From THN's Archive: Willie O'Ree Blazes Trail

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 Willie O'Ree Blazes Trail  - Oct. 1, 2007 – Bob Duff

THEY REFER TO HIM AS THE Jackie Robinson of hockey, but Willie O’Ree’s arrival in the NHL wasn’t exactly front-page news.

“I can’t recall any big deal being made,” said O’Ree, who became the NHL’s first black player when he suited up for the Boston Bruins Jan. 18, 1958 at the Montreal Forum against the Canadiens.

“The fact that we beat the Canadiens 3-0 in the Forum, now that was big news.”

Born in Fredericton, N.B., O’Ree played two games for the Bruins in 1957-58 and made it back to the big leagues for another 43 games in 1960-61, scoring four goals and 14 points in total.

“I was playing for the Quebec Aces (in the Quebec League), when I got a call from the Bruins, telling me to meet the team in Montreal,” O’Ree said.

Quite a few days passed before O’Ree was informed of his place in history.

“I didn’t really think about it at all,” he said of being the first black NHLer. “I was just so excited by the fact I was going to play with the Bruins, nothing else mattered.”

O’Ree set the precedent for black players, but it’s difficult to argue he was a trendsetter. While Robinson brought down the walls of racial discrimination in baseball and ushered in a pipeline of quality African-American players to the major leagues, more than a decade passed until another black player skated in major pro hockey, when Alton White suited up for the World Hockey Association’s New York Raiders in 1972-73.

“The reason there aren’t more black men playing hockey is that almost all the top hockey players come from Canada and there aren’t that many black men in the entire country,” White explained at the time of his signing.

The next black NHLer was Mike Marson, who suited up for the Washington Capitals in 1974-75 and was joined a year later by Bill Riley. “Thirteen years after I left, Mike Marson came into the league,” O’Ree said. “That’s a long time.”

Since Marson, there has been a steady influx of black players into the NHL. Hockey historian George Fosty, whose book Black Ice delves into the impact of the black player in the game, feels this was due more to a change in culture than a cultural icon.

“Black immigrants started showing up in Canada in significant numbers in the 1970s,” Fosty said. Many of their children found their way to NHL lineups, as it became commonplace in the 1980s and 1990s to see black faces in NHL uniforms.

Elite players, such as former Edmonton Oilers goalie Grant Fuhr – a five-time Stanley Cup winner and the first black player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame – ensured there will be role models in place for future black prospects.

“All we really have to do is to continue to play and be productive NHLers and the rest will take care of itself,” said longtime NHL veteran Anson Carter.

O’Ree, Marson and Riley were NHL pioneers among black players, but today’s players have the potential to make a more significant impact on the game.

“When I was growing up, the only guys I had to look up to were Tony McKegney and for a brief time, Claude Vilgrain,” said former NHLer Peter Worrell. “Today, a young black kid can see someone he can identify with almost every night.”

Detroit-born Mike Grier of the San Jose Sharks is also prepared to serve in the pioneer spirit as a black NHLer who learned his hockey outside of Canada. “I don’t look at it as pressure or a responsibility thing,” Grier said of his unique place in hockey history. “If I can help other minorities get into hockey, or be a role model for them, that’s great. I’d love to help them.”

Considering the number of non-traditional hockey markets to which the league has expanded, even more players of color should emerge from the next generation of players.

“The diversity of the game is obvious and it’s only going to get bigger as more and more kids are drawn to hockey,” said O’Ree, who works with the NHL’s diversity task force, which brings hockey clinics and leagues to inner-city kids who normally couldn’t afford the sport.

“It’s a nice feeling to be able to give back a little of what hockey gave to me. There are some great young athletes discovering and getting involved in hockey. You’re going to see more and more visible minorities showing up on NHL rosters in the next 10 years or so.”

Even O’Ree finds it fascinating that nearly 50 years after the fact, he’s much bigger news than he was when he first broke hockey’s color barrier.

“I’m getting more attention now than I ever did when I was playing in the NHL,” O’Ree said with a chuckle.

IMPACT MOMENT NO. 047

NEWSFLASH

Jan. 18, 1958

MONTREAL - The Boston Bruins downed the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 to pick up a rare road win in the Forum last night, but the evening was special for reasons that didn’t concern the score.

Willie O’Ree suited up for the Bruins, becoming the first black player in NHL history. O’Ree was called up from the Quebec Aces to help a Boston team that is riddled with injuries.

While he didn’t register a point, O’Ree’s first game should go down as a monumental event in the history of the sport. As Jackie Robinson did just over 10 years ago, O’Ree has made a stride towards breaking down the racial barrier that surrounds the sporting world. 

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