Willie O’Ree, the National Hockey League’s first Black player, is set to have his jersey retired by his former team the Boston Bruins.  

O’Ree’s No. 22 jersey will be retired on Jan. 18, 2022, before the team’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. He will be the 12th player in the Bruins franchise history to have his jersey retired. 

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In Feb. 2021, Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow and Republican Senator Tim Scott introduced legislation to award O’Ree the Congressional Gold Medal, BNC previously reported.  

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O’Ree is known to some as the “Jackie Robinson of hockey” for his barrier-breaking entry into the sport. When he joined the league in 1958, he was blind in one eye, but he persevered and played in more than 40 games until 1961.  

Decades later, in 1998, he became the first diversity ambassador for the National Hockey League. Since then, he devoted his time to make sure the sport is accessible to all with his Hockey is for Everyone program. 

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The 2019 documentary Willie tells the story of his life, his historic feat as the league’s first Black player, and his contributions to making hockey more inclusive for Black people.