Surprising Kids at the Willie O'Ree Academy "Meant Everything" to Joseph
The 22-year-old defenseman embraces being a role model for Black youth players
"I didn't even think twice," Joseph said. "I saw
the videos
about the Academy and I thought it was such a good idea to do something like that, especially around here. Being on the ice with these kids, the smiles on their faces, is what I came for… It meant everything to me."
The 22-year-old defenseman was one of the individuals the Penguins consulted when creating the concept for the
Willie O'Ree Academy
presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods, a nine-week program that started in June and wraps up next week. It brings together Black youth players in the region who are already skating in the Pittsburgh Amateur Hockey League (PAHL) and Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League (PIHL).
The Academy has allowed them to meet, get together, skate and train as a unit, and perhaps most importantly, share their experiences. That's what Joseph did right after greeting the group, telling them about his background as a kid from Montreal who followed his older brother Mathieu, now a forward for Tampa Bay, into the sport.
Before they split off to do drills and play games for the next hour, Joseph said he would be happy to answer any questions they might have at any time - and the kids took him up on that. Some of them asked what it was like growing up as a Black hockey player, and unfortunately, the Joseph brothers were forced to deal with racial discrimination and bigotry on different occasions.
"You know it's going to come here and there on the ice, off the ice, at school…in the rink, watching games and all…but we really just surrounded ourselves with great people that didn't care about our skin color," P.O said.
"We didn't really have that much of a problem growing up. I feel like our friends would protect us, too, from stuff like that. We just think people who think that of Black people are just ignorant people, and we don't really have time for that."
P.O Joseph talks to the media.
When giving advice on how to react to negative situations like the ones he dealt with, Joseph's mindset is to always stay positive, something he has become known for in his young career. One interaction that particularly stood out to Joseph which helped drive that point home was a player talking to him about his first NHL goal.
"One kid came up and was like, your first goal was so nice," Joseph said with a laugh. "So I was really happy about that…just try to give them a little positive side about hockey."
That's something one of P.O's own role models, P.K. Subban, has done a tremendous job of.
"I always looked up to Black athletes growing up, and growing up in Montreal when P.K. was there, I was looking up to him for a while," Joseph said of the 32-year-old defenseman, who spent the first six-plus seasons of his career with the Canadiens.
"You just see him everywhere with a smile and having fun with kids, and I feel like that's something that is part of our values as a family. I just want to give back our values to other people as well. … So I hope I can be their P.K. Subban one day."
But before Joseph and Subban came Willie O'Ree himself. He became the NHL's first Black player in 1958, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2018 for his decades-long efforts to introduce hockey to boys and girls of diverse backgrounds. O'Ree's story is a remarkable one, and Joseph shares it with anyone who isn't aware.
"Every time I ask someone if he knows Willie O'Ree and the answer is no, I'm trying to teach them a little bit about him," Joseph said. "Being the first is never easy. It wasn't easy for Jackie Robinson in baseball, and I'm sure it wasn't easy for Willie back then, too, having the slurs (directed) at him and stuff like that.
"It was new for the world to have a Black player in the NHL. He just opened the path for us, and our goal for the next Black athletes that come in the pro leagues is to do the same thing as they did."
The Academy helps continue that legacy, and Joseph is thrilled to be a part of it. Despite being so young, Joseph is truly embracing the opportunity to be a role model for other Black hockey players, like the ones
he spoke to in the Kids Breaking Barriers virtual panel
back in February, along with the ones he met tonight.
"My goal is to make an impact on the ice, but also off the ice," Joseph said. "I feel like it's our job as professional athletes to just show the young kids and the next generation how everybody can reach their dream. I looked up to so many Black athletes growing up, so if I can take one or two or three kids in the right path, I've done my job and I'm happy with it."
After wrapping up at the Academy, Joseph had a flight to Montreal scheduled for 6 AM on Wednesday morning. When he gets back, P.O will resume offseason training with Mathieu, who recently returned home after lifting the Stanley Cup for a second straight year with the Lightning.
P.O was able to watch him do just that after quite the journey to get there. He flew from Montreal to Los Angeles to Orlando before driving to Tampa, a trip that took about 12 hours in total. But he wouldn't have missed it for the world.
"To see him raise a Cup for another year was priceless," Joseph said. "I would have done it if it was in Australia. Now it's nice to have him back around and push each other a little bit more for the last stretch of the summer. Just got to get ready for camp."
P.O is incredibly focused as he looks to spend a full season in Pittsburgh after appearing in 16 games during his rookie campaign in 2020-21.
"When you get a little taste of something good, you for sure want more," he said. "I for sure want to stay with this team for the rest of the year and then the next couple of years as well. So I know it's not easy. There's a lot of great players there, and you just got to get ready for camp and show the best version of yourself."
