ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Duante' Abercrombie still vividly remembers being a young player attending the second-ever Willie O'Ree ...

Willie O’Ree was 14 or 15 years old when he broke through his first ... He made his debut in January 1958 when the Boston Bruins called him up for a game against the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum.

Wearing a black fedora and a black pea coat, Willie O’Ree watches young hockey players ... on the fundamentals of the game,” said O’Ree in an interview with The Scarborough Mirror, his Boston Bruins ...

When Willie O’Ree debuted with the Bruins on Jan. 18, 1958, he was the first Black player to skate in the NHL. He appeared in two games for Boston that season and another 43 in 1960-61.