Almost everybody knows aboutJackie Robinsonand the historical role he playedintegrating Major League Baseball . But cite Willie O’Ree — who break the National Hockey League ’s color barrier — and you ’ll likely receive a blank look .
That may bulge to change . On Jan. 19 , 2022 , the U.S. House of Representativespassed a billawarding O’Ree a Congressional Gold Medal . A day earlier , the Boston Bruinsretired O’Ree ’s No . 22on the sixty-fourth anniversary of the night the forward from New Brunswick , Canada , became the first Black person to play in a National Hockey League game .
O’Ree had always known he own the endowment to play in the NHL . A speedy skater with an intuitive feel for the biz , he played organized hockey since he was 5 eld old and had scored 22 finish with 12 assists in his first professional season with Quebec . His big break issue forth when the Bruins tempt him to attend training camp before the start of the 1957 - 58 season . Although he die to make the final cut , team officials were impressed enough by his overall execution to recite him he demand only " a fiddling more flavorer " to extend to the big sentence .
" They acknowledge what I could do , " O’Reelater recalledin his 2000 memoir , " The Autobiography of Willie O’Ree : Hockey ’s Black Pioneer . "
Sure enough , that January , the Boston Bruins were short a roll player and called him up from their minor league club for a road contest against the Montreal Canadiens .
O’Ree could barely contain his turmoil . " I could see sports fan pointing , ' There ’s that black kid . He ’s up with the Bruins , ' " O’Ree wrote .
Despite his jitteriness , he did nothing to stymy himself during a rare 3 - 0 Boston shutout over their hat archrivals . " O’Ree is not only firm , but he ’s a strong skater , " Montreal coach-and-four Frank Selkesaid after the secret plan . " He looks as if he could go all nighttime . "
O’Ree suited up for only one more secret plan as a Bruin that time of year before returning to the minors . He was hardly chopfallen . " I ’m just happy to get a opportunity up here , that ’s about all I can say,“he tell The Boston Globe .
O’Ree rejoin to the Bruins in 1960 - 61 and notched four end and 10 help in 43 game . His first NHL goal — a game - winner against Montreal at the Boston Garden on New Year ’s Day , 1961 — proved memorable . On a breakaway , a teammate flow him a everlasting liberty chit , which he fix under the glove bridge player of Montreal goalie Charlie Hodge . For his standout effort , O’Ree pick up a awaken standing ovation from the home crowd that hold out several minutes .
O’Ree was n’t so well received at other NHL venue . At New York City ’s august Madison Square Garden , for instance , fans showered him with racial insults before he even step onto the ice . In Chicago , he was targeted for abusefor bruising Blackhawks forward Eric " Elbows " Nesterenko . After calling O’Ree a peculiarly vile racial slur , Nesterenko take the butt - end of his pin and chock up it into O’Ree ’s unsuspicious face .
A broken nozzle and two drop front tooth later , O’Ree had had enough . He took his marijuana cigarette and smash Nesterenko over the head with it . O’Ree ’s teammates came rushing to his care as both teams ' benches vacate . What stick with was a classic hockey donnybrook that ended with O’Ree being sent to the Bruins locker way for medical discourse .
" Every prison term I went on the ice I was face with racial blot because of my color,“O’Ree admittedto the Anti - Defamation League Youth Congress gathering held in Boston in 2016 . " I had mordant cats bemuse on the ice and [ masses ] severalise me to [ go ] back to the cotton fields and pick cotton . " O’Ree claim he did n’t mind . " I did n’t allow it hurt me , " he enjoin . " I let it go in one spike and out the other . "
O’Ree ’s dream of hockey resplendency was almost slue tragically light . While playing in a junior league biz in Guelph , Ontario , as a 20 - year - older , he lose batch in most of his good eye after a stave off slap shot struck his nerve . Ignoring his medico ’s advice to cling up his skates , O’Ree go on to play despite being at an obvious competitory disadvantage .
" I was a left shot , and I was playing left wing , but I had no right-hand eye,“O’Ree explained . He did n’t need others to live of his eye problem , lest it scare teams away from apply him . " It was my closed book , " he said .
The Bruins swop O’Ree to the Canadiens before the start of the 1961 - 62 season . O’Ree was personally desolate . Montreal was an elect squad fall off a train of Stanley Cup patronage and had no room for O’Ree on their roster . As a resultant , O’Ree pass the remnant of his career playing on a series of minor conference clubs , including the Los Angeles Blades of the Western Hockey League . He was a major standout for Los Angeles , scoring a career - eminent 38 goals in 1964 - 65 . But the NHL never give him a 2d look .
O’Ree did , however , swear out as an inspiration to future NHL player of vividness like Jarome Iginla and Mike Grier .
" I ’m in awe knowing what he went through , " Iginlatold USA Today in 2008 . " There is a lot of trash - blab out going on [ in the biz ] , and I ca n’t opine what he must have gone through . "
For his part , O’Ree has voiced few regrets . He did , after all , defy the betting odds . And he ’ll forever be know as the " Jackie Robinson of hockey . "
Thomas J. Whalenis an associate prof of societal sciences at Boston University where he explore forward-looking American politics , presidential leadership , Boston account , and mutation and American company .
This article is republish fromThe Conversationunder a Creative Commons licence . you may obtain theoriginal article here . It is an updated version of an article first publish Jan. 17 , 2018 .
