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 Dr. Joel Boyd, the Minnesota Wild team physician who will serve as team physician for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.
Dr. Joel Boyd said he half-jokingly told Bill Guerin not to be afraid “to pull the old guy out of mothballs.”
The Minnesota Wild team physician had an interest in working as team doctor for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Turns out that Guerin, the Wild’s general manger who will hold the same role for the U.S. for the tournament, had a punchline for Dr. Boyd’s quip.
“Lo and behold, he turned around, gave me a call and asked me if I if I wanted to participate,” Dr. Boyd said. “I said, ‘Well, you know, I do.’ It was very nice of him to let the old guy try to take another run at it.”
Dr. Boyd, who turned 67 on New Year’s Eve, is an original in the NHL and in international hockey. He became the League’s first Black team physician when he joined the Wild in their inaugural season in 2000-01.
Before breaking that barrier, he served as a team physician for the U.S. men’s hockey team at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, the first Winter Games in which NHL players were allowed to compete.
He cared for a U.S. roster that featured Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Chris Chelios, Pat LaFontaine, Jeremy Roenick, Brett Hull, Brian Leetch and Mike Modano.
The sixth-place U.S. team also included Guerin, who became Dr. Boyd’s boss when he was named the Wild’s GM on August 21, 2019.
"I mean, we go back to Olympic teams when I was playing, and we've had a relationship for a long time,” Guerin said. “And then being here, working with him the last five-plus years, I have complete trust in him and faith in him. He does a great job. He's committed to USA Hockey, always has been.
"There's nothing he hasn't seen. And you know what? He’s got a great attitude. He's got a great personality, fun to be around. He just fits."
Dr. Boyd said he’s looking forward to the 4 Nations Face-Off, which features teams from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland to build on his Olympics experience and serving as a team physician for the U.S. Men's National Team at the 1998 IIHF Men's World Championship.