Posts About "Willie O’Ree"
The NHL's Evolution of Integration
February 8th, 2020 In honor of Black History Month, a closer look at how black players have helped progress the game of hockey is in order. It has been 60 years since Willie O’Ree played his first game in the NHL, but his legacy has never been more important. As of Feb. 1, there have been 23 players who are either black or biracial who have played in...
Willie O'Ree Says More to Be Done to Fight Racism in Sports
February 3rd, 2020 OTTAWA — Willie O'Ree is hopeful that one day sport will be free of racism and bigotry, but thinks it's still a long way off. The 84-year-old O'Ree was in Ottawa on Monday as part of the NHL's Black History Month Tour, which features a mobile curated museum displaying the history of black hockey players in the NHL. Being the...
Coyotes' Soderberg Thriving Despite Blindness in Left Eye
December 4th, 2019 GLENDALE, Ariz. — The darkest time came right after the injury. Months in the hospital. Multiple surgeries. Pain, fear, little hope. Playing hockey again was not even a remote consideration. Carl Soderberg had bigger concerns. “I was more worried about my eye and would I get my vision back,” Soderberg said. The Arizona...
Brodeur, St. Louis & O’Ree: What They Meant to Hockey?
July 8th, 2018 Retired goalie Martin Brodeur and forwards Martin St. Louis and Willie O’Ree received the call that every former hockey player yearns for. When a retired hockey player hears from Lanny MacDonald, it is an invitation to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, the most exclusive club in the sport. Every year, a new class of...
Ambassador Brad Marchand? Seriously?
February 8th, 2018 Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand is an elite hockey player. He's a two-time NHL All-Star and comprises one-half of arguably the most dominant duo in the NHL alongside Patrice Bergeron. He's a ferocious competitor, not only undaunted by the limitations placed on him by his diminutive stature but actually emboldened by them. Anyone...
Letang Injury Update, Doan's Status & More News
January 16th, 2017 Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is week-to-week with a lower-body injury and has been placed on the injured reserve, head coach Mike Sullivan announced on Monday. Letang suffered the injury after becoming entangled with Detroit Red Wings forward Thomas Vanek during the Penguins' 6-3 loss on Saturday. The 29-year-old...
Hockey Hall of Fame Debates: Willie O'Ree
January 16th, 2017 This series debates the case for Hockey Hall of Fame inclusion for players who are Hall of Fame eligible but have been overlooked for induction thus far. The Hall of fame inducts players based on their “playing ability, sportsmanship, character and contributions to his or her team or teams and to the game of hockey in...
San Diego's Long History with Hockey
January 29th, 2015 You may have heard by now about the Anaheim Ducks relocating their AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, to San Diego. What you may not know, is that even though San Diego is better known for its burritos and bikinis, it has had a long history with hockey dating back to before WWII. Hockey began in San Diego with the San Diego Boat...
September 28, 1964 - Weekend Exhibition Games Roundup
September 28th, 2014 It was a busy weekend for the six NHL teams as they continue to fine-tune their lineups in anticipation of the upcoming 1964-65 NHL season. As is the norm at this time of year, there were a few surprises in this weekend's action. Former Leaf gains revenge Saturday evening in Calgary, before 7,140 enthusiastic westerners, the Toronto...Book Review: Cracking the Ice
Cracking the Ice (advance proof copy). By Dave Hendrickson. (2011, Lodi, New Jersey: WestSide Books. Softcover. Pp. 366. $16.95. ISBN 978-1-934813-55-3.) The sad reality has been, with as far as society has come, there were still some hockey fans who threw the rest of us right back to the days when black hockey players...
Boston Bruins' Loss Exposes the Worst Elements of the Hockey Community
April 26th, 2012 Jim Neveau, Managing Editor On Wednesday night in Beantown, the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals engaged in what is the first of three Game 7 contests that will end the first round of the NHL Playoffs. Just like 14 games before it, the game went into overtime, and even assured that all seven games would be decided by one goal, a...
O'Ree, James' Contributions Worth Remembering on MLK Day
January 16th, 2012 Jim Neveau, Senior NHL Columnist If anyone asks a sports fan who the first African-American to play Major League Baseball was, that fan will inevitably say Jackie Robinson. Unfortunately for pioneers in the other major professional sports, like Charlie Sifford on the PGA Tour and Charles Follis in the NFL, they aren't as well...
Book Review: My First Goal
December 8th, 2011 My First Goal: 50 Players and the Goal that Marked the Beginning of Their NHL Careers By Mike Brophy. (2011, Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, Ltd. Softcover. Pp. 254. CAN $19.99 / US $17.95. ISBN 978-0-7710-1682-0.) “I remember my first (fill in the blank).” It is the same for everyone, you always remember the...
