,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bjja  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #bg1     
#bjai,ms4 ,stabenow 7for herself and    
,mr4 ,scott of ,south ,carolina7        
introduced the following bill2 which was
 read twice and referred to the         
,committee on ,banking1 ,housing1 and   
,urban ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to award a 
,congressional ,gold ,medal to ,willie  
,o',ree1 in recognition of his          
extraordinary contributions and         
commitment to hockey1 inclusion1 and    
recreational opportunity4  #a4 ,short   
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,willie ,o',ree ,congressional ,gold    
,medal ,act4  #b4 ,findings ,congress   
finds the following3  7#a7 ,willie      
,o',ree was the first ,black player to  
compete in the ,national ,hockey ,league
 7,,nhl71 appearing for the ,boston     
,bruins on ,january #ah1 #aieh1 in the  
throes of the civil rights movement in  
the ,united ,states helping to end      
racial segregation in the premier       

professional ice hockey league2 he is   
widely referred to as the ,jackie       
,robinson of ,hockey4  7#b7 ,willie     
,o',ree was born ,october #ae1 #aice1 in
 ,fredericton1 ,new ,brunswick1 ,canada2
 he is the youngest of #ac children and 
a descendant of ,paris ,o',ree1 whose   
name appears in the famous historical   
document ,the ,book of ,negroes4  7#c7  
,willie ,o',ree was raised by his       
parents in ,fredericton1 a predominantly
 ,white town where hockey was deeply    
rooted within the culture4 ,o',ree was a
 standout athlete on the ice and the    
baseball diamond4  7#d7 ,at age #ba1    
,o',ree was being scouted by            
professional baseball teams and         
seriously considered baseball as a      
career4 ,upon experiencing the          
segregated ,south for the first time    
while appearing for a minor league      
tryout1 his dream changed and his       
attention turned solely to ice hockey4  
7#e7 ,while playing amateur hockey1     
,willie was struck in his right eye with

 a puck and lost his eyesight4 ,he was  
told by doctors to abandon his hockey   
career2 instead1 never disclosing the   
extent of his injury1 he pursued his    
dream of playing professional hockey4   
7#f7 ,at the age of #bb1 ,o',ree was    
called up from the ,quebec ,aces of the 
,quebec ,hockey ,league 7,,qhl7 to play 
for the ,,nhl's ,boston ,bruins at a    
time when only #f teams existed in the  
league4 ,o',ree was unaware he had      
broken the color barrier at the top     
level of the sport until he read it in  
the newspaper the following day4  7#g7  
,blind in #a eye and a victim of racism 
at times throughout his career1 ,o',ree 
persevered and played professional      
hockey for #bb years1 tallying over     
#a1jjj points4  7#h7 ,in #aiif1 #ag     
years after ,o',ree retired from        
professional hockey1 the ,national      
,hockey ,league hired ,o',ree as the    
first-ever ,diversity ,ambassador4      
,having already changed the game forever
 through his courage and convictions1   

,o',ree gives new definition to what it 
means to be a trailblazer4  7#i7 ,in    
this role as ,diversity ,ambassador with
 the ,,nhl1 ,o',ree set out to grow the 
sport by providing access1 opportunity1 
and motivation for children of all      
races1 ethnicities1 origins1 and        
abilities4 ,with ,o',ree providing a    
vivid example of what is possible and   
serving as a relentless supporter of    
children pursuing their dreams1 more    
than #cj nonprofit youth organizations1 
dubbed ,hockey is for ,everyone         
programs1 were developed across ,north  
,america1 each committed to offering    
minority and underserved children an    
opportunity to play hockey1 leveraging  
the sport to build character1 foster    
positive values1 and develop important  
life skills4  7#aj7 ,through ,hockey is 
for ,everyone programs1 more than       
#abj1jjj boys and girls have been       
positively impacted4 ,o',ree has devoted
 nearly #b1ejj days on the ground with  
the youth participants1 visiting more   

than #ejj schools1 community centers1   
and rinks to speak to hockey's core     
values and beliefs3 stay in school2 set 
goals for yourself2 remain committed and
 disciplined2 and always respect your   
teammates1 coaches1 and parents4  7#aa7 
,hockey is for ,everyone programs have  
provided important opportunities for    
youth to partake in physical fitness4   
,today in the ,united ,states1 fewer    
than half of the children ages #f-aa    
engage in the recommended amount of     
physical activity1 and that number is   
lower for low-income families4 ,o',ree  
has stood as a champion of youth        
athletic participation and its health   
benefits for decades4  7#ab7 ,hockey is 
for ,everyone programs provide numerous 
off-ice services to youth3 ,,sat and    
academic tutoring1 mentoring1 nutrition 
education1 college counseling1 community
 service opportunities1 and more4 ,the  
program has excelled at using hockey as 
a vehicle to improve the social and     
emotional wellness of youth and improve 

students' academic performances both in 
primary school and beyond4  7#ac7       
,o',ree was also named a ,member of the 
,order of ,canada in #bjjh and1 in      
#bjah1 the ,city of ,boston released an 
official ,proclamation recognizing      
,january #ah1 the anniversary of the day
 he broke into the game1 as ,willie     
,o',ree ,day4  7#ad7 ,in ,november      
#bjah1 #fj years after ,o',ree entered  
the ,,nhl1 he was inducted into the     
,hockey ,hall of ,fame in the builder   
category in recognition of his efforts  
to grow the game1 using his position and
 the platform of hockey to improve the  
lives of children throughout ,north     
,america4  #c4 ,congressional gold medal
  7a7 ,award authorized ,the ,speaker of
 the ,house of ,representatives and the 
,president pro tempore of the ,senate   
shall make appropriate arrangements for 
the award1 on behalf of the ,congress1  
of a single gold medal of appropriate   
design to ,willie ,o',ree1 in           
recognition of his extraordinary        

contributions and commitment to hockey1 
inclusion1 and recreational opportunity4
  7b7 ,design and striking ,for the     
purposes of the award referred to in    
subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of the   
,treasury 7hereafter in this ,act       
referred to as the ,secretary7 shall    
strike the gold medal with suitable     
emblems1 devices1 and inscriptions1 to  
be determined by the ,secretary4  #d4   
,duplicate medals ,under such           
regulations as the ,secretary may       
prescribe1 the ,secretary may strike and
 sell duplicates in bronze of the gold  
medal struck under section #c1 at a     
price sufficient to cover the costs of  
the medals1 including labor1 materials1 
dies1 use of machinery1 and overhead    
expenses4  #e4 ,status of medals ,medals
 struck pursuant to this ,act are       
national medals for purposes of chapter 
#ea of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code4