That night on January 18th 1958, Willie O’Ree became the NHL’s first black player, for the Boston Bruins. It would come just a decade after Jackie Robinson tore down Baseball’s color boundaries.
The Bruins would win 3-0 against the Montreal Canadiens, and although O’Ree didn’t score a point on the ice, his impact was monumental off it. Even if it wouldn’t be fully appreciated until later on.
There is some contrast to Robinson and O’Ree. Whilst Jackie Robinson made newspaper headlines with his triumph, the papers simply read “Bruins shutout Habs”. It wouldn’t be until later that the comparisons were made and O’Ree was named the ‘Jackie Robinson of Hockey’.