Boston Bruins: Willie O’Ree a candidate for congressional gold medal
Boston Bruins hall of fame forward WillieO’Ree is a candidate for one of America’s highest civilian honors. The move is being pushed by two senators and the NHL’s legislative affairs committee.
Boston Bruins Hall of Fame forward Willie O’Ree was the first black player in the NHL, breaking through with the Boston Bruins in 1958. His debut set the stage for other black players such as Grant Fuhr, P.K. Subban, and Seth Jones to make it into the NHL.
Since then, has made a second career as being the NHL diversity ambassador. Now the player is known as the “Jackie Robinson of hockey” is up for consideration for one of the nation’s highest honors.
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An extraordinary award for a civilian, O’Ree would join the likes of golfer Jack Nicklaus and baseball player Larry Doby as athletes to receive the honor.
The push to award O’Ree is being championed by Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. Scott himself voiced his personal excitement about the prospect of rewarding O’Ree:
In another interview with the Hill.com, Scott, continued to bask in O’Ree’s significant contributions, while adding a bit of a personal connection between the people he represents as a congressman and the hall of fame hockey player.
“You were the grandson of slaves from South Carolina…Thank you for being a trailblazer in a sport that I would imagine, even today, people are unaware of the significant role that you played in opening the door”
O’Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 as part of the builder category. As part of the 50th anniversary of his NHL debut in 2008, he was awarded Canada’s highest civilian honor, the Order of Canada. Assuming he received the Congressional Gold medal, he’ll put together an impressive trophy case for a player whose contributions to the sport can’t be measured.
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In a brief interview with TMZ, O’Ree said he would be thrilled to receive the award and that it would the honor of a lifetime. Unfortunately, nothing in politics moves that quickly. The bill to award O’Ree the medal needs two-thirds support from congress prior to being sent to a committee. If the committees approve, then it goes for a formal vote.