The Boston Bruins announced Tuesday that they will retire the number of Willie O'Ree, who made history when he suited up for the team on Jan. 18, 1958, as the first Black player in the NHL.

O'Ree will be only the twelfth player to have his sweater retired by the club.

Speaking to reporters, O'Ree said he was at a loss for words when Bruins president Cam Neely called and told him the news.

"And I said, 'I'm overwhelmed, and I'm thrilled about having my Bruins jersey hung up in the rafters," he said.

The team plans to retire the number O'Ree primarily played with during his time in Boston, #22, before their game against the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 18.

Although O'Ree broke barriers in the NHL only a little over a decade after Jackie Robinson first played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, hockey has been slow in recognizing him for his achievements.

A story he shared about the NHL inviting him to the All Star Game in 1991 highlights the patience O'Ree's had to have over the years.

"And when I picked up the phone and answered, I said, 'Well, why are you inviting me?' I said 'I haven't played in 30 years,'" O'Ree said. "And he says, 'Well, we realize that you broke the color barrier, and we'd like to invite you to the All Star Game.' So, my wife and I went, had a great time. But that was 30 years after I left the league. So, you know, sometimes things take a little longer."

Speaking to reporters, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney was hopeful that precautions the team has to take because of the COVID-19 pandemic won't diminish O'Ree's moment.

"As an organization, the legacy of the Boston Bruins, I think that we need to pay tribute in the best fashion we possibly can in these times and thank Willie overall for his contributions to our organization, but really to the entire National Hockey League," Sweeney said.

Cam Neely echoed those sentiments in a statement following the announcement of the jersey retirment.

“On behalf of the Boston Bruins organization, I would like to congratulate Willie O’Ree as well as his wife, Deljeet, and his daughter, Chandra, on having his number retired in the TD Garden rafters,” Neely said. “Willie’s contributions to the game of hockey transcend on-ice accomplishments and have opened countless doors for players who have come after him. He is without question deserving of this honor.”

O'Ree's gone on to become an an ambassador for the game, and he had a street hockey rink named in his honor in Allston in 2018.

And O'Ree, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018, isn't done yet.

"What I wanted to try do do was expose as many boys and girls as possible and give them the opportunity to play this sport," he said. "And there are many clinics that I've attended just to let these boys and girls know that there is a sport that they can play. And if they come, if they don't like it, they can just walk away from it ... But I can honestly say, the number of clinics that I've conducted over the years, and once I get these boys and girls on the ice, I've not had one boy or girl come up to me and say, 'Oh, Mr. O'Ree, I don't like this, I'm not coming back.' So I've got a good record going."