This day in history: Willie O'Ree becomes first Black NHL player on Jan. 18, 1958
(CBS DETROIT) - Willie O'Ree made his NHL debut on Jan. 18, 1958, with the Boston Bruins, making him the league's first Black player.
In his career, O'Ree played 45 games over two seasons with the Bruins. His No. 22 jersey was retired on Jan. 18, 2022.
Wednesday marks 65 years since O'Ree's debut. A portrait of the former athlete is being unveiled at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The 5-by-5-foot artwork features O'Ree wearing his Bruins jersey and holding a hockey stick with his Hockey Hall of Fame ring.
O'Ree was born in 1935 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.
According to the NHL, O'Ree joined the Quebec Junior Hockey League in the 1954-55 season before he was acquired by the Quebec Hockey League the following year. During his second season, he was called up to the Bruins to replace an injured player, making his debut against the Montreal Canadiens.
Officials say his debut did not get the publicity he expected, and he played another game against Montreal before returning to Quebec.
O'Ree played other games in the American Hockey League and the Eastern Professional Hockey League before he was called again by the Bruins for the 1960-1961 season.
On Jan. 1, 1961, he scored the first goal by a Black player after getting a pass from Bruins defenseman Leo Boivin. That season, he played 43 games, adding 10 assists and scoring four goals. But his time with the Bruins came to an end when his contract was traded to the Western Hockey League.
After playing for several years in the WHL and the AHL, he retired in 1979.