Retired NHL forward Anthony Stewart was one of the first coalition members to send a video. He said he’ll always remember what meeting O’Ree meant to him after he was selected by the Florida Panthers with the No. 25 pick in the 2003 NHL Draft.
“I was very, very nervous, ‘Gosh, do I belong in the NHL,’ seeing all the NHL brass,” Stewart said. “After I put my jersey on, came off stage, Willie was waiting for me. Willie came, shook my hand and said, ‘Welcome to the NHL, everything’s going to be fine.’
“Actually, everything was fine after that. It went from nervousness to having confidence after just a simple handshake and meeting Willie O’Ree. It’s a small interaction but for me, personally, it made a big, big difference.”
The party shifted Wednesday from the San Diego locker room to a lounge inside the arena, where O’Ree was surprised by a group of longtime friends.
“We had tea, coffee and cake,” he said. “It was a nice gathering.”