Jordan Greenway, the first African-American US Olympic ice hockey player, hopes to inspire black youth to his sport the way Tiger Woods did in golf or Serena Williams has in tennis.

&quot;I just really want kids out there to do something different, go against the colour barrier in the sports world,&quot; Greenway said. &quot;You see African-American players in other sports like basketball and football. I want kids to feel all right to go try something different.&quot;

The 20-year-old Boston University star forward is one of four collegians on the US roster and helped the Americans win the 2017 World Junior Championships, scoring three goals and setting up five more.

&quot;It&#39;s a proud feeling to win a gold medal for the USA and I want to have that feeling again on the biggest stage,&quot; Greenway said.

&quot;Winning a gold medal is a feeling you can&#39;t put into words. That&#39;s motivating me every day to work hard. I couldn&#39;t be more excited. I always had a dream to play in the Olympics. I didn&#39;t think it was going to happen.&quot;

Greenway has his chance because the National Hockey League, which had shut down for every Winter Olympics since 1998 so players could compete in the Games, decided against the move this season, opening the door for Europe-based talent, minor-leaguers and top collegians.

Not that Greenway isn&#39;t good enough for the NHL. He was a 2015 second-round NHL Draft pick by Minnesota, 50th overall, and at 6-foot-6 (1.97m) and 227 (103kg) pounds he&#39;s the largest player on the US Olympic roster.

&quot;Jordan&#39;s size and ability will be a big factor in penalty kills and power play,&quot; US coach Tony Granato said. &quot;His versatility will bring something special as a player.&quot;

Jordan accepts his racial pioneer role with pride and responsibility.

&quot;Being the first African-American, I&#39;m really honoured by that. Hopefully, I&#39;ve been a role model to other African-American kids to go out and do something different.

You don&#39;t see a lot of African-Americans playing hockey. Hopefully, I can inspire them.&quot;

Greenway has 24 goals and 57 assists in under three seasons with a perennial college power and could play a major role in the American men&#39;s quest for their first gold since 1980.

&quot;Our college guys, I think they can compete in the NHL right now,&quot; Granato said. &quot;They are going to have a major impact on how we do.&quot;

Greenway wouldn&#39;t have it any other way.

&quot;I want to make an impact any way I can,&quot; Greenway said. &quot;I&#39;ll put in all the effort I&#39;ve got.&quot;

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"I just really want kids out there to do something different, go against the colour barrier in the sports world," says Jordan Greenway.

Jordan Greenway, the first African-American US Olympic ice hockey player, hopes to inspire black youth to his sport the way Tiger Woods did in golf or Serena Williams has in tennis. "I just really want kids out there to do something different, go against the colour barrier in the sports world," Greenway said. "You see African-American players in other sports like basketball and football. I want kids to feel all right to go try something different." The 20-year-old Boston University star forward is one of four collegians on the US roster and helped the Americans win the 2017 World Junior Championships, scoring three goals and setting up five more. "It's a proud feeling to win a gold medal for the USA and I want to have that feeling again on the biggest stage," Greenway said. "Winning a gold medal is a feeling you can't put into words. That's motivating me every day to work hard. I couldn't be more excited. I always had a dream to play in the Olympics. I didn't think it was going to happen." Greenway has his chance because the National Hockey League, which had shut down for every Winter Olympics since 1998 so players could compete in the Games, decided against the move this season, opening the door for Europe-based talent, minor-leaguers and top collegians. Not that Greenway isn't good enough for the NHL. He was a 2015 second-round NHL Draft pick by Minnesota, 50th overall, and at 6-foot-6 (1.97m) and 227 (103kg) pounds he's the largest player on the US Olympic roster. "Jordan's size and ability will be a big factor in penalty kills and power play," US coach Tony Granato said. "His versatility will bring something special as a player." Jordan accepts his racial pioneer role with pride and responsibility. "Being the first African-American, I'm really honoured by that. Hopefully, I've been a role model to other African-American kids to go out and do something different. You don't see a lot of African-Americans playing hockey. Hopefully, I can inspire them." Greenway has 24 goals and 57 assists in under three seasons with a perennial college power and could play a major role in the American men's quest for their first gold since 1980. "Our college guys, I think they can compete in the NHL right now," Granato said. "They are going to have a major impact on how we do." Greenway wouldn't have it any other way. "I want to make an impact any way I can," Greenway said. "I'll put in all the effort I've got."

Olympics: Hockey pioneer hopes to inspire black kids

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Olympics: Hockey pioneer hopes to inspire black kids