Bruins to retire O’ree’s number
Ex-winger became league’s first Black player in 1958
More than 60 years after he broke the NHL’S color barrier, Willie O’ree will soon add another milestone to his career.
The Boston Bruins announced Tuesday that O’ree will have his No. 22 jersey retired prior to the team’s Feb. 18 game against the New Jersey Devils. It will make O’ree the 12th player in team history to have a sweater hung in TD Garden.
The 85-year-old O’ree said he was in his backyard Monday when he got the call from Bruins president Cam Neely informing him about the honor.
“I was at a loss for words there for a few seconds,” O’ree said. “I’m overwhelmed and thrilled about having my Bruins jersey hung up in the rafters.”
He became the league’s first Black player when he suited up for Boston on Jan. 18, 1958, against the Montreal Canadiens. O’ree, who was legally blind in one eye, played two seasons for the Bruins, retiring from professional hockey in 1979.
He also donned Nos. 18 and 25 during his time with the Bruins but wore No. 22 in the bulk of his games with the club.
Neely said there is no question O’ree is deserving of having his jersey enshrined next to team greats like Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque.
“Willie’s contributions to the game of hockey transcend on-ice accomplishments and have opened countless doors for players who have come after him,” Neely said in a statement.
With Massachusetts’ COVID -19 restrictions currently prohibiting fans from being in attendance at Bruins games, it is likely O’ree will be honored in a mostly empty Garden. But the team said once protocols allow, it plans to recognize him again so fans can be a part of it. Blackhawks: Coach Jeremy Colliton agreed to a two-year contract extension on the eve of his third season with the team. Wild: Minnesota signed forward Marcus Foligno to a three-year, $9.3 million contract extension.
Note: Shark s left winger Evander Kane filed for federal Chapter 7 bankruptcy in California even though he is scheduled to make $3 million this season and has earned nearly $53 million over the course of his NHL career. The 29-yearold native of Canada lists slightly more than $10 million in assets and nearly $27 million in liabilities. Nearly all of Kane’s assets are in the form of property, namely a $3 million home in San Jose and two houses in Vancouver, British Columbia, valued at a combined $5.26 million. But the documents also show that Kane owes nearly $16 million in unpaid loans, plus more than $250,000 in unpaid federal and state taxes and nearly $80,000 in credit card charges. Kane owes Newport Sports Management, his former agency, nearly $530,000 and also is involved in a nearly $1.3 million arbitration dispute with a company called Sure Sports, a financial services firm geared toward professional athletes that arranged an $8.3 million loan for Kane with Centennial Bank. Centennial Bank, one of the 47 creditors listed in Kane’s bankruptcy filing, last week filed a federal lawsuit against Kane and the Shark s in California, alleging that the player defaulted on loans.