* The Bruins retired the No. 22 of hockey pioneer Willie O’Ree Tuesday, which marked the 64th anniversary of O’Ree’s League debut when he became the first Black player to appear in an NHL game.
* The Hurricanes reclaimed first place in the Metropolitan Division, thanks in part to a five-goal opening period.
* Auston Matthews can match an NHL record as the Maple Leafs visit the Rangers at Madison Square Garden Wednesday.
BRUINS RETIRE No. 22 OF HOCKEY PIONEER WILLIE O’REE
The Bruins retired the No. 22 of Willie O’Ree at TD Garden prior to their game against the Hurricanes Tuesday, with the on-ice ceremony including former NHL player and current Turner Sports in-studio analyst Anson Carter as well as recent graduates and coaches from the S.C.O.R.E. Boston youth hockey organization.
* O’Ree, who joined virtually due to an abundance of caution because of COVID-19, participated live from San Diego. Click here to view the full ceremony, which also included a video tribute that featured NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Bruins CEO and Alternate Governor Charlie Jacobs, current and former players Ryan Reaves, Mathieu Joseph, Kevin Weekes, Joel Ward and Johnny Bucyk, women’s hockey trailblazer Blake Bolden, S.C.O.R.E. Boston representatives Wendell Taylor and Dallas Jackson, as well as Bryant McBride, who produced the 2019 documentary “Willie”.
* O’Ree became the 12th player in franchise history to have his number retired by the Bruins, joining Eddie Shore (No. 2), Lionel Hitchman (No. 3), Bobby Orr (No. 4), Dit Clapper (No. 5), Phil Esposito (No. 7), Cam Neely (No. 8), Bucyk (No. 9), Milt Schmidt (No. 15), Rick Middleton (No. 16), Terry O’Reilly (No. 24) and Ray Bourque (No. 77). His banner hangs in the TD Garden rafters between Middleton and O’Reilly, who congratulated O’Ree Tuesday along with several other past-and-present members of the organization.
MORE WILLIE O’REE NIGHT LINKS
* Justin Trudeau, other politicians congratulate Willie O’Ree
* Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium and Boston City Hall were lit in gold to honor Willie O’Ree
* Willie O’Ree‘s number retirement adds to legacy of Bruins who wore No. 22
* Willie O’Ree Congressional Gold Medal bill expected to be voted on
* NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman joins fans to witness Willie O’Ree have number retired
HURRICANES SCORE EARLY AND OFTEN IN SEVEN-GOAL OUTBURST
In a contest that witnessed the Hurricanesscore five first-period goals, Jaccob Slavin (1-2—3) registered his sixth career three-point game and helped Carolina (26-8-2, 54 points) reclaim top spot in the Metropolitan Division. Tuesday marked the third time in team history that the Hurricanes scored five times in an opening frame, joining March 4, 2006 and April 6, 2010.
* Frederik Andersen (31 saves), who improved to 14-3-0 in 17 career regular-season outings against the Bruins (2.26 GAA, .933 SV%, 2 SO), joined Andrei Vasilevskiy (23) and Juuse Saros (20) as the third goaltender with 20 victories in 2021-22 – reaching the mark in his 26th outing.
GAUDREAU GRABBING FOUR ASSISTS FEATURED IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
Tuesday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates features several more notes from the eight-game slate. Some highlights include:
* Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau matched a single-game career high with four assists, a feat he first achieved on Feb. 21, 2017. His 10 career four-point games trail only six players for the most in franchise history.
* Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman had 2-1—3 as Tampa Bay (27-9-5, 59 points) passed Florida (26-8-5, 57 points) for first place in the NHL. Hedman notched his ninth career multi-goal game and surpassed Dan Boyle (8) for the most among defensemen in franchise history.
* Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault (48 saves) and Sabres netminder Michael Houser (43 saves) each made over 40 saves in wins. Montembeault established a single-game career high for saves, while Houser came within two of matching his highest total (45 on May 4, 2021).
* Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (27-28—55 in 40 GP) scored to take over sole possession of the League lead in goals this season with his 50th career tally against the Jets/Thrashers franchise (50-44—94 in 69 GP).
QUICK CLICKS
* NHL, NHLPA issue update to COVID Protocol
* Canadiens hire Kent Hughes as general manager, had been player agent
* Panthers try new team bonding activity, go dog sledding in Canada
* Four players added to All-Star rosters after Last Men In voting
MATTHEWS VIES TO MATCH NHL RECORD ON NATIONAL STAGE
Auston Matthews can match an NHL record for the longest road goal streak, held by Pavel Bure (11 GP in 1993-94 w/ VAN) and Steve Yzerman (11 GP in 1988-89 w/ DET), should he find the back of the net Wednesday when the Maple Leafs (24-9-3, 51 points) visit the Rangers (25-10-4, 54 points) on a national broadcast across North America on TNT, Sportsnet and TVAS at 7:30 p.m. ET.
