SAN DIEGO -- Willie O'Ree gave an unassuming answer when asked about his hockey legacy.

"I just opened the door," he said.

O'Ree, the NHL's first Black player, was honored Tuesday by some of the players who followed him through that door, along with fans, friends and family at a celebration ahead of his 90th birthday on Oct. 15.

The San Diego Gulls, his former minor league team and now the Anaheim Ducks' American Hockey League affiliate, hosted the "Night to Celebrate a Legend" at the Rooftop Cinema Club Embarcadero atop the city's Manchester Grand Hyatt.

The event, sponsored through a grant from the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition , featured a panel moderated by "NHL on TNT" analyst and retired NHL forward Anson Carter followed by an outdoor showing of "Willie," the 2019 autobio

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