African-American Official: Hockey Night and Stanley Cup

african-american official: As a young, black player, all Alphonso had to do was watch Hockey Night in Canada or the Stanley Cup Final and he saw fellow minority Jay Sharrers working as a linesman, according to The Chronicle Herald. To be able to see someone who kind of looked like me working at the biggest stage of his job, it was unreal, Alphonso said. He didn't have to look far to see it was possible. The 34-year-old Alphonso is the NHL's only African-American official, and Calgary Flames assistant Paul Jerrard is the league's only black coach. I think it's an evolutionary process, said Sharrers, who recently retired. With the sport's expansion to some nontraditional markets across the United States, there are almost two dozen black players in the NHL, but Sharrers, Alphonso and Jerrard serve as inspiration for more to follow into positions of authority. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.