Olympic Gold Medalist Hayley Scamurra Meets Josh Allen

When Hayley Scamurra shrieked with joy after scoring two goals at the Milan Olympics, wondering if Bills quarterback Josh Allen might be watching, she never imagined he'd actually reach out. But that's exactly what happened when the Buffalo native brought her gold medal to Bills practice in June.

The 31-year-old grew up braving Buffalo winters with her dad and three brothers, cheering for the Bills from the stands. Now she stood on the sideline as Allen broke from the final huddle and walked straight toward her to say hello.

"It helps having this," Scamurra said, pointing to the five-pound gold medal around her neck. The hardware gave her confidence to connect with a quarterback she'd admired for years.

Allen tried on the medal and felt its weight, both literal and symbolic. "Trying on a gold medal felt like stolen valor," he said, praising what Team USA accomplished in their undefeated tournament run that ended with a 2-1 overtime win over Canada in February.

The Bills rolled out the star treatment for their hometown Olympian. Scamurra got an exclusive tour of Buffalo's new stadium opening this summer and exchanged jerseys with Allen.

Coach Joe Brady jumped at the chance to meet a gold medalist. "It was pretty bad-ass, I'm not going to lie," he said after spending five minutes chatting with Scamurra during practice.

Brady saw Buffalo's work ethic embodied in the forward who played a versatile role as Team USA's 13th forward. "That grit and that mindset, that's probably why she has that gold medal," he said.

Why This Inspires

Scamurra's visit caps an incredible year for the Getzville native. Two weeks before meeting Allen, she won the PWHL Walter Cup championship with the Montreal Victoire. Combined with three world championships, she now belongs to hockey's exclusive Triple-Gold club.

"You almost forget about it a little bit," Scamurra said of her Olympic achievement. "And then you come here and celebrate it again with everyone, and it kind of invigorates you."

The two-time Olympian who also won silver in Beijing 2022 says sharing her gold medal experience with Allen and the Bills made it even more special. Standing on a warm sunny day at Bills practice, far from those frozen game days of her childhood, Scamurra lived a dream she never knew to imagine.