The Bruins sold O’Ree’s contract to the Los Angeles Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL) the next season, and O’Ree spent most of the rest of his career out west, playing 11 years with the Blades and the San Diego Gulls and twice winning the WHL’s scoring title. O’Ree returned to playing hockey in Québec after one year in Ontario and was eighth in team scoring with the Quebec Aces in the 1956–57 season (22 goals and 12 assists for 34 points). At age 19, O’Ree moved to Quebec and played the 1954–55 season with the Quebec Frontenacs of the Quebec Junior Hockey League.
The Canadian Encyclopedia
As a black hockey player, it was not as bad in Canada for him as it was once he arrived in the United States. That year, a puck struck O’Ree in the right eye during a game, robbing him of 95 percent of the vision in that eye. His debut wasn’t mentioned in either The Boston Globe or The New York Times, and a Canadian sportswriter at the time wrote that O’Ree “was greeted with no emotion, no applause and, above all, no animosity.” O’Ree’s NHL debut may have caused little reaction in Montreal because local sports fans were already familiar with O’Ree, who had played occasionally in Montreal as a member of the Quebec Aces. O’Ree’s NHL debut may have caused little reaction in Montreal because local sports fans were already familiar with O’Ree; he had played occasionally in Montreal as a member
During his second season with Quebec, the Boston Bruins of the NHL called up the 22-year-old O’Ree to replace an injured player. After his short time in Boston, O’Ree went on to play 14 more years of hockey with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens of the Eastern Professional Hockey League, the Los Angeles Blades and San Diego Gulls of the Western Hockey League, the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League, and the San Diego Mariners of the Pacific Coast League.
Willie O'Ree is known as the "Jackie Robinson of hockey," and rightfully so. the The irony: Despite O'Ree's status as a pioneer, he didn't immediately realize he had broken the league's color barrier when he took the ice for the Bruins against the Canadiens in 1958. "Fans would yell, (uncalled for racial slurs). To compensate for Once, a Blackhawks defender directed a slew of racial slurs at O'Ree and butt-ended him with a stick, forcing out his front teeth. 198 matching entries found.
Willie O'Ree took the ice and played for Boston in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. It made O’Ree the first black player to score a goal in an NHL game. Willie O Ree Quotes & Sayings . Being Taken For Granted Ecology Politics Blessings Politicians Fashion Heroes Baseball Dedication Mothers Positive Thinking Famous Positive Happiness Money Sports Business Government But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! One night while playing in Virginia in the 1972–73 AHL season, fans tossed cotton balls and a black cat onto the ice. In an interview with Luke Fox of Rogers Sportsnet on 29 February 2012, O’Ree explained the situation he faced: If it gets out that I’m blind in my right eye, I probably won’t be allowed to play pro, and definitely won’t be allowed to play in the National Hockey League. O’Ree’s father, Harry, was a civil engineer who worked in the city’s road maintenance industry. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. He was blind in one eye – an extraordinary secret that only his sister knew. William O’Ree was raised in a large family in Fredericton, New Brunswick. In 1998 O’Ree became the NHL’s Director of Youth Development and an ambassador for the NHL Diversity program.
On January 18, 1958, the Bruins were playing the two-time Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens at Quebec’s Montreal Forum. Showing search results for "Willie O Ree" sorted by relevance. He will be formally inducted in 2021. O’Ree would go on to play two more seasons with the Aces in 1957–58 and 1958–59. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. However, O’Ree could not tell anyone about the injury. He took the job, and he has never stopped.