from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,
- The comparison is quaint, if not necessarily accurate, the much-publicized notion that the newest Hall of Fame member, Willie O’Ree, was the Jackie Robinson of hockey.
He was and he wasn’t, depending on your perspective. That O’Ree broke the colour barrier in the National Hockey League in 1958, 11 years after Robinson changed American sport forever, is absolutely indisputable.
But understand this: The NHL had to expand four separate times, went from six teams to 12 to 14 to 16 to 18, had competition from another league, the World Hockey Association, before a second black player took to the NHL ice in 1974. That came some 16 years after O’Ree played his first game in Boston.
Truth: As a player, O’Ree didn’t change hockey in any real way....
- Have to believe there are at least 20 gay players in the NHL, going by some kind of societal statistics. I look forward to the day one of them is brave enough and strong enough to go public about it.
- Ken Holland was a goalie, which begs the question: Why would he want Jonathan Bernier?
more on the first topic plus a few more hockey notes....
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