NHL's First Black Player To Receive Congressional Gold Medal

Willie O'Ree, the first Black player in NHL history, is set to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

  • This week, President Biden signed off on legislation honoring the 86-year-old O'Ree, who broke the hockey color barrier when he joined the Bruins in 1958. The Bruins retired his No. 22 last month.
  • O'Ree's is the first hockey player ever to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, honored for his "commitment to hockey, inclusion, and recreational opportunity".
  • Why isn't O'Ree as famous as other groundbreaking Black athletes like Jackie Robinson?

Photo Credit: Getty Images


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