O'Ree gets proclamation, new hat from Bruins day before number's retired

SAN DIEGO -- Willie O'Ree received a proclamation and a new hat Monday, one day before the Boston Bruins retire his No. 22.

Bruins players told O'Ree on a Zoom call Monday that the city of Boston has proclaimed Tuesday "Willie O'Ree Day" to celebrate the NHL's first Black player's number being hoisted to the rafters of TD Garden. The ceremony, which will be streamed on NHL.com and aired on NHL Network and NESN, will take place before the Bruins play the Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; NESN, SNO, SNE, TVAS, BSSO, ESPN+. NHL LIVE).
The 86-year-old Hockey Hall of Famer was in San Diego on Monday and will be there Tuesday because he's unable to travel to Boston to attend the festivities due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
"It's a recognition that you deserve, we're pretty proud of you," Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron said on the call.
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O'Ree, who made history when he made NHL debut with Boston against the Montreal Canadiens of Jan. 18, 1958, at the Montreal Forum, told the players that he's humbled by the gesture and all the good wishes he's received prior to the number retirement ceremony.
"It's just wonderful, I'm honored, overwhelmed," O'Ree said of the proclamation. "When I first started to play hockey, I never thought that some of the things that are happening to me in my life would happen. I've been blessed over the year, I really have."
Forward David Pastrnak, one of the Bruins' fashion plates, surprised O'Ree with a custom-made fedora to add to his collection of hats on behalf of the team.
The classic felt fedora, made by Christopher Cuozzo and Mad Patti Hat Co. from Maine, is trimmed with grosgrain ribbon and features a flanged brim, snapped down in front, Guinea and mallard feathers in Bruins colors and is lined inside with images of O'Ree's number retirement banner.
The hat was handed to O'Ree by the Bruins video crew that is with him in San Diego.
"Oh, my goodness, look at this," O'Ree said. "I'm going to wear this next time I'm in Boston."
The Zoom call with the Bruins was part of a busy day for O'Ree. He received a video message from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who congratulated him for his accomplishments on and off the ice.
"You said you'd make it to the top of the hockey world and with your number being raised to the rafters, that's exactly what you've done. I can't think of anyone more deserving," Trudeau said. "From your debut against my hometown Habs to all the incredible work you've done since, you've made a huge difference in the lives of so many and inspired countless others. I've said it before, Willie, you are a living legend and a true Canadian hero."

O'Ree was scheduled to receive the first Friends of the Carnegie Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award on Monday by the nonprofit platform that seeks to combat racism and change hockey culture.
The initiative, named after Herb Carnegie, who many regard the best Black player who never played in the NHL, is hosting its inaugural summit in Boston.
O'Ree was expected to pay homage to Carnegie, who was part of hockey's first all-Black line with his brother, Ossie, and Manny McIntyre, when he addresses the summit virtually.
O'Ree played 45 NHL games over two seasons (1957-58, 1960-61) with the Bruins and scored 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) despite being legally blind in his right eye, the result of an injury sustained playing junior hockey.
Still, he enjoyed a long pro career, mostly in the old Western Hockey League, where he scored 639 points (328 goals, 311 assists) in 785 games with Los Angeles and San Diego.
O'Ree was named the NHL's diversity ambassador in 1998. He has helped establish 39 grassroots hockey programs and inspired more than 120,000 boys and girls to play the sport.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 as a Builder, largely for his off-ice accomplishments that helped inspire a new generation of players and fans.