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Distributor: Penguin Random House Availability: Available On Sale Date: Oct 20, 2020 Carton Quantity: 12 -
Catalogues
Willie
The Game-Changing Story of the NHL's First Black Player
Willie O'Ree
,
Michael McKinley
,
Foreword by :
Jarome IginlaImprint:
VikingISBN:
9780735239746Product Form:
Hardcover
Hardcover
English
Audience:
General Trade
Oct 20, 2020
$32.00 CAD
Active
Dimensions:
9.3in x 6.2 x 0.95 in | 1.03 lbPage Count:
256 pagesIllustrations:
8PP 4/C PHOTO INSERT
Penguin Canada
Viking
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Sports
NAACP 2021, Nominated
- Description
- Author Bio
- Reviews
An inspiring memoir that shows that anyone can achieve their dreams if they are willing to fight for them.
In 1958, Willie O’Ree was a lot like any other player toiling in the minors. He was good. Good enough to have been signed by the Boston Bruins. Just not quite good enough to play in the NHL.
Until January 18 of that year. O’Ree was finally called up, and when he stepped out onto the ice against the Montreal Canadiens, not only did he fulfil the childhood dream he shared with so many other Canadian kids, he did something that had never been done before.
He broke hockey’s colour barrier. Just as his hero, Jackie Robinson, had done for baseball.
In that pioneering first NHL game, O’Ree proved that no one could stop him from being a hockey player. But he soon learned that he could never be just a hockey player. He would always be a black player, with all that entails. There were ugly name-calling and stick-swinging incidents, and nights when the Bruins had to be escorted to their bus by the police.
But O’Ree never backed down. When he retired in 1979, he had played hundreds of games as a pro, and scored hundreds of goals, his boyhood dreams more than accomplished.
In 2018, O’Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in recognition not only of that legacy, but of the way he has built on it in the decades since. He has been, for twenty years now, an NHL Executive and has helped the NHL Diversity program expose more than 40,000 boys and girls of diverse backgrounds to unique hockey experiences.
Inspiring, frank, and shot through with the kind of understated courage and decency required to change the world, Willie is a story for anyone willing to persevere for a dream.
In 1958, Willie O’Ree was a lot like any other player toiling in the minors. He was good. Good enough to have been signed by the Boston Bruins. Just not quite good enough to play in the NHL.
Until January 18 of that year. O’Ree was finally called up, and when he stepped out onto the ice against the Montreal Canadiens, not only did he fulfil the childhood dream he shared with so many other Canadian kids, he did something that had never been done before.
He broke hockey’s colour barrier. Just as his hero, Jackie Robinson, had done for baseball.
In that pioneering first NHL game, O’Ree proved that no one could stop him from being a hockey player. But he soon learned that he could never be just a hockey player. He would always be a black player, with all that entails. There were ugly name-calling and stick-swinging incidents, and nights when the Bruins had to be escorted to their bus by the police.
But O’Ree never backed down. When he retired in 1979, he had played hundreds of games as a pro, and scored hundreds of goals, his boyhood dreams more than accomplished.
In 2018, O’Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in recognition not only of that legacy, but of the way he has built on it in the decades since. He has been, for twenty years now, an NHL Executive and has helped the NHL Diversity program expose more than 40,000 boys and girls of diverse backgrounds to unique hockey experiences.
Inspiring, frank, and shot through with the kind of understated courage and decency required to change the world, Willie is a story for anyone willing to persevere for a dream.
TOPICAL: Though O’Ree’s history-making moment was 60 years ago, his recent Hall of Fame induction and release of a documentary about him suggests his moment is now. While O’Ree is not active on social media, people talk about him a lot on twitter; a google search of “O’Ree twitter” brings up 113,000 hits.
GROWING PROFILE: O’Ree’s job as ambassador for inclusion for the league keeps him on the road and in the public eye.
MORE THAN A SPORTS BOOK: This is a sports book with a message beyond the sports pages.
HERO: O’Ree is a hero to generations of black stars; we should be able to get blurbs from people like P.K Subban and Dustin Byfuglien.
MULTI-PLATFORM: A documentary premiered last year, and is highly promoted on HNIC. Film rights sold to Disney.
Marketing: Canadian Plans:
Google Display
Google Search
Gifting campaign
US Plans:
Advance mailing to trade publications including Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and Kirkus Reviews
Mailing to sports publications and major print newspapers
Sports radio tour
Target media in Boston, LA and San Diego where author played
Google Advertising
Publicity: Limited review coverage in outlets like the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Boston Globe
Extensive print features in outlets like the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, CP and Boston Globe
Extensive broadcast interviews with outlets like TSN, Sportnet, CBC and NESN
Limited excerpt/op-ed coverage in outlets like the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star
Select blogger coverage
Toronto and Boston events. Financial viability of wider tour to be discussed.
Google Display
Google Search
Gifting campaign
US Plans:
Advance mailing to trade publications including Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and Kirkus Reviews
Mailing to sports publications and major print newspapers
Sports radio tour
Target media in Boston, LA and San Diego where author played
Google Advertising
Publicity: Limited review coverage in outlets like the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Boston Globe
Extensive print features in outlets like the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, CP and Boston Globe
Extensive broadcast interviews with outlets like TSN, Sportnet, CBC and NESN
Limited excerpt/op-ed coverage in outlets like the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star
Select blogger coverage
Toronto and Boston events. Financial viability of wider tour to be discussed.
Nominated for the 2021 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography
Praise for Willie:
“For every single kid who was ever told to ‘stick to basketball,’ Willie was like the first man on the moon. He wasn’t just a hockey player. He was an astronaut.”
—Wayne Simmonds, player, Buffalo Sabres
“Now, more than ever, is the right time for Willie O’Ree to tell his story in full. Having played in the league in the footsteps of guys like Tony McKegney, Val James, Bill Riley, and Mike Marson, I know that if you don't have someone who leads the way, maybe you don't look in that direction. Kids need to know that they can do anything, and no one shows that better than Willie.”
—Grant Fuhr, five-time Stanley Cup winner and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
“Willie O’Ree stood for something more than just being a black hockey player who broke the colour barrier. He represents that no matter what colour you are, what race, or what gender, you could do anything if you believe in yourself. Willie raised the glass ceiling for the entire sport and the ripple effect of his accomplishments are still felt today.”
—PK Subban, Norris Trophy winner, NHL All-Star, and philanthropist
“[Willie] is a fascinating read that sheds light on the long and difficult journey that led to O’Ree’s short but impactful run in the world’s best hockey.”
—Toronto Star
“Engaging.”
—TSN
