Djibril Toure \ud83e\udee1 pic.twitter.com\/X92peYSbGQ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Omar (@TicTacTOmar) September 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n We got a brother wearing a durag during a game, THIS IS NHL HISTORY https:\/\/t.co\/Oux726bmcX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Avry’s Sports Show (@Avry) September 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cI have my braids in right now \u2014 I try to keep them in as long as possible,\u201d Tour\u00e9 told The Athletic. \u201cSo the helmet doesn\u2019t really help with that. But if you put on a durag, then it creates less friction. So it saves the hair. That\u2019s the main reason.\u201d<\/p>\n Worn by Black people to hold in moisture and keep hairstyles in place, durags have a decades-long history in professional sports. They were previously banned by the NFL in 2001, but seem to have made an under-the-radar comeback under the helmets of players like Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (Also common is the tighter-fitting wave cap, which unlike the durag typically requires no tying.) They were similarly banned in the NBA\u2019s infamous dress code of 2005 and haven\u2019t appeared on court since, though LeBron James has been known to sport them for media availabilities.<\/p>\n In MLB, pitcher Marcus Stroman, who was released by the New York Yankees last month, has worn durags during games and once was mocked by Arizona Diamondbacks broadcaster Bob Brenly<\/a> for doing so. But the headwear has yet to hit high-level hockey \u2014 at least, until Tour\u00e9.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve seen it (in a game),\u201d Tour\u00e9 said. \u201cSometimes in summer skates back in Montreal. But not ever in a real game. People usually use wave caps. But I don\u2019t have that, so I just rock the durag.\u201d<\/p>\n Early 2000s-era enforcer Georges Laraque and 2018 Stanley Cup winner Devante Smith-Pelly, both Black former NHL players, watched Tour\u00e9\u2019s viral video this weekend. Neither could remember another NHL player or prospect ever wearing one.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see a lot of guys in the NFL that do it,\u201d Laraque said. \u201cIn hockey, I understand why people might think it\u2019s a big deal because it\u2019s not common. Because, first of all, there\u2019s not a lot of Black players in the NHL.\u201d<\/p>\n Djibril Tour\u00e9 wears a white durag while playing for the ECHL\u2019s Orlando Solar Bears last season. (Fernando Medina \/ Orlando Solar Bears)<\/p>\n Added Smith-Pelly: \u201cYou\u2019ve got to keep your hair cut tight \u2014 I understand. I thought it was actually hilarious.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the limited number of Black NHL players over the years, a wide variety of hairstyles have taken the ice. Laraque felt encouraged after playing for the Edmonton Oilers alongside then-forward Anson Carter, whose dreads rank among the most iconic hairstyles in NHL history. The enforcer eventually grew out his own dreads, while also rocking an afro and cornrows at different points in his career. But he says he didn\u2019t experience much backlash \u2014 or even reactions \u2014 from opposing players because, he joked, not too many of them wanted to tussle afterward.<\/p>\n \u201cI would\u2019ve worn (a durag) if my hair was longer (when I played),\u201d Laraque said. \u201cSo then I (wouldn\u2019t) have my hair on my face when I fight, because it could be annoying.\u201d<\/p>\n Tour\u00e9, who admired Laraque while growing up in the Montreal suburb of Dorval, first got into hockey around age five or six. When he played for local teams, Tour\u00e9 had an afro, opting for braids only in the summer.<\/p>\n As a player, he drew attention because of his size and skating. But he was passed over in the NHL Draft and spent two seasons playing Junior A in the Central Canada Hockey League before joining the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League. Tour\u00e9 then caught the eye of then-Senators GM Pierre Dorion<\/a>, whose son Antoine had been teammates with the defenseman in the CCHL. Tour\u00e9 turned an amateur tryout into a three-year entry-level deal<\/a> before the end of the month.<\/p>\n After splitting the 2023-24 season with Sudbury and the OHL\u2019s Windsor Spitfires, Tour\u00e9 began his professional career in the ECHL with the Orlando Solar Bears last season. Because of the everyday sunshine, Tour\u00e9 felt inspired to rock braids year-round, getting his hair braided every other week. To protect his hair, he ordered packs of durags off Amazon and wore them underneath his helmet during games. That continued when he joined the Belleville Senators for the first time, ultimately registering six points in 36 games with Ottawa\u2019s AHL affiliate.<\/p>\n \u201cI was talking to (goalie) Malcolm Subban, he played with (Tour\u00e9) last year,\u201d Smith-Pelly said. \u201cHe would tell me he would always wear a durag. He did not care. He would always wear his durag. Everyone was just cool with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Tour\u00e9 speaks to the media after Ottawa\u2019s 4-3 win over Toronto on Saturday at the Bell Centre. (YouTube)<\/p>\n Tour\u00e9\u2019s durag comes at a time when the sport has slowly seen an increase in diversity, with 20 players of either Black, Latino or Indigenous descent being selected in this summer\u2019s draft. The NHL runs a Player Inclusion Coalition to bring awareness to issues surrounding diversity, and a handful of BIPOC players came together in 2020 to form the Hockey Diversity Alliance<\/a> with similar interests and goals.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess it\u2019s a sign that things are slowly changing,\u201d Smith-Pelly said of the positive reaction to Tour\u00e9\u2019s choice of headwear. \u201cWhen I first saw it, the first thing I thought was that some people were going to just be weird about it. I wasn\u2019t, obviously, reading everything. But I didn\u2019t see anything negative about it, which is surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n Tour\u00e9 said he has received positive reactions from his teammates when he wears his durag, even joking that some teammates may want their own. But he\u2019s also realized how impactful wearing a durag can be for other aspiring Black players with similar hairstyles.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a Black player, I just want to bring in my culture,\u201d Tour\u00e9 said. \u201cI was kind of hesitant to bring in different hairstyles. But I thought to myself, why not? I should showcase that for future kids to come. So I was happy I did that.\u201d<\/p>\n (Photo of Tour\u00e9 in Feb. 2025, sans durag: Frank Jansky \/ Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n
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