Ayodele Adeniye with Willie O'Ree
The two share a special bond. O'Ree is blind in his right eye, the result of a hockey injury, while Adeniye suffered from misaligned eyes, a condition that required several surgeries to correct, his mother, Lisa Ramos, said.
"It's not only the story of him being the first black hockey player, but everything he went through, the issue with his eye," Ramos said. "The other thing that Willie does, and it meant so much to Ayo, is he always takes time to talk to him."
Adeniye's involvement in the Columbus Ice Hockey Club led him to attend Minnesota Hockey Camps, which was founded by Chuck Grillo, the former executive vice president and director of player development for the San Jose Sharks, and Herb Brooks, who coached the United States men's hockey team to the gold medal at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.
Dean Grillo, who is the director of hockey operations for the camp, was impressed by Adeniye and told Corbett, his friend, about him.
"He said 'I've got this kid who is 6-foot-5 and he can do 32-inch one-legged jumps. He is the best athlete I've seen come through here in 20 years and he's getting better hockey-wise,'" Corbett said. "He's got 'I need an opportunity' written all over him. He's probably going to be that guy who you won't see his full potential until his junior year in college."
Adeniye said he appreciates that Corbett offered him a scholarship and sent him a message after he resigned to thank him.
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me a chance," he said in the text. "Even if you never coached me, you will be a big part of anything I do for giving me the opportunity to chase my dream.'"