Josh Ho-Sang wasn’t on time on the first day of the New York Islanders training camp his rookie year, a transgression that prompted the National Hockey League team to immediately ship the talented forward back to junior hockey.
New York Islanders forward Josh Ho-Sang gets his first goal in his fourth NHL game.
Ho-Sang was right on time Tuesday night – scoring his first NHL goal on a wicked one-time slap shot that helped the Islanders beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-1 in Edmonton.
Ho-Sang’s goal came in his fourth NHL game at 17:23 minutes of the first period on a power play shot that blew past Oilers goalie Cam Talbot.
Islanders forward Andrew Ladd retrieved the puck as a keepsake for Ho-Sang, the son of a black Jamaican father of Chinese descent and a Jewish Chilean mother with Russian and Swedish bloodlines.
The Islanders chose Ho-Sang in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft with the 28th overall pick. The move was viewed as controversial at the time – the Islanders made a trade to get the pick – because Ho-Sang was considered to be too outspoken, too flashy, and too immature by several NHL general managers and scouts.
There’s no denying his talent.Still, several hockey purists are annoyed that Ho-Sang has been wearing Number 66 – digits that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Mario Lemieux wore during his Hockey Hall of Fame career – since being called up by the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Islanders’ American Hockey League farm team.
But Ho-Sang has worn the number throughout his career in honor of Lemieux. He even wore it when he was a linemate of Oilers’ superstar Connor McDavid when they played for the Toronto Malboros youth hockey program.
“It’s not disrespect,” Ho-Sang told New York’s Newsday before the Isles-Oilers game. “If anything, it’s the ultimate respect.”
McDavid told the paper that his former youth hockey teammate is sometimes misunderstood.
“He says what’s on his mind and you have to respect that,” McDavid said.
This whole number this was the most ridiculous story? How come no one complains when somebody wears 4 or 9? Morons
Original Isles fan here. Saw the goal as it happened on TV. Great shot from the blueline.
I expect there’s going to be a lot of intimidation of Josh. He’s smart, honest, and not shy. I expect great things from him.
I just hope the guys can protect him on the ice. We’re not a big team, and Ho-Sang is a skilled skater, not an enforcer type.
1972, as am I. There are guys on this team for that. I just (and it seems Weight gets it, unlike PP) want to see the kids have to play. I’m trying to think, other than Kevin Weekes, if Islanders have had any other black, or prodomominantly black players.
How quickly we forget, Kyle Okposo, who left the Isles for the Buffalo Sabres in 2026-17.
Also, Richard Park, a Korean-born player a decade ago.
Isles and Bruins seem committed to expanding hockey to Asia.
Horrific loss, but saw Ho-Sang’s 2nd NHL goal in person, sitting right above the goal where he snuck it in behind Cam Ward.
He just scored his 3rd NHL goal. He’s a relentless skater.
His interviews are so personable, so honest, so anti-plastic.
He’s the real deal. I hope the subtle—and not so subtle racism—in the NHL and NY/LI/Toronto media doesn’t screw with his head.