WILLIE O’REE, FIRST BLACK PLAYER IN NHL, TO BE INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME

Willie O’Ree will earn one of the highest NHL honors and be inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame, Al Muir of Sports Illustrated first reported, with the NHL confirming Tuesday.

O’Ree, 82, will be inducted as a builder of the sport, along with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

Many have been clamoring for O’Ree to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for years. He became known as the Jackie Robinson of hockey after he became the first black man to play in the NHL when he was called up from the Quebec Aces to the Bruins to replace an injured player in 1958.

O’Ree played in two games that year, but came back to the Bruins in 1961, where he played in 43 games. During that season, he scored four goals and had 10 assists. Afterwards, he spent 16 years in the minors.

Despite the short stint in the NHL, O’Ree spent years as the league’s Diversity Ambassador.

This article is from Sporting News

WILLIE O’REE, PIONEER & EX-SAN DIEGO GULLS STAR, VOTED INTO HOCKEY HALL OF FAME
Willie O’Ree, the first black player in the National Hockey League and later a star for the San Diego Gulls of the Western Hockey League, on Tuesday was named a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2018 inductee class.

O’Ree, 82, made history in the NHL in 1958 by playing two games for the Boston Bruins. He played 43 more games for Boston in 1960-61 but spent the remainder of his career in various minor leagues.

“I heard the ‘n-word’ all the time,” O’Ree told the Union-Tribune in 2008, the year he was inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame by the San Diego Hall of Champions. “People threw cotton balls onto the ice. I was playing in Tidewater, Va., when somebody threw a black cat onto the ice.”

The atmosphere was different in San Diego, where O’Ree was probably the most popular hockey player in the city’s history. He played 407 games over seven seasons for the Gulls (1967-74), scoring 314 points on 153 goals and 161 assists.

O’Ree later played for the San Diego Charms of the SoCal Senior League. His final season, at the age of 43, came in 1978-79 for the San Diego Hawks of the Pacific Hockey League.

A native of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, O’Ree also received the Order of Canada, the highest civilian award for a Canadian citizen, in 2008.

O’Ree was named by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee in the Builder category, along with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Four players were voted in as well: goaltender Martin Brodeur, Canadian women’s star Jayna Hefford, forward Martin St. Louis and Russian legend Alexander Yakushev, The induction ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 12 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
“I heard the ‘n-word’ all the time,” O’Ree told the Union-Tribune in 2008, the year he was inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame by the San Diego Hall of Champions. “People threw cotton balls onto the ice. I was playing in Tidewater, Va., when somebody threw a black cat onto the ice.”

The atmosphere was different in San Diego, where O’Ree was probably the most popular hockey player in the city’s history. He played 407 games over seven seasons for the Gulls (1967-74), scoring 314 points on 153 goals and 161 assists.

O’Ree later played for the San Diego Charms of the SoCal Senior League. His final season, at the age of 43, came in 1978-79 for the San Diego Hawks of the Pacific Hockey League.

A native of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, O’Ree also received the Order of Canada, the highest civilian award for a Canadian citizen, in 2008.

O’Ree was named by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee in the Builder category, along with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Four players were voted in as well: goaltender Martin Brodeur, Canadian women’s star Jayna Hefford, forward Martin St. Louis and Russian legend Alexander Yakushev, The induction ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 12 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

Many have been clamoring for O’Ree to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for years. He became known as the Jackie Robinson of hockey after he became the first black man to play in the NHL when he was called up from the Quebec Aces to the Bruins to replace an injured player in 1958.

O’Ree played in two games that year, but came back to the Bruins in 1961, where he played in 43 games. During that season, he scored four goals and had 10 assists. Afterwards, he spent 16 years in the minors.

Despite the short stint in the NHL, O’Ree spent years as the league’s Diversity Ambassador.

This article is from Sporting News: The San Diego Union Tribune