Willie O’Ree

Willie O’Ree to receive Congressional Gold Medal after President Joe Biden signs act

President Joe Biden signed the Willie O’Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act on Monday. The act bestows the US’s Congress’s highest honor on Willie O’Ree, the player who broke the NHL’s color barrier. The news was first reported by Chad Pergram of Fox News.

The signing comes 13 days after O’Ree had his jersey retired by the Boston Bruins and 12 days after the House of Representatives passed the act with a bipartisan 426-0 vote.

The Senate, which is usually dysfunctional, first passed the act unanimously on July 27, 2021.

O’Ree is the first NHL player to receive the honor.

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By Ian Oland 1 year ago

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Capitals to wear special helmet decals honoring Willie O’Ree

Willie O’Ree broke the NHL’s color barrier in 1958. Sixty-four years later, O’Ree will get an honor that only 11 other players in the Bruins’ 98-year history have received. O’Ree will have his number 22 retired forever.

The Capitals will honor O’Ree’s honor from afar. Every player on the Capitals will wear special decals on the back of their helmets featuring O’Ree’s number 22.

“On the night his No. 22 is retired by the Bruins, we join the entire NHL in honoring Willie O’Ree for his immeasurable contributions to the game of hockey,” the Capitals wrote on their Twitter account.

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By Ian Oland 1 year ago

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Capitals debut new Willie O’Ree equality helmet stickers on Martin Luther King Day

The Washington Capitals officially added new decals to their helmets on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The stickers read Celebrating Equality and feature a profile illustration of Willie O’Ree wearing his signature top hat. Today marks the 63rd anniversary of Willie O’Ree breaking the color barrier with the Boston Bruins (January 18, 1958). Later this season, the Bruins will retire O’Ree’s number.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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Willie O’Ree honors: Boston Bruins to retire his number 22, NHL announces O’Ree helmet decals

The NHL will be honoring Hockey Hall of Famer Willie O’Ree multiple ways this season.

First, the Boston Bruins announced in a press release Tuesday morning that O’Ree will have his number retired by the team ahead of a game against the New Jersey Devils on February 18.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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Congress members propose legislation to award Willie O’Ree with Congressional Gold Medal

The day after Willie O’Ree dropped the puck alongside US Representative John Lewis at the Capitals Black History in Hockey Night, O’Ree was honored with a reception at the Canadian embassy in Washington DC.

Co-hosted by Canadian Ambassador to the US David MacNaughton and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, the reception celebrated the accomplishments of O’Ree, who was the first Black hockey player to compete in the NHL. O’Ree was recently inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.

The event also announced pending legislation to award O’Ree with the Congressional Gold Medal.

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By Elizabeth Kong 4 years ago

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Civil rights leader John Lewis drops ceremonial puck with NHL’s first black player, Willie O’Ree, at Caps game

The Washington Capitals held Black History in Hockey Night at Capital One Arena on Tuesday.

Hockey Hall of Famer Willie O’Ree, the NHL’s first black player, was joined on the ice by civil-rights pioneer and United States Representative John Lewis (D-Ga.) for the ceremonial puck drop. O’Ree and Lewis both sported red Capitals jerseys for the occasion. O’Ree wore his own number 22, while Lewis, according to the Associated Press’s Stephen Whyno, wore number 65 in honor of the Selma to Montgomery March from 1965.

After their introduction by PA announcer Wes Johnson, O’Ree and Lewis received a reverent ovation from the DC crowd.

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By Ian Oland 4 years ago

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Willie O’Ree and John Lewis will drop ceremonial puck for Black History Month before Senators game

The Washington Capitals will have a ceremony before Tuesday’s game as part of their “Hockey is for Everyone” celebrations. Two important figures in Black history will drop the ceremonial puck before the game against the Ottawa Senators.

U.S. Representative John Lewis is a lawmaker and civil rights legend who helped organize the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Lewis will be joined by Willie O’Ree, the first Black player in NHL history and recent inductee into the Hall of Fame.

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By Brennin Weiswerda 4 years ago

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Willie O’Ree to participate in ceremonial puck drop at Capitals’ Black History in Hockey Night February 26

February is Black History Month, and the Capitals have announced several initiatives to honor Black History in hockey.

On February 26, the Capitals will host Black History in Hockey Night during their home game against the Ottawa Senators. Prior to the game’s start, Willie O’Ree will be participating in a ceremonial puck drop. O’Ree became the first black hockey player to play in the NHL in 1958 as a member of the Boston Bruins, and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.

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By Rachel Cohen 4 years ago

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Jessica Alba, Bill Hader, and dude from All Time Low attend Caps-Kings game

Several celebrities were in the house for the Capitals-Kings game, Monday.

Movie star Jessica Alba, former SNL cast member Bill Hader, and Jack Barakat from the Maryland-founded rock band All Time Low were all spotted at Staples Center.

Last season, Will Ferrell attended the Caps-Kings game in March 2018.

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By Ian Oland 4 years ago

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Willie O’Ree is finally being inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame

In a move that has been a long time coming, the Hockey Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday that Willie O’Ree will be inducted as part of the Class of 2018.

O’Ree made his NHL debut as the first black player in the league on January 18, 1958, for the Boston Bruins. He paved the way and inspired other black hockey players following in his footsteps in the league. In April, the Philadelphia Flyers’ Wayne Simmonds penned an emotional essay in the Player’s Tribune on what that journey looked like, with particular reverence for what O’Ree had achieved before him.

“Without Willie, there would be no Jarome Iginla,” he wrote. “There would be no Grant Fuhr, or PK Subban or Ray Emery or Dustin Byfuglien or so many others who have had the honor of playing in this great league. There would definitely be no Wayne Simmonds.”

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By Donya Abramo 5 years ago

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