(Boston) Willie O’Ree has had many honors in his life, from becoming the NHL’s first player in 1958, with the Boston Bruins, to his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, in 2018.
Posted at 9:42 p.m.
The 86-year-old, however, says having his No. 22 jersey retired by the Bruins on Tuesday will rank near the top.
“It was something I never dreamed of,” O’Ree said in a phone interview Monday. I was very lucky to be called up by the Bruins in 1958 and to have played with them in 1960 and 1961. And suddenly to know that my jersey is going to be retired and it will be suspended in the heights with that local legends, it’s simply extraordinary. »
O’Ree became a pioneer of the sport on January 18, 1958, when he played for the Bruins in a matchup against the Montreal Canadiens. It will become the 12and player in Boston team history to have his jersey retired.
O’Ree had planned to be at the game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, but lingering concerns about the pandemic changed his plans. He will participate in the ceremony virtually from his home in San Diego.
“I was disappointed,” he insisted. I have many friends in the Boston area and supporters that I have known over the years. With the current pandemic, we felt we wouldn’t be making the trip for our safety. »
O’Ree, a native of Fredericton, New Brunswick, played two games with the Bruins in the 1957-58 season. He spent the next two seasons in the minors before returning to Boston to play 43 games in the 1960-61 season. In 45 NHL games, he has four goals and 10 assists. O’Ree was traded to the Canadiens in 1961, but never returned to the NHL.
Coinciding with Tuesday’s ceremony, the NHL’s Black Hockey History Museum is in Boston this week. He will travel to 28 cities across the United States and Canada this season – the most cities visited to date. The museum was at the Bruins’ practice facility on Sunday and will stop at TD Garden before Tuesday night’s game.
The 525 square foot museum highlights trailblazers and history makers like O’Ree, as well as league founders and Stanley Cup champions. It also looks to the next generation of young stars, NHL referees, describers and women in sport.
Since retiring from the sport, O’Ree has focused on the future of the NHL. Since 1998, he has worked for the NHL as an ambassador for diversity, working to foster greater inclusion and combat the racism that still exists in the league.
O’Ree has previously said that while he felt welcomed by his teammates in Boston, his short stint in the NHL was not spared the racism that permeated the Jim Crow era in the United States at that time.
“When I arrived with the Bruins in 1958, I heard racial slurs and remarks from fans in the stands and opposing players,” he said. It didn’t really bother me. I have to thank my older brother, who told me that if people couldn’t accept me for who I am, that was their problem. He told me to keep working hard and stay focused on what I wanted to accomplish. That’s what I did. »
O’Ree said he’s proud of the work he’s done talking with young people at hockey clinics, hoping to diversify the sport he loves.
“I don’t want to be remembered just as the first black player to play in the NHL, but as someone who wanted to get involved with boys and girls. A person who wanted to help them set goals, help them achieve them, and help them feel good about themselves, he expressed. I think it’s very important. »