William Eldon O'Ree CM ONB (born October 15, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player from Fredericton, New Brunswick. He is widely recognized for being the first …

Willie O’Ree (b. 1935) became the first Black hockey player to play in a National Hockey League game when he debuted with the Boston Bruins at the Montreal Forum on January 18, 1958. …

Jan 17, 2017 · O'Ree that night became the first black player to skate in an NHL game, the first of two games he would play in a weekend home-and-home series against the Canadiens -- …

When rookie Willie O’Ree laced up his skates for the Boston Bruins on January 18, 1958, he became the first black player to appear in an NHL game. In so doing, he made history, …

Feb 14, 2017 · 25-year-old left wing Willie O’Ree, the first black player of the National Hockey League, warms up in his Boston Bruins uniform, prior to the game with the New York Rangers, …

Jan 19, 2022 · SAN DIEGO -- Willie O'Ree had his number retired by the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. A banner with O'Ree's name and No. 22 was hoisted to the rafters of TD Garden, 64 …

Jan 18, 2025 · Willie O’Ree made history as the first black player in the NHL. Despite a hockey puck hitting him in the face and costing him a 95% vision loss in his right eye, O'Ree was …

Willie O'Ree, the first Black player to appear in an NHL game, finally had his No. 22 retired by the Bruins on Tuesday night, before Boston lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 7-1 at TD Garden.

Willie O'Ree will have his No. 22 retired by the Boston Bruins on Feb. 18 to honor him for becoming the first Black player in the NHL 63 years ago.

January 18, 1958, marked a monumental day in sports history. On this date, Willie O’Ree suited up for the Boston Bruins and skated into the record books as the NHL’s first Black player.