William O'ree entered the NHL as the first black hockey player ever. He faced a lot of hardships, whether it be discrimination, lack of confidence, or even physical injuries on and off the ice. It took O'ree a while to establish himself as a decent hockey player with confidence. After scoring his first career goal, he finally felt like he was just like everyone else; an everyday hockey player in America. This magazine cover was really Willie's first huge recognition in pro sports. Being the face of a Sports Illustarted is an honor for many players, and now that Willie had his face plastered on the cover, he could finally feel normal instead of " that black hockey player." When children, teens and even some adults opened their mailboxes to find willie O'ree on the cover, there were some mixed emotions. Some people hated him for trying to steal the last white sport from the white men, as Jackie Robinson had broken the color barrier for baseball shortly before, in essence stealing a white man's sport. Some people did not really care, they just thought he was not good at hockey and that the blacks in hockey would fade out in short time. But many people were inspired when they saw his face on that shiny luminescent booklet. Black people from all around adored the fact that someone was making a stand, even the ones who did not like hockey. The black community could finally feel like free men at last. This was far more than just a black kid on ice.