After a very long wait, Willie O’Ree is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2018
The NHL Hall of Fame inductions are always special, historic even. Its class of 2018 includes Willie O’Ree as a builder. O’Ree is the third black player to be inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame. Grant Fuhr and Angela James are the others.
Both owe a great deal to O’Ree, as do many other current and former players.
The NHL’s Jackie Robinson
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O’Ree was the first black player in the NHL, making his debut on January 8, 1958. He appeared in just two games for the Boston Bruins. O’Ree made a return to the NHL in 1961 and played 43 games.
His short career saw him score four goals and 10 assists. Those numbers aren’t records by any stretch, but O’Ree being in the NHL was historic all on its own.
The Western Hockey League was kinder to O’Ree, pointwise. He won two scoring titles in the WHL between 1961 and 1974. One of O’Ree’s WHL teams, the San Diego Gulls, retired his number. He retired from hockey at the age of 43.
O’Ree has been serving as the NHL’s Diversity Ambassador
Honors for Willie O’Ree
The Hall of Fame induction is not the first honor he has been given. In 2008, O’Ree was given the Order of Canada as a pioneer of hockey and as a youth mentor. The Order of Canada is the highest civilian award that a Canadian citizen can receive. In 2011, O’Ree was awarded the Hockey Legacy award by The Sports Museum at TD Garden in Boston.
Most recently, O’Ree presented the inaugural Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award to the widow of Humboldt Broncos coach Darcy Haugan. The presentation was one of the most emotional moments at the 2018 NHL Award Ceremony.
Long Overdue
The call for O’Ree to be a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame has grown in recent years. The number of black players in the NHL has increased steadily, and these players know that they owe a good deal to O’Ree. Philadelphia Flyers Assistant Captain Wayne Simmonds wrote a post titled The Astronaut for The Players Tribune. The post detailed his struggles as a black hockey player and also paid homage to O’Ree for paving the way for him, as well as the other black players in the NHL.
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"Without Willie, there would be no Jarome Iginla. There would be no Grant Fuhr, or P.K. Subban or Ray Emery or Dustin Byfuglien or so many others who have had the honor of playing in this great league. There would definitely be no Wayne Simmonds."
I can’t say it any better, Wayne. This honor is long overdue.