Why Willie O'Ree deserves his place in the Hockey Hall of Fame

Willie O'Ree is a hall-of-famer. And it's not particularly close.

To me it's a truth that is self-evident. I had the pleasure to spend some time with Mr. O'Ree this year, shortly before his induction was announced. O'Ree was on the Rogers Campus in Toronto for a screening of the movie, Soul on Ice, and took part in a panel discussion on diversity in hockey afterwards. Much of his time is spent spreading the gospel of the sport of hockey.

During my conversation with O'Ree, he was in proudly brandishing his Bruins Ring and Bruins tie, there was no question about the Hockey Hall of Fame, as he did not want to campaign for himself. O'Ree's candidacy induction, or lack thereof, has been a controversial topic in hockey. Detractors feeling his hockey resume did not meet the Hall's illustrious standards.

O'Ree judging by counting stats is missing the point or flat out prejudice.

The fact he made it to the NHL alone makes him a medical marvel. O'Ree played in the minors to earn his NHL shot despite being blinded in one eye while playing junior in Fredericton, NB

Toronto Maple Leaf Kent Douglas, but kept the injury from the Boston Bruins, who owned his NHL rights. His condition was not fully revealed until the end of his career.

Part of O'Ree's eventual call up to the NHL was circumstantial, luck meeting preparation. The date was Jan. 18, 1958 and at the time he was a three-time 20-goal scorer playing for Punch Imlach's Quebec Aces. The Bruins were playing in Montreal, the O'Ree team grew up watching, and needed an injury replacement.

On the day, the NHL has become the last of the four major North American leagues to field black players.

It was 10 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, but O'Ree did not do it.

He earned a two-game call-up to the Bruins and played 43 games in 1960-61.

O'Ree only played 45 NHL games, but his career has lasted 25 years, playing in over 1,000 games before he retired at age 43 winning two scoring titles in the Western League.

He was a trailblazer, but it was a 16 year old Mike Marson followed in his footsteps as the first black player drafted by the Washington Capitals in 1974.

O'Ree wishes he was not the trendsetter.

"I wish I was not the first," O'Ree said. "Many before me and I played with me too much."

Herbert Carnegie, Art Dorrington, John Utendale and Stan Maxwell, a teammate of O'Ree's in the Boston Bruins' farm system, could have broken the color barrier before O'Ree. For various reasons none did.

Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek. New episodes every Thursday.

Conn Smythe allegedly said, "I will give $ 10,000 to anyone who can turn Herbert White Carnegie," Carnegie Revealed in a Hockey Night in Canada interview with Elliott Friedman.

Red Storey explained, "There's a reason why Herb Carnegie did not play in the NHL," going on to say, "It's very simple: He's black. Do not say we do not have any rednecks in Canada. "

Utendale had a similar but slightly different issue. Utendale's brother, Paul, revealed to the Edmonton Journal, "to be very candid, the reason he did not get to play with the Detroit Red Wings is Jack Adams, the coach and general manager at the time. John was married to Maryan Maddison Leonard. It was a mixed marriage and it was one of the many stumbling blocks that kept him out of the NHL. More the mixed marriage than just being a black player. "

O'Ree's induction is not just about him, it's about symbolically representing them. When he goes in, they go in with him because they endured and paved the way for him.

Hockey can not fail to blame it in its history but it can take a year to be better moving forward, which O'Ree's induction means.

Hockey has a long way to go, which is what the Kim Davis Hockey is for Everyone Initiative hopes to address.

There is a black player on every team. There is a head coach or general manager.

O'Ree's true gift to the game has come post-career, trying to change those stats.

In 1998 he was commissioned by the NHL Diversity Committee to be the director of youth development for the NHL / USA Hockey Diversity Task Force, a non-profit program for minority youth. His mandate was to spread the message of inclusion in the game. The man who came up in an era where black people were excluded from the game, who is dealing with racism barbs and insults, is now being asked to spend his time being an evangelist for the game.

For his work, he won the NHL's Lester Patrick Trophy in 2003 for badisting hockey in the U.S.

He later received the Order of New Brunswick in 2005.

He then received the Order of Canada in 2008.

But he has had to wait for the call from the hall.

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I have a few personal criteria when it comes to Hall of Fame candidacy.

Can you write the story of the game without that person? Did they leave the game better than they found it because of their impact?

If we agree to the fact that these are worthwhile markers of hall-of-fame status, ask those questions of yourself as they apply to O'Ree. The answer is inexplicably yes.

The hall's criteria for coaching, managerial or executive ability, or ability in other meaningful roles, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the world or organizations and the game of hockey in general. 'Ree to me.

O'Ree's legacy is the current players he has inspired Wayne Simmonds and Joel Ward who campaigned for O'Ree to be inducted.

O'Ree becomes inductee Grant Fuhr and 2010 inductee Angela James.

Willie O'Ree is a social rights activist.

Willie O'Ree is a living room of Black History.

Willie O'Ree is a Canadian treasure.

Willie O'Ree is the "Jackie Robinson of hockey."

Willie O'Ree is a living testimonial that you do with sport is more important than what you do sport.

That's why Willie O'Ree is a Hockey Hall of Famer.