Image Courtesy of Bruce Bennett
"O’Ree, third from right, joined this year’s five other inductees at a news conference on Friday at the Hall of Fame in Toronto. The five others are, from left, Gary Bettman, Martin Brodeur, Jayna Hefford, Martin St. Louis and Alexander Yakushev." -New York Times
Image Courtesy of AP/Alex Gallardo
"Willie O'Ree, the first black player in the NHL, is honored before a game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Tampa Bay Lightning in January 2017." - Smithsonian Magazine
Introduction
Willie O’Ree was the very first African American hockey player to play in the National Hockey League. When he first played in the National Hockey League, he played with the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens on January 18th, 1958. He ended up playing two seasons with the Boston Bruins and in the National Hockey League. After the National Hockey League, Willie O’Ree went west and played there until he retired in 1979. Today, he helps kids who struggle with racism or other discriminatory treatment play hockey with a program called Hockey Is For Everyone.Because of his work breaking barriers and helping kids, he made it into to the Hockey Hall of Fame and went in as a builder for his work in stopping racism in 2008, nearly 30 years after retiring from hockey. This is how Willie O’Ree broke the color barrier in hockey.