Celebrating Black History Month

More than 60 years ago, Willie O'Ree became the first Black player to play in the National Hockey League, breaking the league's color barrier and laying the foundation for generations to follow in his footsteps.
In celebration of that monumental achievement, the Boston Bruins retired his No. 22 jersey in a ceremony at T.D. Garden last month, an honor delayed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Wild is proud to take part in Black History Month as part of the NHL and the NHL Players' Association's month-long celebration and throughout the year. The organization is committed to making the sport a more inclusive and welcoming place for all, regardless of skin color.
To that end, we are thrilled to share stories of people in the Twin Cities and throughout the State of Hockey who share that common goal.

Last month, Wild defenseman Matt Dumba and famed local artist Reggie LaFlore teamed up to inspire and create the Winter Classic Legacy Mural in Minneapolis.

Dumba also received the Securian Financial Stick Tap Salute for the month of February, thanks to his work in the local community.

In conjunction with the Winter Classic coming to town, the
Black Hockey History Tour's mobile museum stopped by Braemar Arena in Edina, MN
. The curated mobile museum, which has been part of Black History Month celebrations, will visit 28 NHL cities across North America through April to showcase diversity in the sport and look back at Black pioneers and trailblazers who helped shape NHL history.
The Wild's Winter Classic Legacy Project was the donation and renovation of the workout space at Northeast Ice Arena in Minneapolis.
The Wild wore special edition warmup jerseys for its official Black History Month celebration at its game on Jan. 14, 2022. When the schedule originally came out, Minnesota didn't have any February home games, so it chose to get a couple weeks' head start on things. Eight-year-old Tanner Hill from Centennial Youth Hockey served as the BMO Flag Bearer.

That game also featured a number of other celebrations, including:
• A special Black History celebration ticket package which included a Wild branded Black History Celebration t-shirt and a donation to benefit the Minnesota Wild Foundation and Minnesota Hockey's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programming.
• Players from the Wild's Hockey is for Me Program participated in the youth starting lineup.
• Calvin Simon, Head Coach of the Shakopee High School boys' hockey team, made the Let's Play Hockey! Announcement. He's currently the only Black head hockey coach in Minnesota.
• Youth hockey players representing New Directions Youth Ministry, a grass roots non-profit organized to help children and youth in north Minneapolis overcome the obstacles to their development presented by the inner city environment, sold game programs.
• The Herb Brooks Foundation was the beneficiary of the Split the Pot Raffle. The Herb Brooks Foundation provides free opportunities for kids in diverse communities to learn about the game of hockey.
• A video tribute to the Sounds of Blackness, a three-time Grammy Award winning vocal/instrumental ensemble proclaiming the music, culture and history of African Americans was shown during the second intermission.
• MN Unbounded, a youth hockey team consisting exclusively of girls of color coached by women of color, participated in a shootout exhibition during the first intermission.
Dumba also surprised MN Unbounded players with free tickets to the Winter Classic at Target Field.