By Sasha Colcheck

Award Supported by Esteemed NHL Partners Hyundai in Canada and Discover® in the U.S.; Two Award Winners to Each Receive $25,000 Prize to Donate to Charity of Their Choice

NEW YORK/TORONTO (January 18, 2024) – The National Hockey League (NHL) today announced that nominations are open for the seventh annual Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award™.  The Award is given to an individual who – through the sport of hockey – has positively impacted their community, culture, or society.

Esteemed NHL partners Hyundai and Discover are committed to hockey at all levels and join the NHL in celebrating community leaders who are making the game greater. In Canada, Hyundai returns as a presenting sponsor. New this season, Discover joins as presenting sponsor of the Award in the U.S.

For the second year, there will be two Award winners, one in the U.S. and one in Canada. Fans are encouraged to nominate their community hero at NHL.com/OReeAward. Nominations are open until Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

The Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award honors former NHL forward Willie O’Ree, who on Jan. 18, 1958, became the first Black player to compete in the League when he stepped onto the ice for the Boston Bruins. For more than two decades O’Ree has been an ambassador for Hockey is for Everyone and a force for inclusion and social change, using hockey as a platform to build character, teach life skills, and share the values of the game – perseverance, teamwork, and dedication.

“Hyundai Canada’s sponsorship of the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award provides us an opportunity to highlight individuals who consistently drive hockey forward in their communities,” says Christine Smith, Director of Marketing of Hyundai Auto Canada. “Willie O’Ree’s remarkable display of fearlessness in the face of unprecedented adversity revolutionized the game of hockey. This Award is about individuals who embody that same spirit and commitment to improving their communities that deserve this acknowledgment. Through the nomination process, Hyundai Auto Canada eagerly anticipates discovering more about these exceptional individuals.”

“As the Official Credit Card and Official Bank of the NHL in the United States, Discover is honored to present the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award. From the beginning of our partnership with the NHL in 2010, Discover has worked with the League to make the sport of hockey more accessible to more people and spotlight how the game can positively impact communities. Presenting the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award in the U.S. is a continuation of our efforts to show that hockey is for everyone, and to support an outstanding individual who is using hockey to make a difference in their world,” said Jennifer Murillo, Chief Marketing Officer at Discover.

“The sport is growing because passionate hockey leaders across North America are recognizing the need to be more conscious about creating access and opportunity, and more intentional about being inclusive and teaching life skills through the game,” said Kim Davis, NHL Sr. Executive Vice President of Social Impact, Growth Initiatives and Legislative Affairs. “Year after year, this Award uncovers extraordinary members of the hockey community who are solving community challenges and working to build confidence, capacity and courage in the next generation.”

The candidates will be narrowed down to six finalists, a top three in the U.S. and a top three in Canada, who will be announced in May 2024. Public voting will then begin to determine one U.S. Award winner and one Canadian Award winner, who will be announced in June 2024. The Award winners will each receive a $25,000 prize, to be donated to a charity of their choice. The four remaining finalists will each receive a $5,000 prize, to be donated to a charity of their choice.

For more about the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award, including past winners, click here.

Legal residents of the fifty (50) United States (including the District of Columbia) or Canada who are at least fourteen (14) years of age or older can submit a candidate (eighteen (18) or older) for the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award presented by Discover and the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award presented by Hyundai. U.S. residents can only nominate U.S.-based nominees and Canadian residents can only nominate Canada-based nominees.

COURTESY  NHL PUBLIC RELATIONS