Olympic Gold Medalist Hayley Scamurra Visits Bills Practice

When Hayley Scamurra scored two goals in her Olympic opener and shrieked with delight wondering if Josh Allen might be watching, she never imagined the Bills quarterback would actually hear about it. But he did, and that moment led to something even more special.

The 31-year-old Buffalo native stood on the sideline at Bills practice Tuesday, wearing the gold medal she earned helping Team USA beat Canada 2-1 in overtime at the Milan Cortina Games. When Allen broke from the final huddle, he walked straight over to meet her.

"It helps having this," Scamurra said, pointing to the shiny medal around her neck. "It helped ground me a little bit to be like, 'OK, I have something to share with you.'"

Allen was equally impressed trying on the 5-pound medal. "You can feel the weight of that, not just literally," he said. "There's a figurative weight that goes along with that. I've got so much respect for her and what they did in representing our country."

The visit included a tour of the Bills' new stadium opening this summer and a jersey exchange with Allen. Coach Joe Brady spent five minutes talking with Scamurra, calling the experience "pretty bad-ass."

"She clearly embodies Buffalo, right?" Brady said, praising her work ethic and grit as the U.S. team's versatile 13th forward. "That's probably why she has that gold medal. Not everybody's built like that."

Sunny's Take

Growing up in Getzville, Scamurra braved Buffalo winters attending Bills games with her father and three brothers. She never dreamed anyone from her beloved team would seek her out one day.

The Olympic gold was just the beginning of an incredible year. Two weeks before visiting the Bills, Scamurra won the PWHL Walter Cup championship with the Montreal Victoire. Combined with her three world championships, she's now in hockey's exclusive Triple-Gold club.

"You almost forget about it a little bit," Scamurra said about her Olympic achievement. "And then you come here and celebrate it again with everyone, and it kind of invigorates you. You get to re-experience the Olympics again, and winning gold."

For a kid who grew up cheering in the cold, standing on a warm sunny day at Bills practice with a gold medal around her neck felt surreal. Sometimes the hometown heroes we cheer for get to become the heroes being cheered.