[theprovince.com]
Hockey Night in Chinatown shines spotlight on story of NHL's first Asian player Larry Kwong
An elementary school teacher in Vernon by trade, Soon has also teamed with George Chiang to write the recently released children’s book entitled The Longest Shot: How Larry Kwong Changed the Face of Hockey.
They both grew up during the time of the Chinese Exclusion Act (1923-47), which forced all Chinese people in the country to register with the government or risk fines, detainment or deportation.
“Larry was someone my grandpa could point to and say that there was hope,” said Chad Soon, now 52. “That was a time when Chinese-Canadians could not vote. They were banned from professions. Larry couldn’t get a haircut in his home town. It was things like that. There was everyday racism, but there was institutionalized racism, too. They were not considered to be Canadians.
“Being a person of Asian descent, it’s tough because traditionally we haven’t been outspoken and drawn attention to ourselves and I think some of our stories have gotten lost. Stories like Larry’s,” Chris said. “It’s not just a hockey story. I think Larry is a Canadian hero. He was really pushing for a better country. He was aware of that himself. He knew that by representing Asian Canadians in the game he was hopefully opening doors for them in other walks of life.”
Hockey Night in Chinatown shines spotlight on story of NHL's first Asian player Larry Kwong
An elementary school teacher in Vernon by trade, Soon has also teamed with George Chiang to write the recently released children’s book entitled The Longest Shot: How Larry Kwong Changed the Face of Hockey.
They both grew up during the time of the Chinese Exclusion Act (1923-47), which forced all Chinese people in the country to register with the government or risk fines, detainment or deportation.
“Larry was someone my grandpa could point to and say that there was hope,” said Chad Soon, now 52. “That was a time when Chinese-Canadians could not vote. They were banned from professions. Larry couldn’t get a haircut in his home town. It was things like that. There was everyday racism, but there was institutionalized racism, too. They were not considered to be Canadians.
“Being a person of Asian descent, it’s tough because traditionally we haven’t been outspoken and drawn attention to ourselves and I think some of our stories have gotten lost. Stories like Larry’s,” Chris said. “It’s not just a hockey story. I think Larry is a Canadian hero. He was really pushing for a better country. He was aware of that himself. He knew that by representing Asian Canadians in the game he was hopefully opening doors for them in other walks of life.”