TODAY’S NHL’S JEWISH HOCKEY-PLAYING CONTINGENT
Zach Hyman, Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Adam Fox, Jason Zucker, Josh Ho-Sang, Mark Friedman, Luke Kunin, Jakob Chychrun, Nate Thompson…
Back in the day–way back–Jews played sports.
A lot of Jews and a lot of sports.
The end of the eighteenth century is viewed as the dawning of the era of modern sport.
Jews were already in the sports mix by then.
Among the early elite boxers who frequented the English sports arena of the day were Jews by the names of Samuel Elias, Barney Aaron, the Belasco brothers and Isaac Bitton.
But the best known was “Mendoza the Jew,” Daniel Mendoza of Portuguese origin, who held the English boxing crown from 1792–1795.
Proud of his heritage and his pugilistic acumen, Mendoza received wide acclaim.
Editorial cartoons and stories about him circulated in the press.
Snappy and popular ditties were composed to celebrate him.
A source of great pride to his people, the English masses grew to love him.
As did the then-Prince of Wales, George IV.
Mendoza is considered the father of “scientific boxing,” as in the sweet science.
He transformed the sport from one of pure, bare-knuckled brawn into the genesis of an art — a battle of wits to go along with anger, power, violence and bad intentions.
The second half of the nineteenth century produced a host of other Jewish sports luminaries.
Lipman Pike.
Lon Myers.
Louis Rubinstein.
In 1866, Pike became America’s first professional baseball player.
Pike could play, and he was fast.
He would occasionally race any challenger for a cash prize, and routinely won.
On August 16, 1873, he raced a speedy trotting horse named ’Clarence’ in a 100-yard sprint at Baltimore’s Newington Park.
Pike won the race by four yards in a time of 10 seconds flat.
He earned $250 ($5700 today).
Lip Pike was one of the premier players of his day; his brother Israel, also played–briefly–for the Hartford Dark Blues in 1877.
Myers was the fastest runner in the world during the 1880s.
And Canadian Rubenstein captured the first World Title in figure skating in 1890.
In the first half of the 20th century, Jewish athletes turned to sports that demanded strength.
They were weary of the perception that they were weak…because they were Jews.
Professional boxing in the years preceding WWII, brought Jewish athletes prestige and high income.
Benny Leonard.
Barney Ross.
Leonard held the World Lightweight title from 1917–1925, retiring undefeated.
Countryman Ross, held one or the other of three World Boxing belts between 1933 and 1938, and was both World Lightweight and Welterweight champion in ‘34-’35.
He was the first boxer ever to hold 2 World titles simultaneously.
Fencing.
Table tennis.
Track and field.
Basketball.
Baseball.
Football…
Finance.
Business.
Law.
Medicine.
Real Estate…
What about hockey?
That’s right.
Hockey.
Hockey.
This season offered a rich crop of Jewish players–historically fertile, actually–for whom to root.
Zach Hyman is one of the NHL’s best, and most underrated wingers.
ESPN noted, during his recent free agency, that he can “play up and down the lineup, doesn’t take a shift off, can kill penalties and adds some scoring touch.”
The 29-year-old, who had played 6 years with the Maple Leafs, signed a 7-year $38.5 million dollar contract with Edmonton in one of the offseason’s biggest storylines.
Jack Hughes was born to a Jewish mother and a Catholic father.
Though his upbringing was largely secular, he observed Passover and celebrated his bar mitzvah.
Hughes made hockey history in 2019 when he became the first Jewish player picked #1 in an NHL Draft.
At 20, he looks to be the real deal.
His career +/- thus far is -45.
Not good.
But he certainly is,and will be, infinitely more than that.
And…
He has an older brother.
Quinn, 22.
Quinn became one of the highest-paid defensemen in the league when he re-signed a 6-year $47 million contract with Vancouver last October.
He was selected to play in the 2020 NHL All-Star Game and finished second in Calder Trophy voting to Cale Makar (Rookie of the Year).
The Hughes’ younger brother Luke, 18, was chosen fourth overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
Wow!!
23-year-old Adam Fox (Harvard 2016-’17–2018-’19) made some Jewish history of his own last season when he won the Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman), becoming the first Jewish player to bag a major NHL award.
Then there’s Jason Zucker.
Zucker is a veteran winger who has played most of the past two campaigns with the Pens, after several with the Minnesota Wild.
Born to a Jewish family from Las Vegas, his left arm sports a tat to celebrate his Jewish heritage;
The English translation is, “In pursuit of perfection.”
He’s hardly been perfect–who is? — but he’s mighty and fiercely competitive on the biggest stage, or most acclaimed sheet.
And how ‘bout Josh Ho-Sang?
Ho-Sang, 25, a Toronto native who is Jamaican and Chinese on his father’s side, and Russian-Jewish and Swedish on his mom’s side, has a serious melting pot on his stove.
“I’ve grown up Jewish as my mother (Ericka) is Jewish,” Josh said.
“I have always celebrated the Jewish holidays like Chanukah and the High Holidays with family and friends.”
Honorable mention lantzmen include: Mark Friedman (Pittsburgh), Luke Kunin (Nashville), Jacob Chychrun (Arizona) and Nate Thompson (Philadelphia).
Jews have been competing at high levels in sporting activities forever.
No reason not to keep it goin’.
Forever…
[Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Mr. Kaplan in May 2022.]
