Hockey pioneer Willie O’Ree checks the length of the stick of Jeremiah Alvarado, 13, of Buffalo, on March 5, during the 2016 NHL/Willie O’Ree Skills Weekend hosted by the Ed Snider Youth ...

BOSTON-- Willie O'Ree was where he loves to be on Friday - - in a rink with children in the city that helped launch his historic NHL career. O'Ree, who became the NHL's first black player when he ...

When the Penguins asked P.O Joseph if he would fly to Pittsburgh and surprise the youth players taking part in the Willie O'Ree Academy on Tuesday, his answer was an immediate and resounding yes.

Willie O’Ree still dedicated to growing hockey, ... These kids will never forget coming here to Anaheim,” O’Ree said. “Fifteen years from now, you could ask them, ...

It was a moment on the ice that Willie O’Ree will never forget. “In the old Chicago Stadium, this right winger butt ended me in the mouth. It wasn’t a hit. It was intentional. He split my ...

Willie O’Ree’s No. 22 now has a permanent home in Boston's TD Garden. ... a local program aimed at making hockey accessible to all kids, helped hoist O’Ree’s jersey to the rafters.

Willie O’Ree played for the Boston Bruins, but his major contribution was as a “builder of the game.” February 13, 2019 Willie O’Ree, pictured in 2017, broke the color barrier in the ...

Willie O'Ree, the first Black player to appear in an NHL game, finally had his No. 22 retired by the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night. "From a young age, my heart and my mind were set on making it ...

Willie O’Ree’s 29-day road trip began on June 22 in Toronto with the annual NHL awards. And then it was off to Boston for the draft and Washington for a banquet and (another) citizenship award.

Willie O’Ree first crossed paths with Jackie Robinson in 1949, ... and he remarked that he didn’t know that there were any black kids playing hockey.” The two would meet again in 1962.

There frankly aren’t enough tributes possible to thank Willie O’Ree for the contributions he’s made to hockey and the NHL. But the NHL, its teams and its players have continued to come up ...

Ahead of Tuesday’s game between the Ducks and Kings, a diverse collection of players from all over North America gathered in Anaheim for on-ice work, trips to pro games and meetings with O’Ree ...