 |
|
• O'Ree Mail (July 10, 2002)
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™.
|
Willie Opens up the Trivia Book
by NHL | Aug. 16, 2002
 |
 | |||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
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.
Dear Mr. O'Ree,
I often hear the Montreal Canadien's referred to as the "Hab's."
What does "Hab's" mean?
Peter Burger
Greensboro, North Carolina
Hi, Peter:
I get this question a lot. Habs is short for the French word "Habitants" or
"Les Habitants," which roughly translates to "the locals" or "the local
team," or "our guys."
Dear Mr. O'Ree,
I wondered... has anyone ever scored 7 goals in a game?
Thanks,
Jakob
Hi, Jakob:
Not in the modern era, no. However, several players have scored six times
in one game, the most recent being Darryl Sittle of the Toronto Maple Leafs
on Feb. 7, 1976. Joe Malone of the Quebec Bulldogs scored seven goals in a game on Jan. 31,
1920, but that was prior to what we refer to as the modern era.
Dear Mr. O'Ree,
You were the first black hockey player.
Who was the first Jewish hockey player?
Thanks!
Rat Chicken Rules
Hi:
While I'm not positive who the first was, a good guess would be Alex
Levinsky, a defenseman with the Toronto Maple Leafs who broke into the NHL
in 1930-31.
Dear Mr. O'Ree,
I'm a goalie and I was wondering if a player from the opposing team is in
your crease screening you, can you push or shove them out of your crease?
Thanks,
David A. Schaut
Hi, David:
Of course. The crease is YOUR territory, and you should do whatever you
can (within the rules) to keep it that way.
Dear Mr. O'Ree,
I was reading this book on a guy by the name of Martin Cartier who
happened to play for the Boston Bruins . When I went to the Boston Bruins
website to look him up I didn't find anything on him. I have checked plenty
of other sites to find out more about him but there's nothing. Can you tell
me if this guy is really a hockey star or just fictional?
Sincerely,
Ashly
Hi, Ashly:
No one by the name of Cartier ever played in the National Hockey League, so
I can only assume you a reading about a fictional player.
Dear Mr. O'Ree,
I was wondering if you could tell me what Jose Theodore's (Montreal
Canadians Goaltender) nickname is.
A few of my friends and I are having an argument about this and we're
hoping you can settle this.
Thanks a bunch !
Bruinsfan777
Hi, Bruinsfan777:
I have heard Jose Theodore called "Theo" mostly, also in jest: "No Way,
Jose."
You can send Willie e-mail right here: nhlkids@nhl.com.
| back to top
Copyright ©2001 National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved. NHL and the NHL Shield are
registered trademarks of the National Hockey League.
www.nhl.com is a product of NHL Interactive Cyber Enterprises (NHL ICE). All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL, NHL Enterprises, L.P. and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without prior written consent. © NHL Enterprises, L.P. All Rights Reserved.
Site Problems? Click Here! ¦ Privacy Policy
|
|
