Ree, known as the "Jackie Robinson of hockey," was the first Black player in the National Hockey League (NHL), debuting with the Boston Bruins in 1958. From the moment the Canadian-born player stepped onto the ice, he changed the notion of hockey as a "White sport," and he has dedicated his career to making it more accessible, including working with the NHL Diversity Task Force initiative Hockey Is For Everyone (HIFE). HIFE supports nonprofit hockey programs around the country and gives kids from all backgrounds the opportunity to try out their skills on the ice. Since 1994, Willie O'Ree has introduced 50,000 children across North America to the sport. Nonetheless, in the NHL today, only approximately 5% of the players (43 of >700) are players of color. However, several aspects of hockey's history, and innovations in the game, can be traced back to communities of color. Established in 1895, the Black Hockey League (BHL) of the Maritimes in Canada grew out of local churches in small towns such as Africville, Nova Scotia. By the beginning of the 20th century, the BHL had grown from a 3-team league to include newly formed teams across the region. The league had its own championship at a time when Black players were not allowed to play for the Stanley Cup. The BHL was at its height between 1890 and 1930, with hundreds of players, 12 teams, and as many as 1,200 spectators. Unfortunately, the Canadian government did not provide equitable resources, and churches alone could not maintain these small Black communities. As the NHL developed, focus shifted away from regional leagues. In 2018, Willie O'Ree was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame. Although he may have broken the color barrier in 1958, hockey is still a predominantly White sport, and society continues to grapple with systematic racism. NHL players have formed an independent group, the Hockey Diversity Alliance, to work to make the game more socioeconomically inclusive and to help eradicate racism and intolerance.

Background: Performance outcomes and return-to-play data have been reported after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in professional football and basketball, but they have rarely been reported in professional hockey., Hypothesis: The hypothesis was that performance after ACL reconstruction would be comparable to prior levels of play in a series of National Hockey League (NHL) players., Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4., Methods: The NHL Injury Surveillance System (ISS) was utilized to identify all players with an ACL injury between 2006 and 2010. Medical staff members for all NHL teams were surveyed regarding these injuries. The medical staff completed a questionnaire for each injury, and statistics were analyzed using multiple analyses of variance to compare outcomes, performance, and the complication rate. A control group was identified and matched based on performance, career length before injury, age, height, and weight., Results: There were 47 players identified by the NHL ISS. There were 3 goalies, 8 defensemen, and 36 wings or centers. The average age of these players was 27.69 years. The average length of time played after the injury was 2.8 years, which was less than that of the control group (4.4 years) (P = .004). The presence of a meniscal injury was associated with a decreased length of career compared with the control group (P = .012) and with patients with an isolated ACL injury (P = .002). For wings and centers, the number of games played decreased from 71.2 to 58.2 in the first full season after the injury (P = .05) and to 59.29 in the second season (P = .03). In the first season after the injury, for forwards and wings, assists and total points decreased from 20.3 and 35.2 to 13.8 (P = .005) and 25.9 (P = .018), respectively. In the second season after the injury, assists and goals decreased to 10.0 (P = .002) and 10.0 (P = .013), respectively. Compared with controls, the per-season averages of goals (P = .001), assists (P = .010), and total points (P = .004) decreased. Four players (8.5%) had subsequent failure of reconstruction, and there was a total reoperation rate of 20%. Five players (10.6%) did not return to play, and 4 (8.5%) were unable to return to play for a full season., Conclusion: Most players are able to return to play in the NHL after an ACL injury. However, career length and performance may be significantly decreased compared with controls. This may represent a more severe initial injury, and more focused return-to-play pathways may identify barriers to return to play., (© 2015 The Author(s).)

Objective: To discuss return to play after femur fractures in several professional athletes., Background: Femur fractures are rare injuries and can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. No reports exist, to our knowledge, on return to play after treatment of isolated femur fractures in professional athletes. Return to play is expected in patients with femur fractures, but recovery can take more than 1 year, with an expected decrease in performance., Treatment: Four professional athletes sustained isolated femur fractures during regular-season games. Two athletes played hockey, 1 played football, and 1 played baseball. Three players were treated with anterograde intramedullary nails, and 1 was treated with retrograde nailing. All players missed the remainder of the season. At an average of 9.5 months (range, 7-13 months) from the time of injury, all athletes were able to return to play. One player required the removal of painful hardware, which delayed his return to sport. Final radiographs revealed that all fractures were well healed. No athletes had subjective complaints or concerns that performance was affected by the injury at an average final follow-up of 25 months (range, 22-29 months)., Uniqueness: As the size and speed of players increase, on-field trauma may result in significant injury. All players returned to previous levels of performance or exceeded previous statistical performance levels., Conclusions: In professional athletes, return to play from isolated femur fractures treated with either an anterograde or retrograde intramedullary nail is possible within 1 year. Return to the previous level of performance is possible, and it is important to develop management protocols, including rehabilitation guidelines, for such injuries. However, return to play may be delayed by subsequent procedures, including hardware removal.