Be Honored by the Bruins: How NHL Players Have Been Inspired by Willie O'Ree

On January 18, 2022, the Bruins raised Willie O’Ree’s No. 22 into the rafters

In honor of his legacy, lasting impact on hockey

Willie O’Ree, now 86, was playing Minor League Hockey in Quebec when he got the call.

“January the 18th, 1958, the Boston Bruins called the Quebec Aces and said, ‘We want O’Ree to meet the Bruins in Montreal to play two games against the Montreal Canadiens,'” he said.

O’Ree did what Jackie Robinson had done 11 years earlier — integrated a White sport as a Black professional.

The speedy winger did, and after his debut, described it as the “greatest thrill of my life. … I’ll always remember this day.”

He encountered racial hostility from opposing players as well as fans. Black players in professional sports knew what to expect and were expected to endure the abuse in silence.

O’Ree played 45 games in the NHL over two seasons, then returned to Minor League Hockey where he flourished, twice surpassing previous scoring records.

He is already in the Hockey Hall of Fame, he has a statue at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and he is expected to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. Senator Debbie Stabenow and Representative Mike Quigley have led the effort to bestow Congress’ highest civilian award upon him.

Willie O’Ree, the first Black player in the NHL, is to be honored by the Bruins and is expected to be ho…

The Senate has already passed a resolution to give O’Ree the gold medal and the House is poised to pass it in the coming weeks.

Not only was O’Ree the NHL’s first Black player, but he also spent his entire professional career blind in his right eye.

“It was a slap shot from the point,” he said of the injury that caused him to lose his vision. “The puck comes up and hit me flat in the right eye and broke my nose.”

O’Ree’s surgeon said he’d never play hockey again, but within weeks he was back on the ice, striving for the NHL. He swore his family to secrecy and never told any team about his blindness.

“So, I just said, ‘Forget about what you can’t see and just concentrate on what you can see,'” O’Ree said.

“The NHL became the last major professional sports league to add Black players to its ranks when Willie O’Ree, then a 22-year-old forward, skated for the Bruins in the late 1950s. Today, that achievement — and O’Ree’s lifetime of promoting the game in minority communities — is being recognized in Boston and on Capitol Hill.

His effort and dedication have been passed through to the next generation. It’s from 2003, and Anthony Stewart had just been drafted by the Florida Panthers. He had exchanged pleasantries with commissioner Gary Bettman, pulled on that traditional jersey/hat combo, and was exiting the stage when O’Ree came into sight. Their interaction was short but meaningful and remains memorialized on Stewart’s wall.

Stewart recalled, “He was going above and beyond to make sure he was meeting all the minority draft picks.” “So just to have him be a part of that day was definitely special. I still remember it. I have the picture of us framed. It just showed he cares about growing the game, he cares about the game of hockey. I’ve definitely looked up to players like Willie, who was the first.”

Stewart admits it was harder at 18 to appreciate what O’Ree endured during his early life. Now, being 37 years old and having experienced his own obstacles on and off the ice, Stewart can better understand O’Ree’s past.

“Just imagine how bad Willie had it at that time, being the first and only Black hockey player,” Stewart said. “That puts things in perspective when you have guys that trailblazed and paved the way to make it easier for players. He should be in the same conversation as Jackie Robinson. You see how beloved Jackie is, and that should be the equivalent of [Willie] in hockey. 2,000 years from now, when they dig up the archives of what hockey was or what hockey is, Willie’s story and plight should be there with all the other stories as well.”

O’Ree has spent the last 25 years passing it forward to the next generation as one of the NHL’s diversity ambassadors, bringing hockey to underserved minority communities.

“This is what I tell these kids: you can do anything you set your mind to do. and don’t let anybody tell you can’t attain your goal if you feel strongly within your heart and within your mind,” O’Ree said. “And never give up.

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