Who was the first black player in the NHL?

Willie O'Ree was the first Black player to appear in an NHL game.

O'Ree made his Boston Bruins debut on January 18, 1958, against the Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum. Boston won 3–0, and O'Ree played two games during that initial call-up before returning to the minors. He came back to the Bruins in 1960–61 and eventually played 45 NHL games over two seasons.

His path to the NHL was especially remarkable because a junior-hockey puck had severely damaged the retina in his right eye in 1956, leaving him almost completely blind on that side. O'Ree nevertheless continued his professional career and scored four goals and 14 points in 43 games during his second NHL season.

O'Ree is sometimes described as hockey's Jackie Robinson because of his role in breaking a professional sports color barrier. He later became the NHL's diversity ambassador and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 2018.