Retired NHL ahead Anthony Stewart was one of many first coalition members to ship a video. He mentioned he’ll at all times bear in mind what assembly O’Ree meant to him after he was chosen by the Florida Panthers with the No. 25 decide within the 2003 NHL Draft.
“I used to be very, very nervous, ‘Gosh, do I belong within the NHL,’ seeing all of the NHL brass,” Stewart mentioned. “After I put my jersey on, got here off stage, Willie was ready for me. Willie got here, shook my hand and mentioned, ‘Welcome to the NHL, all the pieces’s going to be superb.’
“Really, all the pieces was superb after that. It went from nervousness to having confidence after only a easy handshake and assembly Willie O’Ree. It’s a small interplay however for me, personally, it made an enormous, huge distinction.”
The occasion shifted Wednesday from the San Diego locker room to a lounge inside the world, the place O’Ree was stunned by a gaggle of longtime associates.
“We had tea, espresso and cake,” he mentioned. “It was a pleasant gathering.”
