Jordan Greenway made history as the first African American on the U.S. Olympic men’s ice hockey team in 2018.
"I'm happy I'm the first. I hope I'm the first of many," Greenway told The Associated Press of the accomplishment. "Hopefully I inspire other kids to want to do the same thing, try something different."
Greenway, a Canton, New York, native, told his mother about going to an ice hockey prep school when he was 12. He played three years at Shattuck St. Mary's School in Faribault, Minnesota. In 2015, he was drafted to the NHL Entry Draft and chosen by the Minnesota Wild in the second round, 50th overall pick.
In the 2017-2018 season, Greenway chose to stay at Boston University, where he was studying psychology, for another year, rather than join the Wild professionally. Now, he’s on Team USA at his first Olympic Games.
Other interesting facts:
- Younger brother James played ice hockey for the University of Wisconsin and was a 2016 third-round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs
- Mother said she would pay for Jordan and his brother to go to prep school, but they had to get scholarships for college
- Won gold medal at the 2017 World Junior Championships in Canada, where he was named a top three player.
Cox Media Group
