Saturday, August 26, 2006

Art Dorrington: Hockey's Atlantic City Gamble


Before there was Willie O'Ree, there was Art Dorrington.
Everybody in Atlantic City knows Art Dorrington. The Truro, NS native has called the New Jersey shore community home for years. Dorrington broke into professional hockey with the Atlantic City Seagulls of the old Eastern Hockey League in 1950-51.
With his first game with the 'Gulls, Dorrington became the first Black hockey player to play professionally in the United States.
Dorrington registered three straight 30 goal seasons in the mid-1950s. Oddly enough, the three seasons came with three different teams (Johnstown Jets, Washington Lions, Philadelphia Ramblers). A badly broken leg put an end to an outstanding career on the ice.
In 1998 Dorrington founded "The Art Dorrington Ice Hockey Foundation" in Atlantic City. The foundation brings hockey to the youth of the community. The program continues to grow from it's original twelve participants.
Dorrington was also recently elected to the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame.

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