So did O'Ree.
The 80 boys and girls from 17 Hockey is For Everyone programs from across the United States and Canada received a locker room visit from Bruins forward Brad Marchand as they prepared to play their own games in TD Garden after the NHL matinee.
"I hope you had fun here," Marchand said. "Sorry we didn't have the best night but it's great having you here."
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O'Ree received a surprise drop by from Marchand outside the locker room. Wayne Gretzky sought O'Ree out after the game and chatted with him briefly.
"I don't know if words can describe what he's done, what he's accomplished," said Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leading scorer with 2,857 points (894 goals, 1,963 assists). "I'm a huge sports historian, right? I love Jackie Robinson, he's one of my favorite athletes ever and, of course, I love Gordie Howe. What Willie did for kids in youth hockey is amazing."
Marchand presented O'Ree with a framed photo on behalf of the Bruins from the 2018 dedication of a Boston outdoor street hockey rink named in O'Ree's honor to commemorate the 60th anniversary of him becoming the NHL's first black player.
He made his debut with the Bruins on Jan. 18, 1958 against the Montreal Canadiens at the old Montreal Forum.
O'Ree overcame racial prejudice and blindness in his right eye, the result of a hockey injury, to play in 45 games during the 1957-58 and 1960-61 seasons, scoring 14 points (four goals, 10 assists).