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Willie O'ree

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Willie O'ree
Willie Eldon O'Ree, (born October 15, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, known best for being the first black player in the National Hockey League. O'Ree played as a winger for the Boston Bruins. O'Ree is referred to as the "Jackie Robinson of ice hockey" due to breaking the black colour barrier in the sport, and has stated publicly that he had met Jackie Robinson twice in his own younger years. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2018. Also in 2018, the NHL instituted the annual Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award in his honour, to “recognize the individual who has worked to make a positive impact on his or her community, culture or society to make people better through hockey.”
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Born
1935-10-15
Birth Place
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Height
1.7526
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postnewsgroup.com

Willie O’Ree, 1st Black Player in NHL, is a Real Ice Man

Historically, professional hockey has held fast to its tradition of lacking diversity among its players. But no Black on the ice did not hold Willie O’Ree back. He started playing hockey at age 3 and instantly had a passion for the game. Born on October 15, 1935, in Frederickton,...
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
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NHL

Willie O'Ree Award winner to be announced before Game 3 of Western Final

Honor given to individual who has positively impacted his or her community, culture or society through hockey. Winners of the 2022 NHL Awards will be announced throughout the conference finals and Stanley Cup Final. The winner of the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award presented by MassMutual will be revealed Saturday...
NHL
Picture for Willie O'Ree Award winner to be announced before Game 3 of Western Final
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Sioux City Journal

Meredith Lang, a Morningside grad, named a finalist for NHL's Willie O'Ree Award

SIOUX CITY — Meredith Lang was a Morningside University hero in track and field, but it's her actions in the world of hockey that might be her most heroic yet. Lang, a 15-time All-American for the Mustangs who won two USTFCCCA Outdoor Athlete of the Year Awards and two Division II Heptathlon Championships, and competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2004, might be about to win one of hockey’s most prestigious awards.
SIOUX CITY, IA
foxbaltimore.com

Local community activist announced as finalist for Willie O'Ree award

A local community activist is a finalist for the National Hockey Leagues Willie O'Ree, Community Hero Award. The award recognizes an individual who has worked to make a positive impact on their community, culture, or society. The recipient also works to make people better through hockey. Finalist, Noel Acton, is...
BALTIMORE, MD
NESN

Willie O’Ree Joins Boston Pride As Minority Owner

Willie O’Ree now sits in sports’ most-exclusive table. The Boston Bruins legend has become a minority owner of the Boston Pride after acquiring a stake in the team, the Premier Hockey Federation announced Thursday in a press release. O’Ree, the first Black player in NHL history and a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, joins the ownership group of the reigning Isobel Cup champions.
NHL
KARE 11

Willie O'Ree joins ownership of Boston Pride of Premier Hockey League

Trailblazing Hall of Fame hockey player Willie O'Ree, who broke the NHL's color barrier in 1958 as a player with the Boston Bruins, is joining the Boston Pride as a minority owner. Officials with the Premier Hockey Federation, formerly known as the National Women's Hockey League, announced the move on...
NHL
eccalifornian.com

Willie O’Ree

At the ripe age of 86, Willie O’Ree remains San Diego’s hockey treasure. A member of the original San Diego Gulls of the Western Hockey League, O’Ree, a native of New Brunswick, Canada, and since longtime resident of La Mesa, skated with the legendary team for seven of its eight seasons of existence, from 1967 to 1974. The WHL Gulls were the region’s most remembered team and O’Ree was its most remembered player.
NHL
Daily Advance

Opinion | Wood column: Willie O'Ree, the Jackie Robinson of Ice Hockey

When Willie Eldon O’Ree was 14 years old, he was in New York with his youth baseball team and had a chance to visit for a few minutes with his idol Jackie Robinson at Ebbets Field. O’Ree, a native of New Brunswick, Canada, made sure to tell Robinson that he was not just a baseball player, but a hockey player as well. Robinson was a bit surprised, not realizing at the time that any black kids played hockey.
MLB
The Hockey News

Willie O'Ree to Receive Congressional Gold Medal

Willie O'Ree is set to receive one of the United States' highest honors. On Monday evening, the White House announced that U.S. President Joe Biden has signed the “Willie O’Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act” into law, paving the way for O'Ree to be given the prestigious award for his contributions to equality in sports and the bravery that helped him to become the first black player in NHL history.
U.S. POLITICS