Willie O'Ree's Jersey to be Retired

[salami]

https://www.nhl.com/news/willie-oree...nt/c-320205710


Seriously, what took the Bruins/NHL so long?

[NobleSavage]

I always wondered if the NHL would ever just retire 22 for every team for the same reason as Jackie's 42 in baseball.

[salami]

I always wondered if the NHL would ever just retire 22 for every team for the same reason as Jackie's 42 in baseball.

That was my first thought as well.

[Moog]

https://www.nhl.com/news/willie-oree...nt/c-320205710


Seriously, what took the Bruins/NHL so long?

Not sure if that is rhetorical.

If not, you should look into racism and the history of the City of Boston.

[salami]

Not sure if that is rhetorical.

If not, you should look into racism and the history of the City of Boston.

Not at all rhetorical. It's ridiculous that it's taken this long, even if Boston is as backward as you imply. (I'm not arguing your point...I've never been there, so I have no frame of reference.) I would think the NHL would have been pushing for it, even if there was some sort of ridiculous resistance from the Bruins Org (which, again, I really do find unimaginable).

[VCRW]

Very privileged to have seen Willie play for the B's way back when at the ancient Baahston Gaahden!

And the Bruins sucked in the mid to late 50s...

[VCRW]

Not sure if that is rhetorical.

If not, you should look into racism and the history of the City of Boston.

We had the Bruins and the Celtics supporting integration while the Red Sox and the Patriots perpetuated racism.

The Red Sox were the last team in baseball to add a black player - Pumpsie Green in 1962.

And the AFL Boston Patriots used to be mostly white Catholics kids from Boston College, Holy Cross and Notre Dame. Ron Burton was the lone black guy on offense.

Boston has always been a bipolar city. With such a huge college population, it ran very liberal on one hand. On the other, it's hard core blue collar population was very conservative and lily white.

[Moog]

We had the Bruins and the Celtics supporting integration while the Red Sox and the Patriots perpetuated racism.

The Red Sox were the last team in baseball to add a black player - Pumpsie Green in 1962.

And the AFL Boston Patriots used to be mostly white Catholics kids from Boston College, Holy Cross and Notre Dame. Ron Burton was the lone black guy on offense.

Boston has always been a bipolar city. With such a huge college population, it ran very liberal on one hand. On the other, it's hard core blue collar population was very conservative and lily white.

Agreed. The history of racism in Boston both in the past and even present day is interesting indeed.

[Ice24]

Good for Willie.