Boston honors hockey pioneer Willie O'Ree

Posted January 17, 2018 6:00 am

By MATT KALMAN

National Hockey League Diversity Ambassador Willie O'Ree, the first black player in the NHL, was honored during a ceremony in Boston on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. The ceremony was attended by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Boston Bruins Chief Executive Officer Charlie Jacobs, who joined together at TD Garden to announce that the Boston Parks and Recreation Department's street hockey rink at Smith Field in Allston-Brighton is named in honor of O'Ree. (Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via AP) The Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) - Hockey pioneer Willie O'Ree was honored in Boston on Wednesday on the 60th anniversary of the Bruins forward breaking the NHL's color barrier.

At a news conference at the TD Garden before the Bruins game against the Montreal Canadiens, Mayor Marty Walsh declared Jan. 18, 2018 to be "Willie O'Ree Day". O'Ree made his debut in 1958 during a 3-0 victory against the Canadiens at the Forum in Montreal.

Walsh called O'Ree a Boston legend who changed the city for the better and thanked him for his courage. As part of the celebration, the city dedicated a new street hockey rink in the Allston-Brighton neighborhood to be known as Willie O'Ree Rink.

The 82-year-old O'Ree received a loud applause while he walked to center ice for a ceremonial puck drop between captains Zdeno Chara of Boston and Max Pacioretty of the Canadiens. Wearing his No. 22 on his Bruins jersey, O'Ree tipped his black fedora to the crowd.

Both teams wore patches with a '60' centered in a circle, the NHL logo on top, 'Willie' on one side and 'O'Ree' the other with 'anniversary' scrolled across the bottom. The same design was on the ice behind both goals.

Despite being legally blind in one eye, O'Ree dressed for the Bruins and stepped onto the ice at the Montreal Forum on Jan. 18, 1958. He played two games with Boston before being sent to the minors. He returned to the NHL in the 1960-61 season, scoring four goals with 10 assists in 43 games before being traded to Montreal. He spent a total of 21 years in pro hockey.

For the past two decades, O'Ree has served as the NHL's Diversity Ambassador, spreading the message that hockey is for everyone.

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FILE - In this Jan. 19, 2008, file photo, former Boston Bruins hockey player Willie O'Ree waves to the crowd in Boston after being honored on the 50th anniversary of breaking the color barrier in the NHL after the first period of the Bruins hockey game against the New York Rangers in Boston. Looking on is Bruins legend John Bucyk. Hockey pioneer O'Ree was honored in Boston on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Bruins forward breaking the NHL's color barrier. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File) The Associated Press

FILE - In this Nov. 23, 1960, file photo, 25-year-old left wing Willie O'Ree, the first black player of the National Hockey League, poses for a photo as he warms up in his Boston Bruins uniform prior to an NHL hockey game with the New York Rangers at New York's Madison Square Garden. Hockey pioneer O'Ree was honored in Boston on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Bruins forward breaking the NHL's color barrier. (AP Photo, File) The Associated Press

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