Sharks’ Joel Ward: ‘NHL should retire Willie O’Ree’s number’

Sharks forward Joel Ward thinks the NHL ought to retire the jersey number of the first black NHL player Willie O’Ree.

San Jose Sharks forward Joel Ward is known more for the way that he crashes the net and plays steady defense than for what he says. When he says something, it’s usually something that he feels strongly about.

During Stanley Cup media day on Sunday, Ward discussed why the NHL should follow the lead of baseball by retiring number 22, worn by Willie O’Ree, the first black NHL player.

“I definitely think Willie should be recognized for sure,” Ward said, via ESPN. “It’s a no-brainer. Without Willie, it would be tough for me to be sitting here today.”

Major League Baseball did the right thing by universally retiring Jackie Robinson’s number 42. Ward also discussed why he wears the number 42 and why it’s an incredible honor to do so for him.

“I decided to pay tribute and I saw the No. 42 was available,” Ward said. “When I think about what Jackie Robinson means, not just on the baseball aspect, but what he went through… for somebody to pave the way like that and open doors for guys like myself is unbelievable.”

O’Ree did not have the career success that Jackie Robinson did. In fact, O’Ree only played in 45 regular season games for the Bruins in two seasons (1957-58 and 1960-61). Still, his courage should be admired. As the first black NHL player, he endured a lot of horrible things. O’Ree opened the door for great players like Jarome Iginla, Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr, P.K. Subban, Dustin Byfuglien, Wayne Simmonds, and Ward.

Ward is right – the NHL needs to retire his number.

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