Feb. 20, 2008. Vol. LXXX, No. 8
The Salem State Log
A sports history lesson for Black History Month.
As we enter Black History Month, I am intrigued to ask two questions of the Log's readers; 1: Who was the first black Major League Baseball player and what team did he play for? 2: Who was the first black National Hockey League player and what team did he play for? While nearly everyone, sports fan or not, will respond to question one with Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers; question two, on the other hand, doesn't seem to spark the same quick responses, even from 'die-hard' sports fans. Fortunately, the Salem State Log is here to tell the story of a man that is described as "courageous" and "committed" by Hall of Famers and fans alike; and whom the NHL for his commitment to the game is finally honoring.
Willie O'Ree, the first black player in the NHL, was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, in 1935. One of two black families in the city, the O'Ree's had thirteen children, including twins lost in infancy. He started skating when he was three and joined his first hockey league when he was five. "Growing up, I played about nine different sports before finally narrowing it down to two--baseball and hockey," admits O'Ree. A natural athlete, he was sought after as a professional baseball player too. O'Ree, who played shortstop and second base, once tried out for the Milwaukee Braves' organization. His stay was short though, lasting only a week before being cut by the team. He recalls that on his bus ride home from that training camp (in Waycross, Ga.), he "decided to forget about baseball and concentrate on hockey."
O'Ree saw action with junior teams in Fredericton (NBSHL) and Quebec (QJHL), then Kitchener (OHA) and Quebec (QHL) in the amateur leagues. On January 18, 1958, O'Ree got the call to the NHL. The Boston Bruins had a roster spot opened by injury for their game against the rival Montreal Canadiens; O'Ree, with the Quebec Aces of the Quebec Hockey League at the time, was the man for the job. Though he didn't register any points in the game, or the one other game he played before returning to Quebec, Wille O'Ree had opened the door to the NHL; Just as Robinson had done to the MLB. A sad reality of the era, O'Ree's milestone was given little significance by the media, local and national, and the teams themselves. "The press handled it like it was just another piece of news," says O'Ree. "I didn't care much about publicity for myself, but it could have been important for other blacks with ambitions in hockey." (It was 12 years before another black player reached the NHL).
While O'Ree was subjected to racist remarks by fans and some players, he received a warm welcome from his Bruins' teammates and management. "(His race) didn't mean anything to us," recalls Bruins center (and O'Ree's line mate) Don McKenney. "He was one of us, a Bruin... There was no black and white as far as we were convinced." There was an incident at Chicago stadium once, though. A Blackhawk’s player taunted him with racial remarks and butt ended him in the mouth, knocking out two teeth. O'Ree got up from the ice to fight back and the crowd nearly rioted. Police had to escort him from the building from his own safety. One former Blackhawk, Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, "never treated [O'Ree] any differently than any other guys we faced."
Willie O'Ree officially played in 45 NHL games, all with the Boston Bruins. He scored the first goal by a black player in the NHL on January 1, 1961. He totaled only four goals (two game winners) and 10 assists at hockey's highest level, but led the WHL in scoring twice. O'Ree's failure to produce goals in the NHL is a product of his being 95% blind in his right eye, a fact that he kept hidden from teammates and management. A puck struck O'Ree in his right eye during a game with the Kitchener-Waterloo Canucks in the 1955-56 season. His WHL success is in part to Los Angeles Blades coach Alf Pike, who recommended that O'Ree switch to right wing, to compensate for his weak vision. "If I had moved over to right wing when I was with the Bruins, I might have scored more goals and been more of an asset," says O'Ree, thinking back on that change in his career.
Though his on ice accomplishments in the NHL were a non-factor, O'Ree's off ice contributions to the game of hockey are endless. In 1988, he began work as the Director of Youth Development for the NHL/USA Hockey Diversity Task Force, a project that has helped to introduce more than 40,000 boys and girls of diverse backgrounds to hockey while stressing the importance of life skills, education and the values of hockey, including commitment, perseverance and teamwork. O'Ree has been involved in the establishment of 39 grassroots hockey programs, all geared toward serving economically disadvantaged youth.
To honor the 50th anniversary of Willie O'Ree, now 72, becoming the first black player in the NHL, the league and the Boston Bruins dedicated January 19, "Willie O'Ree Day." The Bruins, in front of a sellout crowd of 17,565, edged the New York Rangers 4-3 in a game decided on penalty shots. All this praise is long over do, and when you hear the words of Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, you know why; "I know some of those narrow-minded people in other cities wanted to see him fail, but, personally, there's not a nicer guy you would want to meet than Willie O'Ree."
“The Upper Crust Pizzeria: Not your average pizza.”
“The pizza, I think, speaks for itself,” exclaims Michael Buchhalter, owner/manager of the Upper Crust Pizzeria in Salem (118 Washington Street, 978-741-2787; www.theuppercrustpizzeria.com). Buchhalter’s Salem location is the first franchise in the Upper Crust company, and is soon to be followed by shops in Watertown Square, Harvard Square, and Boston’s South End.
Founded in 2001, by then 24 year old Jordan Tobins, the Upper Crust serves traditional Neapolitan-style pizza in open kitchen settings; Neapolitan pizza consists of thin crust with chunky sauces. Tobins opened his first Upper Crust Pizzeria on Charles Street in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, a venture that he ‘single-handedly financed,’ says Buchhalter, a childhood friend of Tobins’. Since 2001, Upper Crusts have been opened in Lexington, Waltham, Hingham, Brookline, Boston’s Newbury Street, and even Key West, Florida; as well as the Salem franchise.
In an August 2007 Salem Gazette interview, Tobins describes the atmosphere in Salem as one of ‘renaissance.’ “Salem is one town that’s really growing,” Tobins told the Gazette, “there are a lot of wonderful new businesses, a lot of really great restaurants.” The Upper Crust’s Washington Street location shares an attractive courtyard with the Gulu-Gulu CafÈ and Fresh taste of Asia restaurants. Tobins says the courtyard “almost creates a little restaurant nook.”
Michael Buchhalter had to ‘be on his toes’ as he opened Salem’s Upper Crust in October, in the midst of the city’s annual Haunted Happenings events. Managing the Newbury Street location prepared Buchhalter for this venture, though, allowing for a ‘very successful’ first month of operation in Salem. Buchhalter realizes that ‘there is always room for improvement’ though. “[Brookline] has people lining up for lunch,” he said, “that’s what we want for Salem.” In addition to the 10 tables and six counter seats available inside the pizzeria, Salem’s Upper Crust is the first location to offer outdoor seating to be enjoyed in the warmer months.
With cooks that have prior Upper Crust experience, Salem tries to follow the lead of the pizzerias before it, while incorporating a sense of ‘personal service’ that is lacking in the take-out heavy Boston locations. The repeat customers are already a mainstay at Buchhalter’s Upper Crust. “[It’s] very comfortable,” he says. “[We] feel like we are part of the town.”