Willie O'Ree

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CanadaCanada  Willie O'Ree Ice hockey player
Hockey Hall of Fame , 2018
Date of birth October 15, 1935
place of birth Fredericton , New Brunswick , Canada
size 178 cm
Weight 82 kg
position Right wing
Shot hand Left
Career stations
1950-1951 Fredericton Falcons
1951-1952 Fredericton Merchants
1952-1953 Fredericton Junior Capitals
1953-1954 Fredericton Capitals
1954-1955 Québec Frontenacs
1955-1956 Kitchener Canucks
1956-1959 Québec Aces
1959-1960 Kingston Frontenacs
1960-1961 Boston Bruins
1961 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens
1961-1967 Los Angeles Blades
1967-1974 San Diego Gulls

Willie Eldon O'Ree , CM , ONB (born October 15, 1935 in Fredericton , New Brunswick ) is a retired Canadian ice hockey player who played for the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League from 1958 to 1961 . He was the first black player in the NHL.

Career

He learned to play ice hockey in his hometown Fredericton, where he played in various youth teams in the early 1950s. With the Fredericton Capitals he won the Allan Cup in 1954 and then moved to the QMJHL to the Quebec Frontenacs with whom he could win the Memorial Cup in 1955 . After a year it left the team and played its last season as a junior with the Kitchener Canucks in the OHA .

For the next three years he played mostly in the Quebec Hockey League for the Quebec Aces , interrupted by a short detour in the American Hockey League to the Springfield Indians and shortly afterwards to the Boston Bruins , for whom he played in the 1957/58 season on 18 January 1958 became the first black player to be on the ice in an NHL game. However, after his second game for the Bruins, he returned to Quebec.

From 1959 he played in the Eastern Professional Hockey League . First year for the Kingston Frontenacs , then for the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens . However, for most of the 1960/61 season he played again in the NHL with the Boston Bruins and scored his first NHL goals there. In the coming summer, the Bruins gave it to the Montréal Canadiens , but there it was never used. O'Ree remained the only black NHL player until Mike Marson made his debut with the Washington Capitals in 1974 .

Montreal sold him in November 1961 to the Los Angeles Blades in the Western Hockey League where he played until 1967 before moving to the San Diego Gulls within the league . During his time in the WHL, he scored more than 30 goals in one season several times. The time in the WHL was interrupted by a detour back to the AHL. There he played 50 games for the New Haven Nighthawks in 1972/73 . In 1972 he was drafted by the Los Angeles Sharks for the World Hockey Association , but was never used there.

Until 1979 he was still active for the Charms and Mariners in San Diego, before ending his career at the age of 43.

Next life

In his honor, his jersey is still hung under the roof of the hall in the San Diego Sports Arena . In 1984 he was inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame .

In 2005, O'Ree received the Order of New Brunswick , which is the highest honor in his home province of New Brunswick .

On December 30, 2008, O'Ree received the Order of Canada and was named Officer of the Order for his achievements in sport and his contribution to intercultural understanding . This is the highest civil honor a Canadian citizen can receive in his or her lifetime. In addition, he was honored with the induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 .

O'Ree is also one of three ambassadors for Hockey is for everyone , a National Hockey League initiative for socially disadvantaged children and youth.

Today he still lives near San Diego in La Mesa .

NHL statistics

Seasons Games Gates Assists Points Penalty minutes
Regular season 2 45 4th 10 14th 26th
Playoffs - - - - - -

Awards

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ ctv.ca, First black NHL player honored with Order of Canada ( Memento from December 31, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ NHL.com, Hockey is for Everyone - Ambassadors - Willie O'Ree

Web links

personal data
SURNAME O'Ree, Willie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES O'Ree, Willie Eldon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian ice hockey player
DATE OF BIRTH October 15, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH Fredericton , New Brunswick