Color of Hockey: Kuwabara makes history as Niagara coach

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 Ryan Kuwabara, who became the first coach of Asian heritage in the Ontario Hockey League when he was hired by the Niagara IceDogs.

Ryan Kuwabara summed up the past few days in one word: Whirlwind.

Kuwabara went from an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins ECHL affiliate in Wheeling, West Virginia, on November 29 to coach of the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League and into the history books.

The 50-year-old Hamilton, Ontario, native became the first coach of Asian descent to lead an OHL team.

"It's pretty surreal," said Kuwabara, a third generation Japanese Canadian whose family immigrated in the late 1800s. "With more Asian players coming up and playing in the NHL, the next progression, obviously, is to get into the coaching ranks. … To be the first in the OHL is pretty special and, hopefully, for guys coming up they can definitely see it's a possibility."

Kuwabara became Niagara's third coach this season, replacing interim coach Jeff Angelidis who went 2-2-0 after he replaced Daniel Fitzgerald, who was let go after a 4-10-3 start.

The IceDogs are 1-4-0-1 under Kuwabara, but the slow start hasn't dampened his enthusiasm.

"I'm excited for the opportunity," he said. "The decisions lay with you, right? Before, in the capacity as an assistant, you give your opinions, your thoughts but, at the end of the day, the head coach makes the decision."

Kuwabara joined Niagara with a wealth of experience behind the bench and on the ice. He had been an assistant for Wheeling since 2021-22; an associate coach in the OHL for the Flint Firebirds from 2019-21; an assistant for the Saginaw Spirit from 2017-19; and served as a coach and general manager for teams in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League from 2011-17.

As a player, Kuwabara was a high-scoring right wing in major junior hockey and in Japan. He had 240 points (107 goals, 133 assists) in 196 games with the Ottawa 67's from 1989-92.

The Montreal Canadiens selected Kuwabara in the second round (No. 39) of the 1990 NHL Draft. Montreal signed him to a three-year NHL entry level contract and assigned him to Fredericton of the American Hockey League.

"At the time, it was probably the highlight of my career," he said. "To work so hard at something you to do and to be able to be recognized and be drafted was an awesome experience for me and my family."

Kuwabara had another life-changing experience when Japan was awarded the 1998 Nagano Olympics. As host nation, Japan automatically qualified for the Olympic hockey tournament and needed talented players with Japanese roots to help fill out their roster.

Kuwabara packed his bags and moved to his ancestral homeland in 1994. He played for the Kokudo Bunnies of the Japan Ice Hockey League for four seasons leading up to the Olympics.

"I couldn't speak a word of Japanese when I went over," he said. "But going through the process of getting my Japanese citizenship I had to go to class and really dive in to learn how to write, read. With the guys, the other players, they helped out with all the slang words, the bad words, first."

He scored two goals in Nagano -- the first in a 5-2 loss to France and the other in 2-2 tie against Belarus. Japan finished 13th among the 14 teams in the tournament.

The Hockey Hall of Fame has the white No. 71 jersey that Kuwabara wore during the Nagano Games.

"It's tough to put into words," he said of the Olympic experience. "You walk out into the opening ceremony there and there are 80,000 people cheering and going crazy. Being the host nation, going last, you get to see all these great athletes in the holding area, you get to meet them in the village. The experience is second to none."

Kuwabara had a successful career in Japan, where he played on JIHL championship teams in 1994-95, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2000-01 and 2001-02. He also won a championship with Belfast in the British Ice Hockey Super League in 2002-03.

He transitioned into coaching after finishing his career playing senior hockey in Hamilton in 2009-10.

"I've had lots of good mentors, being with the NHL guys and being with other OHL guys, and the American League guys also," Kuwabara said. "So it's just for me to keep learning and, hopefully, put together a good program here."

Photos: Bill Potrecz, BPSN; Natasa Corfield/Vivid Eye Photography; Ernie Fitzsimmons/Hockey Hall of Fame