Jason McCrimmon 'beyond honored' to be named Willie O'Ree Award finalist

DETROIT -- Although Jason McCrimmon's life revolves around hockey, he has a passion for improving his community.

So upon learning that he was a finalist for the 2023 Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award, which the NHL officially announced on April 3, McCrimmon said it was an "amazing feeling."
"I am just beyond honored and excited for the opportunity," McCrimmon recently told
DetroitRedWings.com
. "Hockey has been a huge part of my life. And being able to be in the same sentence as a living legend (O'Ree) is unreal."
The award is given annually to an individual who has worked to make a positive impact on his or her culture, community or society through hockey. It honors O'Ree, who became the first Black player to play in the NHL and spent more than two decades as the league's diversity ambassador.
"Everything I do is hockey," said McCrimmon, who is the ambassador for the Detroit Red Wings' groundbreaking Learn, Play, Score program and founder of Detroit Ice Dreams. "I'm lucky to be able to do something that I love. To do other things for myself and for those around me in the community makes me feel very blessed."

Along with McCrimmon, the other finalists this year are Marty Richardson, the founder of Dawg Nation Hockey Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to giving back to hockey families across the U.S. and Canada who have been impacted by hardship; and Karen Ota-Brien, the founder of the South Florida Women's Hockey Club and president of the Florida Women's Hockey League.
For McCrimmon, who is a lifelong Detroit resident, helping break down the barriers that kids have to hockey is gratifying.
"I can literally remember, when I was six years old, driving down the street to Jack Adams Memorial Arena," McCrimmon said. "My mom would take my older brothers and me to the rink to enjoy the game of hockey. To now be in the situation that I am in, where I am coming in and trying to give kids here the same joy that I had, makes me very happy."
Detroit Ice Dreams is a non-profit organization committed to promoting and subsidizing hockey for youth from underrepresented communities. And when McCrimmon is not directing or participating in community initiatives for Detroit Ice Dreams, he is promoting the Red Wings' Learn, Play, Score program.
The Learn, Play, Score program was created in February 2020 as part of a commitment to building confidence and character, promoting positive values and imparting enduring life skills by breaking down systemic barriers and giving thousands of youth across the city of Detroit equitable access to the game of hockey.
"When we began, we were at Little Caesars Arena outside in the Chevrolet Plaza because of COVID-19," McCrimmon said. "And now, we're able to go to these different centers and schools to interact with kids, parents, teachers and coaches. It's amazing. It is exciting to be able to walk into those doors to watch the kids play floor hockey and other games."
Through community partnerships with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, Detroit Parks & Recreation and Detroit Public Schools Community District, McCrimmon said the program has a significant impact and reach.
"We want to continue to put ourselves in a situation where we keep going to more schools and make an impact in the community so we can help more people," McCrimmon said. "At the end of the day, we want to continue to grow as a program but also as a community. There's still more to come. I think that's exciting."
Through Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, fans 13 years of age and older can vote for McCrimmon at
NHL.com/OReeAward
.
For more information on the Learn, Play, Score program and how to get involved, click
here
. To learn more about Detroit Ice Dreams, visit this
link
.