# Boston Bruins to retire Willie O'Ree's jersey! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** hockey-nhl\ **Created:** [January 13, 2021, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-bruins-to-retire-willie-orees-jersey/930390 "2021-01-13T02:10:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-bruins-to-retire-willie-orees-jersey/930390/1 "2021-01-13T02:10:26Z")
> **[Bruins retiring jersey of NHL barrier breaker Willie O'Ree](https://apnews.com/article/boston-bruins-nhl-boston-montreal-canadiens-new-jersey-devils-adf7f7144898198e17c1edd0a1e3441c)** > > BOSTON (AP) — More than 60 years after he broke the NHL's color barrier, Willie O’Ree will soon add another milestone to his career. I am so excited/emotional I can’t hardly stand it! _Long_ overdue! > [@](#): > > Neely said there is no question O’Ree is deserving of having his jersey enshrined next to team greats like Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque. > > “Willie’s contributions to the game of hockey transcend on-ice accomplishments and have opened countless doors for players who have come after him,” Neely said in a statement. Ddamn straight! Congratulations Mr. O’Ree! Good on you, Boston Bruins! Ad a big thumbs up to the great, great sport of hockey in general: it ain’t perfect, but we keep trying to make it better! ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2021, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-bruins-to-retire-willie-orees-jersey/930390/2 "2021-02-12T17:44:37Z")
Indeed, he overcame formidable odds to persevere: > **[Willie O'Ree’s little-known journey to break the NHL’s color barrier](https://theconversation.com/willie-orees-little-known-journey-to-break-the-nhls-color-barrier-90219)** > > A debilitating eye injury and racial epithets weren’t enough to derail O'Ree’s resolve, which is now getting overdue recognition. This was typical for him: > [@](#): > > At New York City’s venerable Madison Square Garden, for instance, fans showered him with racial insults before he even stepped onto the ice. In Chicago, [he was targeted for abuse](https://books.google.com/books?id=newBAAAACAAJ&dq=The+Autobiography+of+Willie+O%E2%80%99Ree:+Hockey%E2%80%99s+Black+Pioneer&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjx0tHsqN_YAhUCca0KHXSAAGUQ6AEIKTAA) for bruising Blackhawks forward Eric “Elbows” Nesterenko. After calling O’Ree the n-word, Nesterenko took the butt-end of his stick and rammed it into O’Ree’s unsuspecting face. A broken nose and two missing front teeth later, O’Ree had had enough. He took his stick and smashed Nesterenko over the head with it. O’Ree’s teammates came rushing to his aid as both teams’ benches emptied. What followed was a classic hockey donnybrook that ended with O’Ree being sent to the Bruins locker room for medical treatment. Amazing that he had to keep his one-eye blindness under wraps to make it in the NHL. For personal reasons, quite the quote: > [@](#): > > On a breakaway, a teammate fed him a perfect pass, which he deposited under the glove hand of Montreal goaltender Charlie Hodge. For his standout effort, O’Ree received a rousing standing ovation from the home crowd that lasted several minutes. When I was a kid at a summer hockey camp, Hodgey was one of the pros there. He wasn’t some crusty ole curmudgeon - he was a vile, unrepentant asshole, at one point (in front of all us kids) muttering some aside about the sole “chink” kid among us. I hope that goal of Willie’s - and especially ensuing ovation - just _rubbed_ that asshole’s nose in it. I could sooooo easily picture him cursing along the lines of ‘that damn nigger just scored on me’. Hope you enjoyed Tuesdsay’s honours, Chuck. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-bruins-to-retire-willie-orees-jersey/930390/3 "2021-02-12T17:56:33Z")
Huge odds, man. Willie O’Ree is tougher than a bristlecone pine and has the grace and dignity usually reserved for saints and angels. I was very, very happy to see that news a few weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2021, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-bruins-to-retire-willie-orees-jersey/930390/4 "2021-02-12T18:24:24Z")
ACK! - time warp-out on my part, yugely - that should be _scads_ of Tuesdays ago. 🤦‍♂️ 🤦‍♂️ 🤦‍♂️