Today In Sports History (January 18, 1958)

On this day in 1958, Willie O’Ree became the first African-American to play in the NHL. O’Ree was a 22-year-old when he made his NHL debut for the Boston Bruins. Boston was up against Montreal, where they would go on to win 3-0. Later in his life during an interview, O’Ree admitted he thought there would be more publicity about him when he debuted in the NHL. There was barely anything reported about him breaking down hockey’s color barrier. Instead, the media’s focus was on Bruins goalie Harry Lumley, who had 28 saves during their shutout victory. O’Ree’s debut was treated as if it was just another regular day occurrence, and not a monumental day in the history of the game.

There wouldn’t be another African-American NHL player until 1974, Mike Marson of the Washington Capitals.