Black Aces: Essential Stories from Hockey's Black Trailblazers

by Julian McKenzie

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published February 3, 2026

Reviews

[Tom Zalatnai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel very privileged to have had the chance to read this book early. Julian is a great writer, we knew that already from his years as a journalist. But this book takes it to the next level, with so many great stories, interviews, and historical snapshots (or slap shots, I guess?) that left me, admittedly not even a big hockey person, absolutely absorbed the whole way through. It’s a fantastic exploration of the black hockey players throughout history who’ve helped shape the game we know and love today. Whether you’re a hockey fan or just love a good deep dive into the lives of impressive and important people, you’re gonna want to pick this one up as soon as you can. Pre-order it ASAP and thank me later.

[Leah Kleinfeld · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very interesting content. However, I almost entirely missed the excellent stories being told because of the sheer number of grammatical errors and typos and the clunky, elementary writing. This book is fascinating but needed a second (and ninth, and tenth) draft.

[Daniel J. Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A welcome addition to the hockey history shelves and great first book from a talented hockey writer.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julian is fantastic at his job and this book is important for Hockey fans. The contributions to the sport that minority players have given to the sport should not and can not be overlooked.