National Hockey League pioneer, Willie O’Ree, pose with children and staff members at St. Stephen’s Community House

By Felix Hoover

For YourNewsColumbus.com

Columbus--As a black pioneer in sports history, Willie O’Ree knows the significance of Barack Obama’s barrier-breaking election as this country’s first African-American president.

“I’m very pleased that he’s president-elect,” O’Ree said. “Change is overdue. He’s the right man for the job.

Such breakthroughs carry the potential to inspire succeeding generations, as O’Ree learned during and after his playing career.

Fifty years have passed since he became the first black player in the National Hockey League, but he’s still sharing his passion for the sport by introducing it to youngsters throughout this country and his native Canada.

The enthusiastic response of children at St. Stephen’s Community House on the North Side showed that like Obama, he’s touching the lives of people whom many thought were unreachable. The visit was among several he made to local schools from Nov. 6-8. He also conducted an on-ice clinic and hosted children, along with the league, at Saturday night’s Blue Jackets game.

O’Ree promotes diversity on behalf of the NHL as director of its Youth Development Program.

Just as importantly, he shares his story that includes a couple of defining chapters on overcoming adversity.

O’Ree left home at age 17 to pursue his dream of becoming a professional hockey player.

That goal seemed to be out of the question when in 1956 a puck ricocheted off a stick, smashed him in the face and shattered the retina in his right eye, rendering him blind in that eye.

“You’ll never play hockey again,” was the word from his doctor.

The message that O’Ree preached to himself was, “I’m going to prove that doctor wrong.”

His mantra turned into reality on Jan. 18, 1958, when he suited up with the Boston Bruins and became the first black to play in the NHL.

Altogether, he played 21 years in various professional leagues.

The youngsters at St. Stephen’s perked up when O’Ree talked about some of the racially motivated challenges he faced on and off the ice and in a try-out for a minor league baseball team in the Jim Crow South.

He posed questions to the attentive youngsters, including how many teams are in the NHL.

Khron Clements, 9, knew the correct answer – 30 – because he had listened to O’Ree the day before at Ecole Kenwood French Immersion School.

By the end of O’Ree’s presentation at St. Stephen’s, the young people knew that there are 45 players of color in the National Hockey League, 17 of whom are black.

They also knew that they would have an opportunity to learn to skate thanks to the Columbus Hockey Club, a member of the NHL’s Hockeye is For Everyone youth program.

O’Ree encouraged them to play hockey and urged them to accept the toughest challenges in life so they can achieve the seemingly impossible.

Sarra Negassi, 9, doesn’t seem excited about becoming a hockey player, but still wants to strap on some blades.