Review of “Willie”

Even though Willie O’Ree doesn’t have an impressive stat line for his short time in the NHL, he is nonetheless a Hall of Fame player and an inspirational figure to many in the game. He may not have had the same legacy as Jackie Robinson, but his place in history of his chosen sport, hockey, is just as important. Here is my review of O’Ree’s memoir “Willie.”

Title: “Willie: The Game Changing Story of the NHL’s First Black Player” by Willie O’Ree

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars (very good)

Review: While it is well-known that Willie O’Ree was the first Black playoff in the NHL, it isn’t as well known that there were slaves in his family (they escaped to Canada), that he played almost his entire career blind in one eye due to injury and that he spent many years both on and off the ice enjoying life in Southern California. His memoir tells about this and a lot more in a down-to-earth, chummy style that truly does feel like it’s a grandfather telling the youngsters about what it was like “back in the day.”

That can be both a good thing and a bad thing in a book like this. I felt it was mostly a good thing in this book as O’Ree’s style makes the reader feel comfortable when he is talking about an uncomfortable topic, racism. Some may feel he downplays the racism he faced because he usually limits that to the insults from the fans or some players, but overall he doesn’t come across as angry or bitter about it, mostly sad. He praises most of his fellow hockey players and coaches as he states numerous times that not many cared about his skin color - they only cared about how good he was.  His eye injury was a scary incident and eventually cost him a shot at returning to the NHL after he was traded from the Bruins as the league had a rule in place that this type of disability would prevent a player from playing in the league. That comes across as his biggest disappointment after moving to California as he was hoping to get a chance when the Los Angeles Kings started play in 1967.

The best of his stories form his youth is when he got to meet Jackie Robinson and told the great second baseman that he was going to make history in his sport too. Sure enough, he did in 1959 when the Bruins called O’Ree up from the minor leagues as an emergency fill-in because of injuries to other players. Imagine his surprise many years later when he ran into Robinson again who not only remembered him, but also remarked that he was correct in that he would make history in hockey. 

Any reader interested in social or racial issues as well as hockey fans will enjoy this book. It may be quite folksy and tempered compared to book on similar topics but it is a very good read about a pioneer in the game whose contributions earned him a place in the hockey Hall of Fame.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Willie-Game-Changing-Story-First-Player/dp/0735239746/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=