Willie O'Ree started playing hockey in his backyard at the age of 5 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He was a 22 wing man playing for the Quebec Aces when he got the call to play for the Bruins in game against the Montreal Canadiens. O'Ree didn't tell them that he was 95% blind in his right eye - a fact that might have hampered his chances of being recruited. So on the night of Jan. 18, 1958, he turned pro donning jersey #22 on ice at the Montreal Forum, and earned the distinction of being the first black man to play a game in the NHL. He went on to play a total of 45 games with the Bruins, and countless more for the AHL, EPHL, QHL and WHL - where he played for 14 years.
In a recent interview [1] with Toronto Sun reporter Joe Warmington, he admitted he had a lot of problems in the beginning and had to gain the respect of players in the opposition as well as the fans. He succeeded by staying focused on what he wanted to do and setting goals. Today, at the age of 73 he is director of the NHL Diversity program, a non-profit which encourages ethnic minority youth to learn and play hockey. His advice for kids who want to play is simple: get involved and get playing.
He received the Order of New Brunswick in 2005 and the Order of Canada on December 30, 2008. Here's an interview with CTV's Steve Murphy recorded in Halifax on August 23, 2007.