O'Ree Skills Weekend begins with on-ice showcase of youth players

IRVINE, Calif. -- Dominick Cestaro admitted to being a little jet-lagged, but that didn't stop him from having a good time Thursday.

The 13-year-old center from North Carolina's Capital City Crew enjoyed being put through the paces of an on-ice evaluation session that kicked off the Willie O'Ree Skills Weekend, hosted by the Anaheim Ducks.

"It was pretty tiring out there, especially playing with the older kids," Cestaro said. "It was so fun. I love the hotel, I love the view, the games we played this afternoon, the coaches. I like the warm weather and hope to enjoy the rest of the weekend."

About 26 players between the ages of 13 and 15 representing NHL Hockey is for Everyone programs have come from across the United States and Canada to practice and participate in games and skills competitions at Great Park Ice & Fivepoint Arena, the Ducks practice facility.

The skills weekend players will return to the ice Friday morning and end the day watching the Seattle Kraken face the Ducks at Honda Center (10 p.m. ET; ROOT-NW+, KCOP-13). They'll skate again Saturday before visiting Angel Stadium to see the Los Angeles Angels play the Boston Red Sox.

The players will also gather to hear from O'Ree, the 2018 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee who became the first Black player in the NHL when he debuted with the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum on Jan. 18, 1958.

"It's just an amazing experience for these kids to hop on a plane and go to new surroundings and be in a space and still be able to play the game of hockey, being able to do what you love with other kids that look like you coming from different programs," said Jason McCrimmon, founder of Detroit Ice Dreams and the 2023 United States recipient of the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award. "The experience alone for the kids walking through the airport with their hockey bags and being able to play in a different space in itself is just amazing."

Hockey is for Everyone was introduced in 1998 and has 26 organizations serving 8,000 participants annually. The programs lower barriers to hockey for kids from economically underserved households by providing low-cost or free opportunities for youth to play hockey for free or at low cost.

Hockey is used to stress the importance of education, teach life lessons, develop life skills and positive character traits. Some programs offer additional off-ice mentorship and afterschool services.

O'Ree played 45 NHL games during two seasons (1957-58, 1960-61) and had 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) despite being legally blind in his right eye, the result of an injury sustained while playing junior hockey.

It's fitting that the O'Ree Skills Weekend celebrates its anniversary in California, where O'Ree enjoyed a lengthy professional minor league career mostly in the Western Hockey League, He had 639 points (328 goals, 311 assists) in 785 games for Los Angeles and San Diego.

O'Ree was named NHL diversity ambassador in 1998. He has helped establish 39 grassroots hockey programs and inspired more than 130,000 boys and girls to play the sport.

The Bruins retired O'Ree's No. 22 on Jan. 18, 2022, during a ceremony at TD Garden. President Joe Biden signed a bill into law Jan. 31, 2022, to award O'Ree the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor bestowed by U.S. Congress.