The first black player in the NHL, Willie O’Ree was actually almost completely blind in one eye when he was called up to play for the Boston Bruins. He kept his injury a secret and managed to do for ice hockey what Jackie Robinson had done for baseball.
Born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Willie O’Ree began his career by playing in the minor leagues with the Quebec Aces. When a player became injured and was unable to play, the Boston Bruins recruited O’Ree to replace him. Keeping his eye injury a secret, O’Ree became the first black man to play in the National Hockey League.
He played only two games initially, but returned in 1961 when he played 43 games scoring four goals and 10 assists in just that one year.
O’Ree talked about how he faced racism despite proving his abilities as an athlete and admitted that the discrimination was worse in the United States than Canada. He endured savage remarks and explained, “Fans would yell, ‘Go back to the South’ and ‘How come you’re not picking cotton?’ Things like that. It didn’t bother me. I just wanted to be a hockey player, and if they couldn’t accept that fact, that was their problem, not mine.”
Once O’Ree left the major leagues, there wasn’t another black player in the NHL for almost 20 years. Nevertheless, O’Ree had made it possible for athletes of all races to realise their dreams of playing professional sports.
Now residing in Berkley, California, O’Ree has achieved a number of awards for his contribution to hockey including an Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian award. He has also been inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame, San Diego Hall of Champions and the Breitbard Hall of Fame.