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• Willie O'Ree
Although he played only 45 games over parts of two seasons with the Boston Bruins, William (Willie) O'Ree is remembered as the first black player in the history of the National Hockey League.
A 5'10", 180-pound left wing, O'Ree played two games for the Bruins in 1957-58 and 43 more in 1960-61. He was known for his exceptional speed and his checking ability. He scored only four goals in his brief NHL career, but he remembers the first one as if it were yesterday.
"It came against Montreal on New Year's Night, 1961," O'Ree said. "Charlie Hodge was the goalie. You don't forget your first NHL goal. We won, 3-2."
Even though he didn't play regularly in the NHL, Willie did have an extraordinarily long professional career - 21 seasons, mostly in the old Western League with the Los Angeles Blades and the San Diego Gulls, despite losing his right eye in a junior hockey game when he was 21.
During his career, he played for some of the most famous names in hockey. His coaches included Phil Watson and Punch Imlach in Quebec City, Cal Gardner in Kingston, and Milt Schmidt in Boston. Imlach, Stewart and Schmidt are all in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, on Canada's Atlantic coast, O'Ree was an outstanding athlete as a youngster, excelling at hockey, rugby, soccer, basketball, track and baseball. A shortstop, he was invited to training camp with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956.
Now 65 years of age, Willie lives in La Mesa, CA and works as the Director of Youth Development for the NHL® Diversity Task Force™.
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British fan asks Willie to compare hockey and soccer/football
by NHL | Dec. 10, 2001
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Do you have a question about hockey? About skills? About the game? Meet our expert: Willie O'Ree! You can send Willie e-mail right here: nhlkids@nhl.com.
Hello Willie,
I am from England I want to know why Ice Hockey is such a big sport in
America and such a small sport in England. My Dad reckons that in the not
so
distant future Football (No not American Football thee Football) will be the
main sport in America because the fact that it is a fluent game and does
not
keep on pausing and having so many intervals like the popular sports in
America presently have. Football has only 1 break where as ice Hockey for
example has 2 breaks and keeps on repetitively stopping, do you agree with
me
and my dad?
Jamie Turnbull
aged 14
from Wiltshire, England
Dear Jamie,
Hockey is a popular sport in United States due to the many leagues,
teams, and programs aimed at the development of youth players. Soccer is
already a popular sport in America and I see many simalitarities between it
and hockey. Good passing, spacing, and team work are essentials in both
sports. While it is true there a two extended breaks in hockey and only one
in soccer both games regulation time period is sixty minutes long.
Hello Willie,
What is plus minus?
Liam
Dear Liam,
Plus minus is a rating given to each player, besides the goalie. It is
calculated by giving a players +1 for every goal that is scored while they
are on the ice and -1 for every goal scored against them while they are on
the ice.
Dear Willie,
I've heard that the rules have changed this year regarding overtime losses
& how it effects a team in the standings. Can you tell me about the current
rules?
(no name given)
The rules have changed for the overtime period with respect to the standings. Rule 89a of the NHL rule states, "During League games, if at the end of three regular periods, the score shall be tied, each team shall be awarded one point in the League standings. The teams will then play an additional overtime period of not more than five minutes with the team scoring first declared the winner and being awarded an additional point". The rules were changed to promote goal scoring in the overtime. In the past teams would play defensive in order to get one point.
Dear Willie,
I am a goalie and I want to calculate my GAA. What is the formula to
calculate GAA?
Bob Miller
Dear Bob,
Goals Against Average is calculated by dividing goals against by minutes
played, and multiply this result by sixty.
You can send Willie e-mail right here: nhlkids@nhl.com.
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