O&#;Ree, Willie –
Retired professional hockey player
At a Glance&#x;
The Right Climate for a Skater
NHL Debut
A Lengthy Stay in the Minors
Blacks in Hockey
Sources
Canadian native Willie O&#x;Ree was the first black man ever to skate for a team in the National Hockey League (NHL). O&#x;Ree made his debut in typical modest fashion for the Boston Bruins on January 18, , and played right wing for the team through 45 games between and In a sport dominated by white athletes then and now, O&#x;Ree never received much media coverage; he thought less about his race than about perfecting his ability. Being the first black didn&#x;t even enter into my mind, O&#x;Ree told the OrlandoNews and Sun-Sentinel.The NHL was the league and I knew it would only pick the best players. That&#x;s what I tried to be.
According to Rocky Mountain News correspondent Marty York, O&#x;Ree faced an uphill battle from his first moments in the NHL until his premature consignment to the minor leagues in Suffice it to say that, while O&#x;Ree desperately tried to establish himself as an NHLer in the s and s, he was a victim of blatant racism, of the sort of human degradati
Willie O'Ree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Willie O'ReeCM ONB | |||
|---|---|---|---|
O'Ree in | |||
| Born | () October 15, (age 89) Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in ( cm) | ||
| Weight | lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Boston Bruins | ||
| Playing career | – | ||
William Eldon O'ReeCM ONB (born October 15, ) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player from Fredericton, New Brunswick. He is widely recognized for being the first black player in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing as a winger for the Boston Bruins. His accomplishment of breaking the colour barrier in the NHL has led him to sometimes be referred to as the "Jackie Robinson of hockey," whom he had the chance to meet when he was younger. In , O'Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and starting that year the NHL has introduced the annual Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award in his honor.
Early life and career
William Eldon O'Ree was born on October 15, , in Fredericton, New Brunswick, to Harry, a civil engineer and road maintenance worker, and Rosebud O'Ree. He was the youngest of nine siblings. His grandparents were escapees of slavery in the United S
The remarkable secret of Willie O&#;Ree
Almost all of the black players to ever wear an official NHL sweater have sought him out.
Mike Marson, only the second black player in NHL history, joined the Washington Capitals in , a long 16 years after the colour barrier had been trampled. He wanted to talk to Mr. O’Ree.
Bill Riley, the NHL’s third black player, wanted to meet him as well.
So too did Herb Carnegie, a black Torontonian who believed racism kept him out of the game’s ultimate league in his prime, the s and ’50s. Herbie and his brother Ossie and Manny MacIntyre formed hockey’s first all-black line as the starting forwards for the Quebec Provincial Hockey League’s St. Francois. Mr. O’Ree still chats from time to time with the Carnegie brothers.
Journeyman Tony McKegney, who played 13 seasons for seven NHL clubs after entering the league in , wanted to speak to Mr. O’Ree. Grant Fuhr, Jarome Iginla, Wayne Simmonds&#; Mr. O’Ree, now 76 years old, is happy to talk to them all.
But what is there to say to the first black man to skate on National Hockey League ice, on Jan. 18, ? To the man who didn’t just smash through the game’s colour barrier but continues to stomp all ov
How Willie O'Ree blazed a trail for Black NHL players
Note: This story was published in October and is being republished with minor updates for Black History Month.
Willie O'Ree's surname, the four letters that changed hockey for the better when they appeared on an NHL lineup card in , derives from that of the American military officer who enslaved his great-great-grandfather. The officer was Peter Horry, pronounced unlike what you'd expect. He fought the British in the Revolutionary War, and in recognition of his service, he was given a Black man to own. The man was Paris O'Ree, as the name was later stylized, whose courage unlocked a future for his descendants.
Willie O'Ree isn't sure how Paris secured his freedom, but archival records he's read relate the enormity of what the man accomplished. Along with some family and at tremendous risk, Paris is believed to have escaped South Carolina, where Horry lived, late in the 18th century, becoming a farmer and father upon settling north of the border. He came to own a couple hundred acres in New Brunswick, Willie's future home province. Paris' son had a son who had a son who had a son, the trailblazing winger who's proud to
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