B’s to retire O’Ree’s number
Broke NHL color barrier
Willie O’Ree may have played just 45 games with the Bruins, but soon he will forever walk with the greatest players in the club’s 97year history.
O’Ree, the first Black player to compete in an NHL game and the league’s Diversity Ambassador since 1998, will have his No. 22 retired in a ceremony prior to the B’s Feb. 18 game at the Garden against New Jersey.
O’Ree not only broke the color barrier on Jan. 18, 1958 in a game against the Canadiens, he has brought the game to many youngsters who might not have otherwise participated in his current role.
Team president Cam Neely called him on Monday to give him the news.
“I was at a loss for words. I’m overwhelmed and thrilled at having my Bruins’ jersey hung up in the rafters,” said O’Ree of the honor bestowed previously on his former coach Milt Schmidt, teammate Johnny Bucyk and fellow legends like Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque.
“It’s wonderful really. I’ve met those folks and Bobby has attended my Willie O’Ree Hockey Skills tournament on weekends and I’m just thrilled and honored to be a part of the Bruin organization,” said O’Ree. “I was a Montreal Canadien playing in my teens because Montreal and Toronto were the only two teams in the NHL (in Canada), but when I went to my first Bruins training camp in 1957, I became a Bruins fan. … I have the highest respect and the highest admiration for the entire Bruin organization, especially the guys that I played with during that time.”
At the time, O’Ree’s trailblazing entry into the game did not gain nearly the same attention as Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball a decade before.
“I always hoped that I had the opportunity to play in the National Hockey League. I turned pro in 1956 with the Quebec Aces and Punch Imlach was the coach. And Punch told me ‘You have the skill and the ability to play in the NHL and there hasn’t been a Black player in the NHL.’ And he says ‘you could be the first.’ And it kind of went in one ear and out the other,” said O’Ree.
He eventually got the call to the NHL when the B’s were to play the Habs at the Montreal Forum and he took the train from Quebec City to meet the team, where he met Schmidt and GM Lynn Patrick.
“They said ‘ Willie, we brought you up because we think you can add a little something to the team. You’re a Bruin now. Just go out and play your game and don’t worry about anything else,” said O’Ree.
The B’s won that game, 3-0, and, after playing the next night in Boston, he was sent back to Quebec. He didn’t get recalled again until the ’60-61 season, when he played 43 games. He was traded to the Canadiens after that season but, though he remained in pro hockey until 1979, he never played another game in the NHL.
He’s as proud of his work after his playing career as he is about the 45 games he played in the NHL.
“I broke the color barrier in 1958 and there are so many not only Black players but players of color in the league now. And these players are there because they have the skill and ability to be there. They’re not there because they’re Black players or players of color. They’ve proven that they can play and the NHL is the league they’re playing,” said O’Ree.
“It means a lot and it’s well deserved and it’s just the right thing to do,” said captain Patrice Bergeron. “It’s amazing the impact that he’s had, breaking the color barrier obviously but also his work with inclusion and diversity in hockey and pursuing that for so many years now. He’s a huge ambassador and someone I got to know over the years, an amazing person to talk to.”
If fans are not allowed into the Garden for this ceremony, the club said it will find another date to honor him when restrictions are lifted.
“Ideally, you want him shaking people’s hands in situations like this and really paying tribute to Willie, and rightfully so,” said GM Don Sweeney.
Off to opener
The B’s will practice today before jetting to New Jersey for Thursday’s season opener. We could see some movement early on in the season as the club continues its evaluation process.
“It’s certainly unique for us this year on all fronts, where we had a compacted training camp. The coaches laid out what they wanted to accomplish in training camp, subject to the health and availability of the players as we went through it. Not having exhibition games is a disadvantage from all previous years and putting some of those players in those situations to see how they’re going to react,” said Sweeney. “The continuity of your group, I think we have the bulk of our team but also, we have some integration of some players that haven’t been with us. Those are some challenges. How we utilize the taxi squad, how effectively we can do that — you have to have roster spots. Some teams have a cap dynamic. We all face that same challenge of managing our cap effectively in a unique environment this year, a little different. We hope to be in a position that if a player is playing well through camp but he’s on the taxi squad, that we’d be able to put him in the lineup.”
Five clear waivers
Anton Blidh, Greg McKegg, Zach Senyshyn, Paul Carey and Steven Kampfer — cleared waivers on Tuesday. Sweeney felt comfortable enough with his young defense not to dip into the waiver to add some veteran help.
Marchand has ‘soreness’
Brad Marchand, recovering from offseason hernia surgery, left practice early on Sunday and did not participate in Monday’s scrimmage. He also was not on the ice for Tuesday’s optional skate. Sweeney said that he was experiencing some “soreness” but he’s expected back for today’s session and in the lineup Thursday.
Pastrnak hits ice
The B’s main group held an optional practice on Tuesday, but David Pastrnak, recovering from offseason hip surgery, hit the ice for the first time in a group setting. Coach Bruce Cassidy had said that he was a little bit ahead of schedule and could be ready by early February, Sweeney said Pastrnak is not ready to have a target date yet. He’s expected to practice with the full team when it returns from the upcoming trip.
Karson Kuhlman made his camp debut Tuesday.