A former Vernon Vipers forward has been honoured for helping his community, culture and society.
Brent Dodginghorse, a consultant for the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames, is one of the three Canadian finalists for the 2025 Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award (presented by Hyundai), given to the individual who has made a positive impact through the game of hockey.
The award honours O'Ree, the former NHL forward who became the first Black player to play in the NHL on Jan. 18, 1958, and has spent more than two decades as the NHL's diversity ambassador.
After a public voting period and votes from O'Ree, NHL executives and Hyundai executives, the winner will be announced in June. There will be a winner from Canada and one from the United States. The Canadian and American winners will each receive a $25,000 prize in the form of a donation, to be donated to a charity of their choice.
A member of the Tsuut'ina Nation in Alberta, the 47-year-old Dodginghorse started the Tsuut’ina 7 Chiefs Hockey Program, an educational program to promote greater respect, understanding, and appreciation for fellow hockey players regardless of race, ethnicity, or ability.
The program has been taken by nearly 4,000 people since 2019.
He also works with the 7 Chiefs Hockey Program with his cousin Kyle Dodginghorse, talking diversity and being a mentor to the young players at the 7 Chiefs Sportsplex and Chief Jim Starlight Centre on Tsuut’ina Nation, Alberta, near Calgary.
Dodginghorse and his wife, Sonya, also developed the DH Ranch, a program on their 25-acre spread on Tsuut'ina Nation that uses the land and its horses to run kids' camps and tailor team-building programs for organizations that are looking to become more inclusive.
Dodginghorse began skating on ponds and frozen roadways on the reservation and rose to the highest ranks of amateur hockey. He spent two seasons with the Vernon Vipers of the British Columbia Hockey League from 1995-97, helping the team win the inaugural Royal Bank Cup Canadian Junior A Hockey Championship (the organization's third national title and first as the Vipers) in his rookie season, 1995-96. He scored 53 goals over two regular seasons, and collected 135 points.
He played 12 games with the Omaha Lancers in the United States Hockey League in 1997-98 before returning home to Calgary to play for the Western Hockey League's Hitmen. Dodginghorse's hard-nosed play and scoring touch made him a fan favourite. He had 81 points (27 goals, 54 assists) in 103 games for Calgary from 1997-99.
He had 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists) in 33 WHL playoff games, as he and Vernon's Jerred Smithson helped Calgary win the WHL’s President's Cup in 1999. Dodginghorse had four points (one goal, three assists) for Calgary at the 1999 Memorial Cup, where they lost in overtime to the host Ottawa 67s.
The other Canadian finalists for the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award are Arjun Atwal of Edmonton, and Mackenzie Janes of Ottawa.
