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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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NHLNHL

Willie O'Ree Award winner to be announced before Game 2 of Semifinals

Honor given to individual who has positively impacted his or her community, culture or society through hockey. Winners of the 2021 NHL Awards presented by Bridgestone will be announced throughout the Stanley Cup Semifinals and Stanley Cup Final. The winner of the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award presented by MassMutual...
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MLBWashington Post

African American history museum adds a hockey exhibit, including a statue of Willie O’Ree

Three years ago, Willie O’Ree, who in 1958 became the NHL’s first Black player, and league commissioner Gary Bettman took a guided tour of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Near the life-size Jackie Robinson statue in the “Sports: Leveling the Playing Field” gallery, O’Ree recounted the time he first met Robinson as a 14-year-old in 1949, two years after the Brooklyn Dodgers second baseman broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier.
Picture for African American history museum adds a hockey exhibit, including a statue of Willie O’Ree
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Willie O'Ree statue headlines Black hockey exhibit in NMAAHC

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture announced on Wednesday a new exhibition dedicated to the Black athletes who have paved the way for today's growing diversity in the sport. On display in the "Sports: Leveling the Playing Field" gallery, a statue of what media called "the...
SocietyNBC Washington

Willie O'Ree Statue Headlines Black Hockey Exhibit in African American Museum

Willie O'Ree statue headlines Black hockey exhibit in NMAAHC originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington. The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture announced on Wednesday a new exhibition dedicated to the Black athletes who have paved the way for today's growing diversity in the sport. On display...
NHLSalem News

Our view: A gold medal for Willie O'Ree

When a puck smacked the ice at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, on Monday night to start the last game of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s regular season, it heralded a little bit of hockey history. Willie O’Ree, wherever he happened to be, was surely smiling. The Lightning called up...
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Black History Month: Willie O’Ree Remembers His First NHL Goal

I stood in the lobby at the convention centre in downtown Toronto, looking around somewhat awestruck over the number of NHL legends and NHL people that were in the room. My little digital recorder was tucked in the chest pocket of my dress shirt. Even though 2007 doesn’t seem like that long ago, it was long before we had cell phones that could record audio and video, connect to the internet, or take quality photos. I figured it would be a good night for interviews. The NHL and the Hockey Hall of Fame were involved in this function, so I knew the A-list hockey people would be out in full force.
NFLthedcvoice.com

Willie O’Ree and the History of Black Hockey Players

I’ve been a hockey fan practically all my life. My father’s love of sports drove him to watch every form of competitive sport. The one that stood out the most to me was hockey. At the time I thought it was a sport for whites. Over time I slowly began to see Black players here and far between. However, it wasn’t until years ago when I Googled Blacks in the NHL that I came across Willie O’Ree.
NHLPittsburgh Post-Gazette

'It started with him': Pierre-Olivier Joseph recognizes legacy of Willie O'Ree

More than six decades before Pierre-Olivier Joseph began his meteoric rise up the Penguins’ depth chart, his door to the NHL was opened. On Jan. 18, 1958, Willie O’Ree made history when he broke the NHL's color barrier as the league’s first Black player. On Thursday, Joseph acknowledged that his opportunity with the Penguins really began all those years ago when O’Ree donned the No. 22 jersey for the Boston Bruins in a game against the Montreal Canadiens.
NHLPosted by
Yardbarker

NHL players to wear custom Willie O'Ree-inspired skates

Willie O'Ree broke the NHL's color barrier when he became the first Black player to take the ice for the Boston Bruins on Jan. 18, 1958 against the Montreal Canadiens. He'll now be honored by players across the league with custom skates. The NHL announced Wednesday that some players, including...
NHLnhlpa.com

Several NHLers will wear skates inspired by Willie O'Ree

EXETER, N.H. — A Canadian plant has produced skates honouring the NHL's first Black player as part of Black History Month. Bauer Hockey says the Bauer Innovation Centre in Blainville, Que., produced skates with a custom graphic celebrating the achievements and life of Willie O'Ree. Several NHL players will wear...
NHLsportsbusinessdaily.com

Black, White NHLers To Don Bauer Skates Honoring Willie O'Ree

Upwards of a dozen NHL players are will wear the skates in warmups and possibly game action Photo: BAUER Bauer unveiled a "stylish set of skates to honor" Hockey HOFer Willie O’Ree, according to Kevin Paul Dupont of the BOSTON GLOBE. The skates feature "O’Ree’s portrai...
NHLlaconiadailysun.com

Bauer Hockey Designs Custom Skate Graphic Honoring NHL's First Black Player Willie O'Ree

Recognizing Black History Month, BAUER skates to be worn by several NHL players; Initiative to raise funds for non-profit Black Girl Hockey Club. EXETER, N.H., Feb. 17, 2021 /CNW/ -- As an extension of its commitment to making hockey more diverse and inclusive, Bauer Hockey designed a custom skate graphic celebrating the achievements and life of Willie O'Ree, the National Hockey League's first Black player. Built as part of the skate's boot, the design features an image of O'Ree and inspirational phrases related to the movement for equality. Skates with this design will be worn on the ice by several NHL players across the league this week.