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Hockey history | Willie O’Ree 

❝ On 18 January 1958, O’Ree became the first Black hockey player to play a National Hockey League game when he debuted with the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum.

In order for O’Ree to move up the ranks in the hockey world, he had to overcome not only a colour barrier, but also a genuine physical disability. To compensate for his blindness [in one eye] while playing left wing, O’Ree had to turn his head far over his right shoulder to see a pass. 

Only two games in the 1957–58 season, O’Ree returned to the Bruins in the 1960–61 season and scored 4 goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 43 regular season games. After his short time in Boston, O’Ree went on to play 14 more years of hockey with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens of the Eastern Professional Hockey League, the Los Angeles Blades and San Diego Gulls of the Western Hockey League, the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League and the San Diego Mariners of the Pacific Coast League.

Since 1998, O’Ree has been the NHL’s Director of Youth Development and ambassador for NHL Diversity. He has travelled throughout North America to promote grassroots hockey programs, with a focus on serving economically disadvantaged children. ❞ 

It’s easy to tell male teenage hockey players not to use homophobic slurs. It’s more difficult to actually persuade them to change the vocabulary they use in the private confines of their dressing room.

But when the voice they hear is one of their own, the message becomes more convincing.

“When they see me, they see a hockey guy,” said 35-year-old Brock McGillis.

“I’m built like a hockey guy. I speak ‘hockey.’ I can go in there and talk to them like I’m one of their buddies.”

McGillis, a gay former semi-professional hockey player, has spent the last two years sharing his story at elementary schools and high schools, and with junior hockey teams across Canada. He wants young players to understand the pain their homophobic language can cause.

“When they realize that those [homophobic] words made me want to kill myself every day, they realize their language can be impacting their best friends. It can be impacting their teammates,” he said.