Gary Bettman, click on this image for additional insight and information.

Here's the accepted definition of 'Color Barrier' aka the ‘Color Line’ --- it says nothing about Blacks only. The Color Barrier definition includes racial segregation or discrimination against non-whites including Taffy Abel and other Indigenous Native Americans.

In addition, the more accurate ‘Racial Barrier’ term can also be used when discussing ‘Color Barrier’. We mainly use the more commonly used ‘Color Barrier’ term on this website. See additional information here.

The terms ‘Color Barrier’ and ‘Racial Barrier’ refers to both the formal and informal systems of exclusion that kept athletes of color from participating in amateur sports and in professional sports leagues such as hockey’s N.H.L. Similar racial barriers existed in football, basketball, boxing, and even in the Olympic selection processes, where race and color could determine an athlete’s opportunities to compete.

Color Barrier Definition: unspoken social code of racial segregation or discrimination, esp. in sports, education, public service, and the like.

Yes — Native American Taffy Abel is recognized as the first N.H.L. professional hockey player who desegregated the National Hockey League in 1926 and broke the N.H.L. Color Barrier.

Before 1926, a de facto informal Color Barrier existed in professional N.H.L. hockey. Although there was no formal written rule forbidding non-white players in the N.H.L., there existed a well-known gentlemen's informal agreement among N.H.L. team owners and the N.H.L. Commissioner.

On November 16,1926 Taffy Abel made his debut with the New York Rangers against the Montreal Maroons, becoming the first Indigenous player and the first non-white player in N.H.L. hockey history.

At the time between 1917 to 1926, N.H.L. professional hockey had been entirely white since the N.H.L.’s founding in 1917.

This Major League Sports desegregation event in professional hockey is even more significant and historic when looking at professional baseball history and the better-known Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson broke the M.L.B. baseball Color Barrier in 1947, 21 years AFTER Taffy Abel did so in N.H.L. hockey.

During the early-1900 to mid-1900s an intense discriminatory racial environment existed in America. Racial segregation and discrimination were the cultural norms in American Cities and in American Sports Teams. Jim Crow laws and discrimination still ruled. Some 40 years before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, professional athletes, beginning with the N.H.L.'s Taffy Abel in 1926, became pioneers in breaking Color Barriers / Race Barriers and integrating Major League American Sports Teams.

The above table for the 4 Major Sports League Color Barriers is informative. Various Leagues such as the MLB and NFL / NFL and NBA have additional “credible Color Barrier information” for their respective League.

There is No N.H.L. site containing “Credible Color Barrier Information” concerning the first Indigenous player, Taffy Abel. He alone broke the N.H.L. Color Barrier in 1926. The N.H.L. only hypes the first Black player, Willie O’Ree who debuted in 1958 … some 32 years after Taffy Abel.

From about 2010 onward, there existed N.H.L. strategic business plans to hype Willie O’Ree as breaking the N.H.L. Color Barrier. Page 31: "The Ad will feature Willie O’Ree breaking the NHL Color Barrier."

Translation: the N.H.L. discriminates against Indigenous persons and intentionally distorts N.H.L. history with “No Credible Color Barrier Information” and NOT ONE IOTA OF INFORMATION CELEBRATING TAFFY ABEL FOR BREAKING THE N.H.L. COLOR BARRIER IN 1926.

Ask yourself this question, if the MLB can celebrate Jackie Robinson for breaking the baseball Color Barrier in 1947, why can’t the N.H.L. celebrate Taffy Abel for breaking the hockey Color Barrier in 1926? What hockey Color Barrier facts are the N.H.L. Commissioner, Gary Bettman, and the 32 billionaire N.H.L. Team Owners hiding?

Perhaps hiding the 2022 heavy N.H.L. lobbying and misinformation campaign in the awarding of a prestigious US Congressional Gold Medal to the first N.H.L. Black player, Willie O’Ree who debuted in 1958. There were 8 N.H.L. Indigenous players (Taffy Abel is the only American) who debuted prior to the Canadian born Willie O’Ree.

The N.H.L. could have hired a respected Hockey Historian or looked at this authoritative list. Of the 100 NHL Indigenous Players on this list, only 8, are from the USA and are Native American. This is a very small 0.10% of all NHL Players since the N.H.L. founding in 1917. In a blatant disregard for accurate N.H.L. Professional Hockey history, the N.H.L. and Gary Bettman failed to consult such lists or Hockey Historians.

If they had consulted that list and Hockey Historians, they would have discovered 8 Indigenous N.H.L. Players (Taffy Abel was the first in 1926) debuting in the N.H.L. before the Black Willie O’Ree debuted in 1958. This is more than adequate proof that the N.H.L. is engaged in misinformation and in discrimination against N.H.L. Indigenous players.

Native American Taffy Abel broke the Winter Olympic Color Barrier in 1924 and then was recruited to join the N.H.L. with the New York Rangers where he broke the N.H.L. Color Barrier on November 16, 1926. The second Native American in the N.H.L., Henry Boucha, did not debut in the N.H.L. until 1972 some 46 years after Taffy Abel.

