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That was a part of Willie O'Ree's opening statement during his Hall of Fame induction speech earlier this November. O'Ree, 83, was the first black hockey player in the National Hockey League. "On January the 18th, 1958, when I stepped on the ice with the (Boston) Bruins, it did not dawn on me that I was breaking the color barrier," he continued. "That's how focused I was on making my dream come true. …I have spent 67 years of my life in hockey. Now as the NHL's (diversity) ambassador I travel across North America introducing boys and girls to the game I love. …My mission is to give them the opportu - nity like the one I was given." O'Ree's monumental impact on the game of hockey cannot be denied. He paved the way for the 26 active black players in the NHL this season, and for hundreds more at the grassroots, collegiate and minor levels on up. For the players, however, hockey has always just been hockey. "You notice, it'd be almost impossible not to," Rosemount native and current Minnesota Wild forward J.T. Brown said of being black in a predominately white sport. "But for me, for the most part, I was just playing the game I loved. It didn't matter what color my skin was. When you're on the ice it's about playing hockey. That's how it should be." 15 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M Photo / Minnesota Wild HOCKEY PLAYER' "Minnesota Wild forward and 2018 U.S. Olympian Jordan Greenway isn't a black hockey player —I'm just a hockey player." Willie O'Ree "All I wanted was to be a hockey player. All I needed was the opportunity."