Lewis, late civil rights icon, remembered by O'Ree, NHL

Willie O'Ree was awestruck as U.S. Rep. John Lewis stood next to him at Capital One Arena on Feb. 26, 2019.

The civil rights icon and the first Black NHL player shared a moment, dropping the ceremonial puck together before the Washington Capitals faced the Ottawa Senators on Black History in Hockey theme night.
"Just standing there beside him, just to be there and to talk to him, made a big impact on me," O'Ree said Saturday. "I'm so happy I was able to be there in his presence and give him a hug, shake hands with him and watch a hockey game."
Lewis, the son of sharecroppers who was beaten, bloodied but unbowed in marching for racial equality in the 1960s before rising to become a leading voice in Congress for more than 30 years, died Friday at the age of 80. The Georgia Democrat announced in December that he had Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
"The hockey community stands with the rest of the world in mourning the loss of a true American hero, Rep. John Lewis," said Kim Davis, NHL senior executive vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs. "Rep. Lewis was a dedicated trailblazer and champion of civil rights, whose personal sacrifices we honor as we continue to push towards a more equitable future in both the sport of hockey and American society more broadly."

The NHL Players' Association tweeted "RIP John Robert Lewis -- a civil rights leader whose ongoing activism to eradicate racism will be greatly missed in the United States and around the world."
Capitals owner Ted Leonsis remembered Lewis as a "very gentle soul with the heart of a lion."
"A true giant, a true leader in that he was about getting things done and advocated taking the long view and peaceful view, and always learn from your history," Leonsis said. "He was just the greatest."
Instagram from @itsborocoprunning: -So sad to read that John Lewis has passed away. Getting to shake his hand in Washington is something that I will remember more than any goal, assist, hit, or win. Proud to be able to tell Miles that I was fortunate enough to meet him, and even prouder for @tara.boro and I to have the opportunity to teach our kids about Mr. Lewis' life and what he stood for.
Lewis was the last surviving speaker of the 1963 March on Washington, when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.
Born in Troy, Alabama, on Feb. 21, 1940, Lewis helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1963, making him one of the nation's top civil rights organizers along with King, Whitney Young of the National Urban League; A. Philip Randolph of the Negro American Labor Council; James L. Farmer Jr. of the Congress of Racial Equality; and Roy Wilkins of the NAACP.
Lewis was severely injured when he was beaten by state and local law enforcement at the Edmund Pettus Bridge as he helped lead 600 protesters on a march from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama on March 7, 1965. The violent encounter became known as "Bloody Sunday."

Lewis, who advocated peaceful protest, was arrested more than 45 times, participating in demonstrations on issues ranging from integrating lunch counters in the American South to ending apartheid in South Africa.
He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1986 and became a voice of moral authority on Capitol Hill. When he spoke, Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate listened.
O'Ree, who became the first Black NHL player when he debuted with the Boston Bruins on Jan. 18, 1958, said he'll always remember the puck drop he participated in with Lewis.
Each man wore a Capitals jersey, O'Ree's with the No. 22 he donned with the Bruins, and Lewis with No. 65 to honor the year of the march from Selma to Montgomery.
"I remember him as a very passionate, very loving and very caring individual," O'Ree said. "He believed that most people are good, and I'm impressed with what he accomplished over the years."