The N.H.L. - National Hockey League Color Barrier, also known as the N.H.L. Color Line, excluded non-white or BIPOC players. This racist exclusion or segregation included Black persons, Indigenous persons, Asian persons, etc. The heyday of the N.H.L. Color Barrier lasted about 60 years from when the N.H.L. was founded in 1917 up to about 1977.

From 1917 to 9 years later in 1926, the N.H.L. had 0% athlete racial diversity, all the 188 N.H.L. athletes prior to the Indigenous Taffy Abel in November 1926 were White.

Only one non-white or BIPOC player, of any race, can be credited with breaking a Major Sport League Color Barrier. Example: Indigenous Taffy Abel broke the N.H.L. Color Barrier in 1926 and he can also be credited with being the N.H.L.’s first Indigenous Player. Same goes in MLB Baseball, only one person, Jackie Robinson, is credited with breaking the MLB Color Barrier.

The Asian 1-minute N.H.L. Player, Larry Kwong, did not break the N.H.L. Color Barrier in 1948. However, Larry Kwong can be credited with being the N.H.L.’s first Asian Player.

The Black Willie O’Ree did not break the N.H.L. Color Barrier in 1958. However, Willie O’Ree can be credited with being the N.H.L.’s first Black Player.

That is essentially how the prestigious Associated Press … “now in 2025” reports on Willie O’Ree. The AP in 2025 said: "On Jan. 18, 1958, Canadian Willie O’Ree became the FIRST BLACK PLAYER in the National Hockey League as he made his debut with the Boston Bruins." As they had in prior years, the AP in 2025 did not say in that Willie O’Ree broke the N.H.L. Color Barrier.

NOTE! The AP no longer says in 2025, as the AP did in 2018, 2018, 2020, 2021, that Willie O’Ree BROKE THE N.H.L. COLOR BARRIER in 1958. "...the player who broke the NHL’s color barrier in 1958."

Some in hockey’s N.H.L. leadership, including Commissioner Gary Bettman, seem to think that they are also esteemed historians - aka the “National History League - NHL”.

Bettman is similar to another New Yorker, Donald Trump, in this regard.

As Trump is prone to do, Bettman wants to deliberately deceive the American people and sanitize N.H.L. Hockey History by saying a falsehood that the Black Willie O’Ree broke the N.H.L. Color Barrier in 1958 … he did not.

More than one person at the N.H.L. has expressed this very racist view: “Only a Black Person can break a Color Barrier” Such a view would exclude a Native American or Indigenous person such as Taffy Abel.

To get their point across, the N.H.L. Commissioner Gary Bettman along with N.H.L. Team Owners and N.H.L. lobbyists heavily lobbied the US Congress over 4 years from 2018 to 2022 to award the Black Willie O’Ree a prestigious Congressional Gold Medal for breaking the N.H.L. Color Barrier in 1958. Willie O’Ree did not break the N.H.L. Color Barrier … Native American Taffy Abel broke the N.H.L. Color Barrier in 1926.

Bettman knows this and has likely silenced people in the N.H.L. and USA Hockey who would favor Taffy Abel over Willie O’Ree. Hockey Insiders say a “Wall of Silence” goes up if the Taffy Abel name is mentioned.

The Congressional Gold Medal is an ‘earned recognition’ versus a recognition that is lobbied for by very wealthy sports organizations such as the NHL via their 32 NHL Team owners who are billionaires.

The N.H.L. and these 32 white N.H.L. Team owners are trying hard to rebrand the N.H.L. as more diverse and away from the N.H.L. racist past. The truth is that the N.H.L. is the least diverse in Major League Sports and such demographics with low diversity are still hurting their advertising and sponsor revenue.

The N.H.L. and other Major Sports Leagues have also heavily lobbied states to permit gambling on sports. It appears that Black Gamblers are a key demographic and that Bettman sought Willie as Hockey’s Jackie Robinson.

Congress should stick to their knitting in awarding Congressional Gold Medals to Americans based on exemplary merit such as the past recipient Jonas Salk (1975 Polio vaccine) and not bend a knee to billion-dollar organizations such as the N.H.L.

The legacy of the Indigenous struggle against the Color Barrier continues to shape modern sports. Today, Indigenous amateur and professional athletes in hockey, basketball, football, lacrosse, and other sports are reclaiming their space and identities.

The history of Indigenous athletes and the Color Barrier in sports is one of resilience, courage, and rediscovery. While Color Barriers kept many athletes sidelined, those who broke through like Taffy Abel left legacies of extraordinary Warrior talent and courage. Today, their recognition is not just about celebrating past victories, but also about challenging ongoing Native American inequalities in sports and in society.

The N.H.L. should correct their Hockey History Record by telling the truth. The truth is this: “Native American Taffy Abel broke the N.H.L. Color Barrier in 1926” some 21 years before Jackie Robinson broke the MLB Color Barrier in 1947. The N.H.L.’s Gary Bettman is not treating all races fairly and equally, certainly not Native Americans.

If Gary Bettman were to change his mind, tell the truth and atone, we hope this atonement would be something like this: “Upon leaving the N.H.L., Bettman kept only one hockey memento in his living room, the photograph of Native American Hockey Player Taffy Abel carrying the American Flag in the Olympics. Bettman carries a print of this photo with him when he visits schools and synagogues to speak about American racial equality and tolerance.” He tells people: “You should treat all people equally”.