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Willie O'Ree inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame

June 28, 2018, 9:52 AM ET [13 Comments]
Anthony Travalgia
Boston Bruins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
What took so long?

60 years after breaking the NHL's color barrier as the first black player in league history, Willie O'Ree is finally getting the call to the Hockey Hall of Fame. O'Ree was elected into the builder category of the Hall of Fame.

O'Ree made his NHL debut with the Bruins on January 18, 1958 in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. O'Ree spent 20 seasons playing the game for multiple teams across multiple leagues, including the Western Hockey League.

The native of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada played his entire career 95% blind in his right eye after being hit in the eye with a puck a few years before making his NHL debut.

“Willie is a pioneer and tremendous ambassador for the game of hockey, and on behalf of the Bruins organization I would like to congratulate Willie and his family on today’s (Tuesday's) announcement that he will be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame,” said Bruins President Cam Neely.

“The courage he showed 60 years ago when he broke the league’s color barrier while wearing a Bruins sweater is an inspiration, and his work today continues to grow the game of hockey and spread the message that hockey is for everyone.”

Since retiring, O'Ree has spent the last 20 years as an NHL ambassador and in 2008 O'Ree received the Order of Canada award for his work in growing the game around the world.

The call to the Hall of Fame is long overdo for a person that has had such impact on the game. The things that O'Ree has done, and the doors he has opened for black players in the game will never be forgotten.

In a statement made to NHL.com, O'Ree said: "I think being inducted in the Hall of Fame just opens the door for just thousands of kids, kids of colors, white kids, brown kids, green kids. It gives them the opportunity to be able to play the sport if they want to. We're just opening up the doors and saying, 'Here, you can play a sport where you never had the opportunity to play before."

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Devils great Martin Brodeur, Lightning forward Martin St. Louis, Jeyna Hefford and Alexander Yakushev join O'Ree as the Hall of Fame class of 2018.
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