Former Bruin Willie O'Ree Among Black Hockey Players Highlighted In 'Soul On Ice' Documentary

The Roxbury International Film Festival kicks off at the Museum of Fine Arts this week. Among the films screening in the 10-day festival is the documentary, "Soul on Ice."

It tells the history of black hockey players, the first to take to the ice professionally as well as young up-and-coming players today.

The film also celebrates the men who first broke the NHL color barrier.

The ground-breaker among the men who first broke the NHL color barrier: Willie O'Ree, the first black player in the NHL when he debuted with the Boston Bruins in 1958 — just over a decade after Jackie Robinson became the first black player in professional baseball.

O'Ree wasn't met with as much fanfare, and it wasn't until 1974 that the NHL welcomed another black athlete: Michael Robert Marson, who was drafted by the Washington Capitals.

Willie O'Ree, former Boston Bruin and the first black player in the National Hockey League.

Damon Kwame Mason, filmmaker of "Soul on Ice: Past, Present & Future." He tweets @kwamster007.