Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Willie O’Ree’s #22 Goes To The Rafters Tonight In Boston

01/18/2022 at 9:32am EST

NEW YORK (Jan. 18, 2022) – Tonight, the Boston Bruins will retire Willie O’Ree’s No. 22 in a special ceremony at TD Garden. The on-ice ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. ET prior to puck drop and will be available live on New England Sports Network (NESN), NHL Network, and streamed on NHL.com. For subscribers of ESPN+, the ceremony will be available the following day.

The on-ice ceremony will include special guests who represent the remarkable impact O’Ree continues to have on people across the U.S. and Canada: former NHL player and current Turner Sports in-studio analyst Anson Carter; and recent graduates and coaches from the S.C.O.R.E. Boston youth hockey organization, a Hockey Is For Everyone program. O’Ree, who will be joining the ceremony virtually due to an abundance of caution because of COVID-19, will participate live from San Diego.

Every Player who steps onto the ice tonight will celebrate O’Ree’s legacy. All teams in action will honor O’Ree with a specially designed helmet decal featuring No. 22.

Born Oct. 15, 1935 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, the youngest of 13 children, O’Ree has garnered many accolades over his career. O’Ree has a rink in his name in both his hometown and in Boston, where he broke into the NHL with the Bruins on January 18, 1958. He would go on to play 45 games in the NHL, and 21 years of professional hockey. A well-rounded player, O’Ree hit the 450 milestones for both goals and assists over the course of more than 1,100 professional games.

Since he was hired by the NHL in 1998, O’Ree has built and supported more than 30 non-profit youth hockey programs throughout North America, giving more than 130,000 boys and girls the opportunity to play hockey. As part of that commitment, O’Ree has made more than 500 visits to schools, community centers and rinks – over nearly 2,500 travel days – and he has been the subject of more than 13,000 books, articles and shows.

O’Ree will become the 12th player to have his number retired by the Bruins franchise in their nearly 100-year history. For more information, including commemorative items for purchase and ancillary events, visit BostonBruins.com/Willie.

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]

Most Recent Posts

Most Recent Comments

Comment by Paul in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Same Lineup Tonight - 5 minutes ago
Comment by damndogrevenge in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Same Lineup Tonight - 31 minutes ago
Comment by bezukov in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Seider's Year - 36 minutes ago
Comment by bezukov in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Same Lineup Tonight - 40 minutes ago
Comment by bezukov in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Same Lineup Tonight - 40 minutes ago