Willie O’Ree, The NHL’s Jackie Robinson, Has Number Retired By Bruins
Willie O’Ree, who broke the NHL’s color barrier, finally had his No. 22 retired by the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night. “From a young age, my heart and my mind were set on making it to the NHL. I’m grateful and honored that it was with the Bruins,” O’Ree said in a speech delivered virtually before the Bruins’ 7-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Boston. The ceremony came 64 years to the day after O’Ree, 86, became the first African American to play in an NHL game—January 18, 1958 against the Montreal Canadiens. It was supposed to happen on February 18 last year, but COVID-19 restrictions had ...