Bruins do something right at last: Celebrating O'Ree

For years, the Boston Bruins have not done anything right.

Trading away Andy Moog after the 1993 season was dumb. The Bruins have not recovered since then, winners of just two playoff rounds after that season. People like Byron Dafoe and Andrew Raycroft just weren't able to get the job done come playoff time.

Then there was the trade of Ray Bourque to Colorado for sentimental reasons. What on earth did the Bruins get out of that trade? What did that accomplish?

Firing Robbie Ftorek with eight games to go despite the Bruins being playoff-bound and having a winning record. Dumb. Did GM Mike O'Connell really think that he would be that great as a coach?

Blowing a three-games-to-one lead in 2004 to the hated Canadiens despite having two more home games in the series. All this after Montreal's Alexi Kovalev's so-called fake-injury allowed the Bruins to steal a double-OT victory in Montreal in Game Four. Brutal.

And the Joe Thornton debacle. Didn't he win the Hart Trophy for MVP that same year in San Jose? And the Bruins got spare parts for a perennial MVP candidate. (Well, then the other side is that Thornton just chokes in the playoffs, but still...)

Well, looks like the Bruins finally did something right for a change.

There was a little blurb on the radio earlier today about the Bruins having "Willie O'Ree Night" in their game against the Rangers on Saturday (Jan. 19th), to celebrate O'Ree's breaking of the color barrier 50 years ago in the NHL. O'Ree made his NHL debut on January 18th, 1958 with the last-place Bruins at the Montreal Forum, becoming the first black player in league history.

O'Ree was no Jackie Robinson--in the sense that the former Bruin wasn't a superstar player the way his baseball counterpart was--but being the first black player was a big milestone in the sport of hockey. Just ask current stars like Jerome Iginla and Mike Grier.

No, O'Ree's emergence didn't pave the way for others to join him--Mike Marson was next, being drafted by Washington 16 years later. However, O'Ree deserves the accolates, and is looked upon as a role model and pioneer by many. And the NHL is doing its part as well, apparently intending to honor O'Ree during the All-Star Game at the Philips Arena in Atlanta on January 27th.

Ironically, the Red Sox were known as the last major-league baseball team to have a black player on their roster, while the Bruins were the first in the NHL 50 years ago.

Unfortunately, O'Ree's career was brief--45 lifetime games all told. O'Ree, who was 95% blind in one eye--finished with four goals and ten assists in the NHL.

Still, the fact that the current Bruins recognized this as being a significant event and was willing to honor O'Ree, shows that the team is at least on the right track this time.

One bright move by the Bruins after all those horrible decisions and deals in the recent past. That's got to count for something too.