50 years ago and some change, Willie O’Ree, 22 years old, stepped onto the ice at the hallowed Montreal Forum, a brand-new member of the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins, who had just called him up from the minors. It was January 18, 1958.

He only played that night and the next, for a total of two games. But three seasons later, O’Ree was back, this time lacing up his skates 43 times for the Bruins. It was then that he was dubbed “The Jackie Robinson of Hockey” for breaking the NHL’s color barrier.

Today, O’Ree is the Director of the NHL’s Diversity Program, which aims to bring the game of ice hockey to inner city kids and other underprivileged youths. He oversees some 39 programs, all designed to get as many kids on the ice as possible, so that the trail O’Ree blazed doesn’t get overgrown with weeds.

He recently sat down with SET during a visit to Detroit. Here’s the first installment of a multi-part series that SET will run of our Q & A with “The Jackie Robinson of Hockey.”

“...within 15 minutes of where I lived, there were four outdoor rinks. I even used to skate to school on some mornings.”

SET: Are you able to comprehend how many young people you’ve influenced, who maybe decided to play hockey either directly or indirectly because of you?

O’Ree: I’ve come in contact with over 40,000 boys and girls since I started [with the Diversity Program]. One good example is (goaltender) Gerald Coleman. He was involved with a program in Chicago called PUCK (Positive Uplifting for Chicago Kids) back in 1996. He’s black, and wanted to be a goaltender. His parents told him he wouldn’t be able to make it, that he’d be held back because of his color, and so they wanted him to play basketball instead.

But Gerald wanted to play hockey, and he stayed focused on the goal that he set out to accomplish. He ended up being drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning, played briefly in the NHL, got hurt, but was just recently acquired by the Anaheim Ducks. So that’s just one example of a boy who set a goal for himself and stayed working toward that goal.

SET: How did you get bitten by the hockey bug to begin with?

O’Ree: Well, I started skating at the age of two. I had a rink in my backyard; my dad would flood the backyard. This was in Fredericton, New Brunswick (Canada). And within 15 minutes of where I lived, there were four outdoor rinks. I even used to skate to school on some mornings.

I started playing organized hockey when I was five.

SET: What was it about the game of hockey that interested you so much?

O’Ree: Well, at first it was the act of skating itself. Then when I found out what I could do with the stick and the puck and the skates, I was obsessed with playing the sport. When I was 14, I decided I wanted to be a professional hockey player.

I was the youngest of 13 children, and my parents were very strict about me staying in school and completing my education. So I moved out when I was 17 to go to school to play hockey.

SET: What do you like to do outside of hockey?

O’Ree: Well, I travel about fifteen days a month. I live in San Diego , and when I get home my wife usually has me catch up on my house work ( laughs ). But I like to play golf. I like to go horseback riding. I like to go out to the desert and take my guns out and practice. And by the time I do all that, it's time to go back on the road again.