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Remembering former Detroit Red Wing John Utendale
When you think of Red Wings greats, you think of Sergei Fedorov, Steve Yzerman, Gordie Howe. But some may remember another name, John Utendale.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - When you think of Red Wings greats, you think of Sergei Fedorov, Steve Yzerman, Gordie Howe. But some may remember another name, John Utendale.
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You may not have heard of him, but Utendale is an icon, a legend, and so much more.
"I don’t think he set out to be a trailblazer," said Robb Utendale. "But I guess that’s what a trailblazer is. It just happens."
Robb lights up when he talks about his father, John Utendale.
"As a coach he was passionate. I would imagine as a player he was equally passionate," he said. "That was interesting because that was a bit of a disconnect from his out-of-the-arena life, where he was very gentle, very compassionate. But when he was in the arena, it was a passion."
Sports journalist Brad Lyon of Hockey Alberta agrees. He was the first to write a story about Utendale’s legacy a few years ago. He says Utendale was so good in the early 1950s it caught the attention of the Detroit Red Wings.
"The Red Wings had their minor league teams in Alberta, in Edmonton," Lyon said. "So, being an Edmonton-based hockey player, they would’ve had scouts in the Edmonton area. And he did play some minor pro hockey in Edmonton in the 1950s."
However, in 1955, Utendale made history. He was the first Black player to sign a professional contract in the National Hockey League, and the team he signed with was the Detroit Red Wings.
"It wasn’t something that was common," Lyon said. "When we use the word ‘pioneer’ or ‘trailblazer,’ they really were. John Utendale was that."
It’s important to note that Utendale never actually played for the Red Wings. Olympia Stadium never became his hockey home.
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The first Black player to hit the ice in the NHL was Willie O’Ree in 1958 with the Boston Bruins. Nevertheless, Utendale is credited with helping to break the color barrier in the U.S.
"I don’t think in hockey, I mean, there wasn’t an official color barrier like there was in baseball," said reporter and former player Bob Duff. "In fact, in the 1920s, Frank Calder, who was president of the NHL, publicly stated that if there’s a Black player good enough to play in our league, he’s going to play in our league."
Duff, who covered the Red Wings for 15 years and writes for DetroitHockeyNow.com, says he believes there may not even have been a color barrier because the league was created and run by Canadians.
"In those days, the headquarters were in Montreal," Duff said. "And you look at the Jackie Robinson story — they started him in Montreal. I was never lucky enough to talk to the Robinsons, but you watch their story, and you see interviews with him and his wife. They’d just talk about how welcoming it was and how they felt like an equal. In Montreal, they never felt discriminated against."
And even though Utendale didn’t see NHL ice time, he was still a standout in his hometown of Edmonton and elsewhere in Canada.
"Had a long pro career, played ’til 1969," Duff said. "Played with Willie O’Ree in Quebec and then on the same line with Willie O’Ree and Stan Maxwell — all three of them Black players — and what’s still believed to this day to be the only all-Black forward line in the history of hockey."
Robb says his dad wasn’t bitter about it at all. He just kept on playing, and later he coached. Then he made history again.
"An assistant training coach on the U.S. Olympic team," Robb said. "And first-ever Black coach."
The team beat the Soviet Union in a legendary, come-from-behind win. Besides coaching, Utendale got degrees in education and taught at universities in the state of Washington, where he also founded a junior hockey team, advocating for diversity and inclusion along the way.
"He’s the type of person that the more I’ve learned about him, the more I wish I could’ve met him. It’s unfortunate," Lyon said. "He died about 20 years ago. He died in 2006."
But his legacy lives on. He was posthumously honored by the Seattle Kraken in 2022, and the Edmonton Oilers the following year. Now there are over 20 active Black NHL players, all who can tip their helmets to him.
"He’s unfortunately not here to see himself get his due," Duff said. "But he’s someone who’s obviously a pioneer in hockey. Just because you don’t make the highest grade doesn’t mean you don’t leave a mark for others to follow."
Robb and others say they don’t know specifically why Utendale never suited up. One belief was it was because he was in an interracial relationship. Robb’s mom is white.
But like Robb said, his dad was never bitter. He focused on hockey, his family, and living life to the fullest.