2021-03-16
Chinese Taipei Hockey Federation spared no efforts in inviting coaches and players to join the online seminar with retired international ice hockey star Willie O’Ree. (courtesy of Chinese Taipei Hockey Federation)
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and Chinese Taipei Ice Hockey Federation (CTIHF) co-organized the online seminar with retired international ice hockey star Willie O’Ree. Although the seminar, originally planned to be held at the Taipei American Corner, was eventually held through live webcast in consideration of the pandemic, the CTIHF spared no efforts in inviting coaches and players to join the online seminar replanned at Frozone in the Tu-Cheng Civil Sports Center in New Taipei City. CTIHF Secretary-General I-Chung Huang and the head coaches of the men’s and women’s national teams also attended the event with team members including Chang-Hsing Yang, To Weng, Hsin-Jung Li, Yi Pao, and Kuei-Hsiang Chang to connect with the world.
Willie O’Ree, the key figure of the seminar, as the first African-American player to compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1958 and being the forward of the Boston Bruins, he has overcome various hardships and challenges to get there and became one of the legendary NHL stars.
A documentary called Willie was also made based on the true story of Willie O’Ree. Besides Willie O’Ree, many other important figures also attended the online seminar, such as Laurence Mathieu-Leger (the director and co-producer of Willie), Bryant McBride (co-producer of Willie), and Blake Alexis Bolden (the first African-American player to compete in the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) and now a scout for the Los Angeles Kings), to discuss issues including racial equality, justice, culture, and the inclusiveness of sports.
Chinese Taipei Hockey Federation invited coaches and players to join the online seminar and took the photo. (courtesy of Chinese Taipei Hockey Federation)
According to Head Coach Ryan Conrad Lang of the national adult team, “I was greatly inspired by the online seminar. The story of O’Ree is a walking example of players inspiring them to surrender to no failure or frustration, and courage and perseverance are the pathways toward success.”
According to Head Coach An-Chung Yin of the women’s national team, “Discrimination and stereotyping are common challenges to female ice hockey players. I always encourage my girls: ‘Let it go, be yourself, and your body your choice, then you will always shine over an international stage.’”
This cooperation between the AIT and CTIHF hit it off right away. According to CTIHC Secretary-General Huang, it was a great honor for the CTIHF to receive AIT’s invitation. The CTIHF immediately forwarded the invitation to all ice hockey teams. O’Ree’s experience sharing has encouraged both coaches and players and enabled people in Taiwan understand more about ice hockey.
