Willie O'Ree drops puck prior to Kings game on MLK Day
Juan Ocampo / National Hockey League / Getty
The Los Angeles Kings marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day by having Willie O'Ree drop the puck in a ceremonial faceoff prior to Monday's game against Tampa Bay.
O'Ree, 81, made history by breaking the NHL's color barrier as a member of the Boston Bruins on Jan. 18, 1958.
Jeff Carter and Brian Boyle stood in in the absence of both team's injured captains.
The Kings offered the following introduction prior to O'Ree's moment at center ice.
About Willie -- Hockey is for Everyone pic.twitter.com/unHI8fXxxs
— LAKingsPR (@LAKingsPR) January 16, 2017
(Video courtesy: NHL.com)