Bruins to retire Willie O'Ree's No. 22 in February

Willie O'Ree's No. 22 will join the likes of Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Dit Clapper, Phil Esposito and Cam Neely in the TD Garden rafters. 

The Boston Bruins announced Tuesday that the franchise will retire O'Ree's No. 22 during a ceremony before the team's Feb. 18 matchup against the New Jersey Devils. 

"On behalf of the Boston Bruins organization I would like to congratulate Willie O'Ree as well as his wife, Deljeet, and his daughter, Chandra, on having his number retired in the TD Garden rafters," said Bruins President Cam Neely. "Willie's contributions to the game of hockey transcend on-ice accomplishments and have opened countless doors for players who have come after him. He is without question deserving of this honor."

O'Ree is the 12th player to have his number retired by the Bruins. The others are Bourque, Neely, Orr, Clapper, Esposito, Lionel Hitchman, Eddie Shore, Milt Schmidt, John Bucyk, Terry O'Reilly and Rick Middleton. 

The 85-year-old broke the NHL's color barrier when he became the first Black player to take the ice for an NHL game for the Bruins on Jan. 18, 1958 against the Montreal Canadiens. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 as a "builder" of the game. 

O'Ree notched 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 45 career games. He won two scoring titles in the minor leagues in Canada's Western Hockey League (WHL) between 1961 and 1974, scoring 30-plus goals four times, with a career-high 38 goals in 19-64-65 and 1968-69. He also appeared in 50 games for the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 1972-73. 

Players across the NHL will wear a decal on their helmets in January and February to honor the anniversary of O'Ree's league debut. 

The Bruins said in their announcement that they plan to honor O'Ree twice. Once on Feb. 18 and again when fans are allowed back into TD Garden.