Kings to honor league’s first Black player

Willie O'Ree, the first Black to play in the National Hockey League, will be honored by the Los Angeles Kings prior to the start of their game Thursday night against the Edmonton Oilers.

By WIRE SERVICES

Story Created: Feb 11, 2010 at 11:12 AM PST

Story Updated: Feb 11, 2010 at 11:12 AM PST

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The Los Angeles Kings will honor Willie O’Ree, the first Black to play in the National Hockey League, and the pioneering World War II Tuskegee Airmen as they celebrate Black History Night Thursday night at Staples Center.

The Kings also will present the Challengers Boys and Girls Club with a donation to support their projects and award one child the team’s inaugural Minority Youth Hockey Scholarship in conjunction with Black History Month at the game against the Edmonton Oilers.

Fans attending the game also will receive a Wayne Simmonds Bobble Head Doll. Smmonds is one of the few Black players in the NHL.

O’Ree and Kings radio analyst Daryl Evans will conduct a “Hockey Is For Everyone” pregame clinic on the game’s rules and regulations for members of the boys and girls club before the game.

Hockey Is For Everyone is part of the NHL’s social responsibility program, which seeks to address important social issues in North America and around the world. Nearly 45,000 boys and girls have participated in Hockey Is for Everyone events.

O’Ree became the first Black to play in the NHL on Jan. 18, 1958, when he played for the Boston Bruins in a 3-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
Although his NHL career lasted just 45 games, he continued playing professionally until he was 43 years old.

O’Ree’s 19-season professional career included six seasons with the Los Angeles Blades of the defunct Western Hockey League. Since 1998, he has been the director of youth development for the NHL’s Diversity Program.

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