Willie O’Ree
The youngest of 13 children, Willie O’Ree grew up in Fredericton, N.B., where his grandparents had arrived on the Underground Railroad, escaping slavery in the United States.
He was a passionate hockey player from a young age and determined to make it to the National Hockey League, a place no Black man had ever skated. As a teenager he was struck with a puck and lost the vision in his right eye and he kept that injury a secret knowing it would keep him from his dream.
On January 18, 1958, thanks to O’Ree’s determination and immense skill, he became the first Black man to play in the NHL when he took to the ice with his team, the Boston Bruins, who beat the Montreal Canadiens that night at the Montreal Forum.