Color of Hockey: 7-year-old turns heads with play on ice, fashion flair

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles Desmond Garrett, a 7-year-old from suburban Indianapolis whose hockey exploits and fashion sense have made him a social media sensation.

Desmond Garrett was thrilled to get a fancy coat for Christmas to help him keep pace with some of the NHL's sharp-dressed men.
"He wanted to make sure everybody could see his suit, so he got a nice coat," Desmond's father, Adam Garrett, said with a laugh. "So between fashion and hockey, I have no money."
A lot of people are watching and marveling at Garrett, 7, from suburban Indianapolis, Indiana, whose hockey skills, exploits and game day sartorial splendor has made him a hit on social media.

Desmond is in the NHL's "The Next Golden Era is Now" commercial currently being aired. He was one of 15 people selected for the NHL Fan Skills Class of 2021 for his hockey prowess.
At 6, he made The Athletic's NHL style power rankings in November 2021, earning stick taps for insisting on arriving at the rink all business in suit and tie.
"I've asked him why he does that, and he said, 'You never know who's watching you,'" Adam Garrett said.
In addition to helping keep his son looking as good as he plays, Adam Garrett is making sure Desmond is steeped in Black hockey history. He has met several Black players, coaches and staffers by attending ECHL games in Indianapolis and on road trips to see other professional or junior leagues.
Peruse Demond's Instagram, Twitter and Facebook posts (managed by dad) and you'll see photos of him with
Jason Payne and Joel Martin
, coaches of the Cincinnati and Kalamazoo of the ECHL;
Chicago Blackhawks scout Rod Braceful
;
Rodwin Dionicio
, a defenseman for Niagara of the Ontario Hockey League and Team Switzerland at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship; and
Howard Smith
, co-founder of Pittsburgh I.C.E. and a 2020-21 Willie O'Ree Community Hero finalist.
"It's my goal to introduce him to as many people that look like him as possible in the game," the senior Garrett said, "and help him develop some allies and friendships and people that can he can see himself in, whether that's in the future, he's a coach or a role model or a player.
"I think it's important for him to see himself because, you know, it's not a very diverse sport right now, but we're trying to change that."
Desmond said he wants to become a professional hockey player someday "because it's fun and you get paid."

He's been hooked on hockey since his parents bought him a pair of inline skates to roll around their basement. They put him on blades when he was around 2 and took him to Indy Fuel ECHL home games, where he could skate with the players after Sunday contests.
"I tell people he had the opposite reaction of most kids," his father said. "After two hours he started crying because they made him leave the ice, not because he was falling down or anything."
These days, Desmond plays for the Indy Jr. Fuel in the winter and a roller hockey team based in Chicago in the summer. When he's not at the rink, he's skating on synthetic ice in the family garage, working out in the basement or taking hockey road trips.
Desmond wanted to do a stick-and-puck session with Smith, who he and his father follow on social media. So they hopped in the family car after Desmond competed at a track meet over Memorial Day weekend, drove nearly 360 miles and six hours to join Smith for a 90-minute stick time at a suburban Pittsburgh rink.

Smith said he was blown away by the gesture and Desmond's ability.
"He's not just some little mite player out there that's, you know, is learning how to play or learning how to skate," he said. "I was doing drills out there with him and they were a little bit complex. But the way he mastered them, it was like, 'Wow.'
"I saw some other kids that were on the ice, bigger kids, and I had them come over and I said, 'OK, let's try this. Let's try that.' And even some of those kids were like, 'Who is he?' And then when I told them who he was, they were like, 'Wow.'"
Afterward, Desmond and his dad headed back to Indiana, but they made a pit stop in Columbus, Ohio, so Desmond could play at a deck hockey facility there, his father said.
"He's an inspiration because he's the next generation of kids getting involved in hockey, kids of color," Smith said. "He's making a positive impact on a lot of kids that look like Desmond and can say, 'Hey, if Desmond can do it, I can do it as well.'"
Photos: courtesy Adam Garrett