Oh, they asked me about what it was like playing with one eye. O’Ree said.
In the 21 years I played pro, I never took one eye exam. Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. O’Ree’s dream of hockey glory was almost cut tragically short. Cookie Policy When I was called up on Jan. 18, 1958, I never took an eye exam. Exactly How Far Should You Distance From Others to Avoid Covid-19? “I didn’t let it hurt me,” he said. He was hardly crestfallen. The injury was so serious that he permanently lost 95% of the vision in that eye. And More Questions From Our Readers.
No. He also received an Outstanding Commitment to Diversity and Cross-Cultural Understanding Award from San Diego State University in 2008 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018. Listen to this segment from CBC Radio's The Inside Track in 2008. Willie O'Ree said he had to work harder and play faster as the first black player in the NHL, but he's also thankful for the support he got from Boston Bruins management. He would even lose his sight in his right eye. On a breakaway, a teammate fed him a perfect pass, which he deposited under the glove hand of Montreal goaltender Charlie Hodge.
Goal setting is very important. 2005, he received an Order of New Brunswick; he was inducted into the Black Ice He took his stick and smashed Nesterenko over the head with it.
He was a major standout for Los Angeles, scoring a career-high 38 goals in 1964-65. O’Ree kept his injury to himself and stepped on the ice in the National Hockey League. He returned to the Bruins in 1960-61 and scored four goals and 10 assists in 43 games. Video: Watch O'Ree describe his first game in the NHL. And I went to training camp. O'Ree, 83, sat down with Tremonti on The Current to discuss how he didn't let a potentially debilitating injury derail his career and how he remains involved with the league through the Hockey is for Everyone campaign to encourage diversity and inclusion. His doctor warned him that without proper eyesight, his hockey career would be over. By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. my color,” O’Ree told the Anti-Defamation League Youth Congress gathering held Willie O'Ree was the first black man to ever play for the NHL, but racism wasn't the only thing he had to overcome to make his hockey dreams come true. Terms of Use Smithsonian Institution, Cat Traveling During the Cherry Blossom Season. “I had black cats thrown on the ice and [people] told me to [go] back to the cotton fields and pick cotton.” O’Ree claimed he didn’t mind. I think it's just the the love of the game. I didn’t let it hurt me,” O’Ree said. A documentary film about his remarkable life as the National Hockey League’s first black player was recently acquired by ESPN to mark Black History Month. or Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Theodora Aidoo is a young woman who is passionate about women-related issues. He did, after all, defy the odds. It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. “Given the impact Willie has made and continues to make on the game, we’re excited to bring his story to the forefront on our platforms,” ESPN Executive Producer for Original Content, Brian Lockhart said ahead of the TV premiere. “He looks as if he could go all night.”. The Fredericton, N.B., native has been called the "Jackie Robinson of ice hockey," but his hometown wasn't satisfied with the rest of the world's lack of awareness about the former player. On Jan. 18, 1958, O’Ree – a 22-year-old forward from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada – became the first black person to play in a National Hockey League game. His solution? But mention Willie O’Ree and you’ll likely receive a blank look.
“I let it go in one ear and out the other.”. O'Ree had to keep this injury quiet. And I get out of the hospital and within the next five weeks, I'm back on the ice practising and playing. A speedy skater with an intuitive feel for the game, he had played organized hockey since age 5 and had scored 22 goals with 12 assists in his first professional season with Quebec. He’s up with the Bruins,’” O’Ree wrote. “I let it go in one ear and out the other.”. Reportedly, the Bruins traded O’Ree to the Canadiens who had no room for him on their roster. O’Ree made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins in 1958, and managed to do so despite being blind in one eye (thanks to being hit by a puck two years earlier; he hid that injury). On Jan. 18, 1958, O'Ree stepped onto the ice of the Montreal Forum as a member of the Boston Bruins, officially becoming the first black player in the NHL. Called the “Jackie Robinson of hockey,” Willie Eldon O’Ree became the first black man to play in the National Hockey League. He knew that if they found out that he was blind in one eye, he would never be permitted to play professionally. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. 'Lack of investment in women's sports' to blame for demise of Canadian Women's Hockey League. “I could see fans pointing, ‘There’s that black kid. His plan of secrecy worked. I never even told my parents that I was blind because I knew that they would try and stop me from playing. The Bruins traded O’Ree to the Canadiens before the start of the 1961-62 season.