William Eldon O'Ree CM ONB (born October 15, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player from Fredericton, New Brunswick.

His accomplishment of breaking the colour barrier in the NHL has led him to sometimes be referred to as the "Jackie Robinson of hockey," whom he had the chance to meet when he was younger.

In the early rinks, skin colour was never a problem, as O'Ree wrote in his autobiography, The Willie O’Ree Story: Hockey’s Black Pioneer.

[6] O'Ree also played baseball during this time for Fredericton's West Enders team, where in October 1950 he received an outstanding player trophy.

O'Ree was predicted by The Daily Gleaner sportswriter Jack Riley to have the potential to become "another Don Newcombe, Sam Jethroe, or Jackie Robinson" in the future.

Midway through his second minor-league season with the Quebec Aces, O'Ree was called up to the Boston Bruins of the NHL to replace Leo Labine, who was unable to play due to an illness.

However, O'Ree managed to keep it secret, and made his NHL debut with the Bruins on January 18, 1958,[14][15] against the Montreal Canadiens, becoming the first black player in league history.

"[16] O'Ree remembered that fans called him racist names and that the Blackhawks players were threatening to kill him, and he stated that he was "lucky to get out of the arena alive.

Art Dorrington was the first black player to sign an NHL contract, in 1950 with the New York Rangers organisation, but never played beyond the minor league level.

NHL players are now required to enroll in a preseason diversity training seminar,[20] and racially based verbal abuse is punished through suspensions and fines.

[22][23][24] Since 1998, O'Ree has been the NHL's Diversity Ambassador,[25] traveling across North America to schools and hockey programs to promote messages of inclusion, dedication, and confidence.

[28] In 1998, O'Ree was working at the Hotel del Coronado near San Diego, California, when the National Hockey League approached him to be the director of youth development for its diversity task force.

In addition, The Sports Museum of New England located in the TD Garden, established a special exhibit on O'Ree's career, comprising many items on loan from his collection.

[36] On October 29, 2008, San Diego State University presented O'Ree with an Award for Outstanding Commitment to Diversity and Cross Cultural Understanding.

[42] As the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals were about to start, the San Jose Sharks' Barbadian Canadian star right winger Joel Ward was preparing to play against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and told ESPN that O'Ree was one of his inspirations to play pro hockey, and should have his player number 22 retired by the NHL league-wide, just as Jackie Robinson, the first player of color in Major League Baseball has been honoured.

[55][56] In 2021, as a celebration of Black History Month, all NHL players wore a commemorative helmet decal honouring O'Ree from January 16 to February 28.

The bill awarded O'Ree a Congressional Gold Medal, the U.S. Congress' highest honour, for his contributions to "hockey, inclusion and recreational opportunity."