Nhl Report

Rondale Johnson

NHL Report

February 2, 2011

Willie O'Ree

There aren't many African Americans in the NHL, but there were some. The very first African American to be in the NHL was Willie O'Ree. Willie O'Ree could have had a big impact on African Americans; he going to the NHL wasn't really publicized. He was the first African American to play in the National Hockey League. Willie O'ree made his debut in the NHL for the Boston Bruins on January 18, 1958 and played right wing for the team for 45 games until 1961. He only played one full season in the NHL which was full of constant fighting, cheap shots, and racial slurs after the whistle was blown. O'ree broke the color barrier the same way Jackie Robinson did in baseball, but few African Americans have followed in his footsteps. In the more than seven decades that the NHL has been around only 13 African Americans have been in the NHL. It was a hard time for O'ree in the NHL. One incident happened during his stay with the Bruin. One night at Madison Square Garden O'ree crashed hard into the defensive end boards of the New York City Rangers. The wire mesh between the crowd and the ice broke and O'ree was dragged into a drunken, angry mob. Thanks to his teammates, O'ree was pulled back on to the ice although he was already covered in beer, and taunted. Later on, O'ree said he didn't even want to think about what would have happened if he had been pulled all the way into the crowd. Later in his career he suffered relatively little damage to his knees and ankles, the two injuries that can end a career. A while later O'ree was struck in the right eye with a hockey puck. He lost 95 percent of vision in his right eye, but, he kept right on playing now switching to right wing, where he played for the rest of his career. Willie O'ree turned professional in 1956 when he signed with the Quebec Aces. Two years later he earned a spot with the Boston Bruins. The night he made his debut, the crowd gave him a warm welcome and Boston won 3-0 that night. After only two games he sent back down to the minors. He stayed in the minors for one season until he made the Bruins regular roster in 1960. Once he was on the team that was when the trouble began. No matter how hard he played people always made reference to his color. The Boston Fans were friendly, but anywhere else he was heckled with racial slurs. There were a number of fights for O'ree during his stay in the NHL but, he overcame them, challenge after challenge. O'ree went through almost all of the injuries a hockey can expect to go through. He suffered broken thumbs, broken ribs, broken teeth, and several cuts to the face. O'ree still has a metal pin in his shoulder today. He also has had several surgeries done on his knees and