O'Ree's Legacy will Live on in TD Garden Rafters

BOSTON - Willie O'Ree wouldn't accept that his hockey career was over.
Even after losing nearly all the vision in his right eye after being struck by a puck while playing for the Kitchener Canucks during the 1955-56 season, the New Brunswick native had no interest in calling it a career.

"[The doctor] didn't know how I felt inside," said O'Ree. "I still had one eye and I just said I'm going to let that doctor know that I'm going to continue my career and forget about being blind. Basically, that's what I did. Goal setting, believing in yourself, work hard because there's no substitute for hard work.
"You only get out of the thing what you put into it. If you go out and work as hard as you can, you should pat yourself on the back, because that's all we can ask of you."
O'Ree has lived by those words for over 60 years and also took on the mantra that he would forget about what he couldn't see and focus on what he could see.
That mentality served him beautifully as he continued to fight toward his ultimate goal, which he eventually accomplished roughly three years later when he made his National Hockey League debut with the Boston Bruins against the rival Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 18, 1958.
O'Ree would play just 45 games for the Black & Gold across two seasons but went on to have a highly successful 21-year professional career. It was not until much later in his life, however, that he made his greatest impact after becoming the National Hockey League's Diversity Ambassador in 1998.
In that role, O'Ree has made an indelible mark on communities across North America, helping over 120,000 children through the NHL's Hockey is for Everyone program.
It is for that work, and the trailblazing path he set when he broke into the NHL, that has earned him some of sport's - and life's - highest honors: Hockey Hall of Fame (2018), Order of Canada (2008), and the Lester Patrick Trophy (2003).
And on Tuesday night, O'Ree received, perhaps, his highest honor as his No. 22 was hoisted to the TD Garden rafters to join some of the game's all-time greats.
It was, indeed, a sight to see.
"I'm greatly thrilled and honored to have the Bruins organization think enough of me to honor me for my number being retired," said O'Ree. "When I started playing hockey, I just wanted to play hockey and have fun…this is just a memorable evening for not only myself but for my family. To have my number retired and hanging up there in the rafters with so many other great hockey players that have played for the Bruins is just amazing. I am thrilled and overwhelmed."

During his nearly six-minute speech - delivered virtually from his home in San Diego - O'Ree noted that as a young boy growing up in Fredericton, New Brunswick, he rooted for the Montreal Canadiens. That changed quickly when he pulled on the Spoked-B for the first time in 1958.
"I don't remember a time in my life when I didn't love hockey. I do remember not being a Bruins fan," said O'Ree. "But on January the 18th, 1958, when the Bruins called me up to make my NHL debut in a game against the Canadiens, I knew my heart would be with the Bruins forever."
The 86-year-old also recalled how welcoming his Bruins teammates were as he became a part of the group.
"I will never forget how my teammates in the Bruins locker room accepted me as one of their own," said O'Ree. "This was a time when some of the fans and opposing players were not ready to see a Black man in the NHL."
Sixty-four years after his debut, there remains plenty of work to be done when it comes to making the sports of hockey a more diverse and inclusive place. But the progress has been significant since O'Ree was the lone Black player in the league with over 40 players of color now playing in the National Hockey League.
"The population of Black players and players of color around the league is growing and that's directly attributed to him," New York Rangers forward Ryan Reaves said in a video during the ceremony. "He gave an opportunity to generations after him. He was the one who said, 'I'm going to play the sport I love, doesn't matter the racism, the hate, whatever comes at me.' He's just gonna fight through it and fight through it for generations after."
O'Ree believes the league's Hockey is for Everyone program is helping to make a tangible impact in providing opportunity for young people in cities across the country access to the game of hockey.
"When I started with the National Hockey League and the Hockey is for Everyone program back in 1996, all I wanted to do was work with boys and girls and help them set goals for themselves and work towards their goals," said O'Ree. "I played hockey for 21 years and I thought I had something to give back, not only to the sport, but give back to the community.
"The Hockey is for Everyone program is a great program. I wouldn't have stayed with it for 24 years if I didn't think that it worked. The number of boys and girls that I've come in contact with over the years has been just great. I work with these boys and girls and help them set goals for themselves.
"Goal setting is very, very important. If you believe in yourself, you need to set goals for yourself and work towards your goals and don't let anyone tell you can't obtain your goal."

O'Ree, the youngest of 13 children, adopted that mentality at a young age as his parents demanded that he and his siblings work hard, keep their grades up, and treat others the way they would like to be treated.
"That's basically the way I live," said O'Ree. "I've learned this from my parents, and I just use it in my daily life."
O'Ree gave further credit to his older brother, Richard, who he also called a friend and mentor.
"He'd be so honored, and he'd be so happy," said O'Ree. "He taught me a lot of things that I would need to know if I was going to choose hockey. He knew the type of individual I was, and the racism and prejudice and bigotry. He knew I could handle that, and he just said, forget about what other people think about you.
"If they can't accept you for the individual that you are, then that's their problem. Just go out and stay focused and work hard - and basically, that's what I tried to do every time I put on the Bruins jersey."
Some six decades later, O'Ree's legacy lives on within the Bruins dressing room.
"Providing opportunity for those that come after him, for really holding the torch and really just making the game a better, more inclusive place. So, so well deserved," Bruins blue liner Charlie McAvoy said of O'Ree's number retirement. "I feel lucky to have shared the same jersey as Willie."
Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron was thinking the same while he watched from the bench as O'Ree's No. 22 was hoisted to the TD Garden rafters.
"It's a special thing," said Bergeron. "It's the ultimate accomplishment to have your jersey retired. It's very well deserved. I think we were all trying to enjoy the moment and were honored to be a part of it. We could tell and see the joy and pride in Willie's face. I thought that was pretty special to be a part of that."
Bergeron, who is in the midst of his 18th season with the Black & Gold, is likely to one day see his No. 37 hanging in the rafters. But no such thought crossed his mind on Tuesday night. All the centerman could think of was how fortunate he is to be part of an organization with such a rich and proud history.
"Appreciating the history in this organization, realizing how special it is and how lucky we are to be a part of it," said Bergeron. "I was lucky enough to be part of Cam [Neely's] jersey retirement [in 2004], [Rick Middleton's in 2018], and now Willie. Not too many organizations do you have that opportunity and that history.
"We were honored to be a part of it, and happy for Willie. We've had a chance to meet him many times. He's given hope and inspired so many - a trailblazer.
"In that particular moment, we try to realize how special it is to be a Bruin."

And while O'Ree is most associated with Boston, his impact and legacy are felt far and wide.
"Willie going into the Hall of Fame in the last few years, Willie having his jersey retired, the educational programs that he's leading, what it really amounts to is generational impact," longtime friend and producer of the 'Willie' documentary Bryant McBride said during the ceremony.
"Kids will look differently at the sport, they'll look differently at themselves, they'll look differently at opportunity to do anything. This is hockey metaphor for Willie, this is about opportunity, this is about life chances. That's at the heart of what he does."
And it's exactly what O'Ree hopes young people think when they look up into the TD Garden rafters for generations to come and see his No. 22 immortalized.
"Being up there amongst the greats that played for the Bruins over the years," said O'Ree, "I think that when these boys and girls come into the arena and look up, that it'll give them the idea that you can do anything you set your mind to do if you feel strongly within your heart and within your mind."