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The primary Black participant to play within the Nationwide Hockey League, Willie O’Ree, is one step nearer to being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
In keeping with the NHL, the Senate handed the bipartisan laws unanimously on Tuesday. The invoice will head to the Home for consideration.
The invoice, first launched in 2019 by Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, seeks to honor the hockey icon for his contributions to sports activities.
“As the primary Black participant within the Nationwide Hockey League, Willie O’Ree was a trailblazer for younger individuals throughout the nation,” stated Sen. Stabenow. “He has additionally been a pacesetter locally, together with his management by means of the Hockey is for Everybody applications in Detroit and round Michigan.”
The award given to people or teams for distinguished achievements and contributions has been awarded to George Washington, Jackie Robinson, and Martin Luther King Jr.
O’Ree first started his skilled profession in 1958 for the Boston Bruins, regardless of being legally blind in a single eye.
The league tapped O’Ree to change into the NHL’s first variety ambassador in 1998.
He was inducted into the Hockey Corridor of Fame in 2018.
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