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Willie O’Ree, the National Hockey League’s 1st Black Player, Receives Unanimous Support from U.S. Senate for Congressional Gold Medal

Willie O’Ree, the National Hockey League’s 1st Black Player, Receives Unanimous Support from U.S. Senate for Congressional Gold Medal

By goodblacknews on August 2, 2021

While the U.S. Senate hasn’t agreed on much of anything for several years, this week it unanimously passed legislation granting the Congressional Gold Medal to Willie O’Ree, the first Black player to compete in the National Hockey League.

The legislation now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives for approval so O’Ree, 85, and known as the “Jackie Robinson of hockey,” can receive this much deserved honor.

O’Ree broke the NHL’s color barrier in 1958 by playing as a winger for the Boston Bruins, one of six teams at the time. O’Ree, who is Canadian, played professional hockey in his home country before joining the NHL and retiring from the sport in 1979. He has spent the past two decades as the NHL’s diversity ambassador with his Hockey is for Everyone youth program.

To quote cnn.com:

In every game he played in, O’Ree… heard name calling from opposing players and from fans in the stands. “Besides being Black and being blind in my right eye, I was faced with four other things: racism, prejudice, bigotry and ignorance,” he said.

The legislation would award O’Ree the nation’s highest civilian award that Congress can bestow “in recognition of his extraordinary contributions and commitment to hockey, inclusion, and recreational opportunity.”

O’Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 for his off-ice contributions to the sport. The Bruins retired O’Ree’s No. 22 jersey in February of this year.

In addition to his 2020 memoir Willie: The Game-Changing Story of the NHL’s First Black Player, O’Ree has also been the subject of children’s books like Willie O’Ree: The story of the first black player in the NHL by Nicole Mortillaro and Scholastic Canada Biography: Meet Willie O’Ree by Elizabeth MacLeod.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/31/politics/willie-oree-congressional-gold-medal-nhl-senate/index.html

https://www.theroot.com/willie-oree-nhls-1st-black-hockey-player-set-to-recei-1847384678

(paid amazon links)

Former JP Morgan Chase Managing Director Kim Davis Joins NHL as Executive Vice President

By goodblacknews on November 28, 2017

NHL EVP Kim Davis (photo via pinterest.com)

via nhl.com
NEW YORK – The National Hockey League announced today that Kim Davis has been named Executive Vice President, Social Impact, Growth Initiatives & Legislative Affairs. Ms. Davis will join the NHL on Dec. 4, and will be based in the League’s New York office, reporting to Commissioner Gary Bettman and collaborating across the League’s clubs and stakeholders.

Ms. Davis is a highly respected leader in the corporate and philanthropic community, and joins the NHL from leading CEO advisory firm Teneo. As a Senior Managing Director, she built and ran the firm’s Corporate Responsibility and Inclusive Leadership practice, advising CEOs and Fortune 500 companies daily.
Prior to Teneo, Ms. Davis enjoyed a 20-plus year career at JPMorgan Chase, where she most recently served as Managing Director of Global CSR, President of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation and as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Her responsibilities included leading and managing approximately $300 million in annual giving, employee and civic engagement, and strategic corporate marketing sponsorship programs.
“Kim’s professional experience uniquely qualifies her to ensure that our League is continuing to improve lives and strengthen and build vibrant communities through hockey as well as provide a safe, positive and inclusive environment for anyone associated with our League,” said Commissioner Bettman. “We are thrilled to have Kim join the NHL family.”
“The impact of sports on community development can be powerful,” said Ms. Davis. “Sport can, and does, make a profound and positive impact on individuals, communities and has the opportunity to drive positive social change. Having had the privilege of advising the NHL on its CSR practices, I’ve experienced an organization that is truly committed to contributing positively to society and fostering inclusiveness. I’m looking forward to advancing the League’s mission and working with Commissioner Bettman and the executive leadership team to help drive the continued growth and success of the NHL.”
Ms. Davis’ passion for equity and leadership led her to build the first women of color affinity group at Chase Manhattan Bank, developing a mentoring program for senior women that became an industry best practice in investment banking, and later developing the initial corporate sponsorship model for Women Moving Millions.
Ms. Davis has been named to The Business Journal’s 100 Most Influential Women and Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business. In 2012, she was profiled with Michelle Obama in Essence magazine’s “28 Most Influential Black Women in America.”
Source: https://www.nhl.com/news/kim-davis-appointed-as-nhl-executive-vice-president/c-293406100