Ottawa – Justin Trudeau says he keeps a hockey stick signed by “Living Legend” Willie Urey as a constant reminder of the work that remains to be done to combat racism in Canada.
The Prime Minister was added to a long list of people inspired by the life of Willie Urey, who in January 1958 became the first black to play in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Justin Trudeau and Willie Urey participated in a virtual meeting with Canadian students Monday, to celebrate the first day of Black History Month and the Canadian release of a new documentary film dedicated to the former player from Fredericton, New Brunswick.
On Monday, Mr. Trudeau recounted that Willie Urey gave him a signed club during a visit to Parliament in 2018. He said he kept the stick next to his office – to testify to Mr. Uri’s insistence and to remind every day that neither Canada nor its national sport is comprehensive enough.
Willie Urey, 85, has been a professional player for over twenty years. He played 45 games for the Boston Bruins in 1958 and 1961. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame nearly 60 years later, in 2018, in the “Builders” category.
Mr. Urey, “Jackie Robinson Hockey”, has served since 1998 as Director of Youth Development and Diversity Ambassador for the NHL. He argues that any young man with a big dream should remember that the only way to get to it is through hard work.
