San Diego Gulls to Honor Willie O'Ree with 90th Birthday Celebration Panel and Documentary Screening
AHL San Diego Gulls

San Diego Gulls to Honor Willie O'Ree with 90th Birthday Celebration Panel and Documentary Screening

Published on October 3, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release


SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The San Diego Gulls announced today they will host a 90th birthday celebration panel and documentary screening for hockey pioneer Willie O'Ree Tuesday, Oct. 7.

O'Ree's 90th birthday celebration will take place at the Rooftop Cinema Club located inside at Manchester Grand Hyatt. The event will begin with a friends and family reception on the rooftop. Following the reception, NHL Player Inclusion Coalition member and NHL on TNT analyst Anson Carter will moderate a panel discussion centered on O'Ree's enduring impact on the sport of hockey. Joining him as panelists will be NHL PIC member and NHL alumnus Jamal Mayers, and Gulls forwards Justin Bailey and Travis Howe. At the conclusion of the panel, Rooftop Cinema will screen O'Ree's biographical documentary 'Willie'.

At the conclusion of the friends and family reception, O'Ree will be honored with a golden hockey stick on behalf of the San Diego Gulls. The stick will be engraved with Willie's signature "If you think you can, you can, and if you think you can't, you're right." quote and other messages in celebration of his milestone achievements.

Tickets to attend the event are available for $75 and include entry to the panel discussion, film screening, and a specialty Willie O'Ree movie poster celebrating the occasion. Tickets can be purchased at sandiegogulls.com/willieoree. In addition, specialty Willie O'Ree pucks that were designed with the help of Gulls players will be available for purchase. All event proceeds will support the San Diego Gulls Foundation.

O'Ree became the first black player to compete in NHL history on Jan. 18, 1958. Despite losing sight in his right eye when he was younger, he went on to play professionally for 21 years. O'Ree played for the Gulls in the WHL from 1967-1974 and completed his playing career with the San Diego Hawks of the PHL in 1979. First awarded in 2017-18, the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award is presented annually "to an individual who - through the game of hockey - has positively impacted his or her community, culture or society."

For more than two decades, O'Ree has served as the NHL's Diversity Ambassador, traveling across North America to schools and hockey programs to share his story and experiences as well as to promote messages of inclusion, dedication and confidence. O'Ree has used hockey as a platform to build character and teach life skills and has used his influence to foster positive values through the sport.

Check out the San Diego Gulls Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from October 3, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central