The Boston Bruins have taken the long-overdue step of retiring the number of Willie O’Ree. O’Ree was the first black player in the NHL. This is a great announcement just before the season opens on Wednesday. The team announced the honour Tuesday morning.
A well-deserved honor for one of our game's greatest ambassadors.
The #NHLBruins are proud to announce that Willie O'Ree's No. 22 will be raised to the TD Garden rafters.
Full Details: https://t.co/gfSQLUVXU3 pic.twitter.com/0Azhqgz4MV
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 12, 2021
Bruins to Retire Willie O’Ree’s Number
Willie O’Ree played for just two seasons in the NHL. He debuted in 1957-58 and appeared in two games with no points. His next action was several years later in 1960-61. That is when the 25-year-old broke out with four goals and 14 points in 43 games. This is incredible on its own as O’Ree was blind in his right eye from his time spend in junior hockey. He was officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 as an ambassador who helped grow the game at the grassroots level.
Hockey was fairly slow to integrate compared to its peers in North America. Major League Baseball famously integrated in 1947 with Jackie Robinson, but football and basketball both saw at least one black player before the NHL. None of the sports get major credit for the lack of true efforts to integrate, but it’s still nice to see players such as O’Ree get recognized for what they were.
How Boston Will Celebrate O’Ree
It’s hard to know exactly how or when O’Ree’s jersey will be retired. It could take place virtually without fans when the Bruins have their home debut. The pandemic still takes precedence over matters such as this. However, there will be a proper ceremony for the groundbreaking player when it is safe to have more people present.
O’Ree joins one of the most-hallowed groups of retired jerseys in the NHL. The Bruins have retired 11 jerseys in their history. The most recent of those is Rick Middleton in 2018. O’Ree deserves his place alongside those legends for what he was able to accomplish in his brief career as a player.
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