O'Ree finalist spotlight: Brent Dodginghorse

The Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award presented by Hyundai is given to an individual who, through hockey, has positively impacted his or her community culture or society. The award honors 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 the United States and one from Canada.

Today, a look at one of three Canadian finalists, Brent Dodginghorse:

Brent Dodginghorse held onto Willie O’Ree’s image for moral support.

The retired minor pro and amateur forward clutched a souvenir puck with the NHL’s first Black player’s likeness as he stood before attendees at the Western Canada Hockey Exposure Camp on July 3, 2021, and spoke publicly for the first time about his experiences dealing with racism and discrimination as an Indigenous player.

“I was so nervous and scared,” Dodginghorse said. “I held the puck in my hand as a reminder to be strong and be resilient. I keep that puck in my bedroom on my mantle.”

Dodinghorse, a 47-year-old member of Tsuut’ina Nation in Alberta, continues to share his story with others and to motivate, educate and, hopefully, eradicate the discrimination that he endured playing the sport he loves.

He is a consultant for the Calgary Flames and 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.

A former rodeo champion, 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 kid’s camps and tailor team-building programs for organizations that are looking to become more inclusive.

“In Canada, there's definitely a lot of hockey skills coaches, shooting coaches, passing coaches, you name it,” he said. “But our ranch is meant to build individuals through team building, learning the skills of communications through horses.”

Through his work, Dodginghorse was named one of three finalists for the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award in Canada. The winner, who will be named in June, will receive a $25,000 prize to be donated to the charity of their choice, with the other two finalists each receiving a $5,000 prize donated to a charity of their choice.

“I wanted to make a difference in our community and our country,” Dodginghorse said. “I never thought about the award, to tell you the truth. But just to be a finalist, to look at some of the people that have made a positive change in their communities, it's an honor.”

Candice Goudie, executive director of the Calgary Flames Foundation, said it was an honor to nominate Dodginghorse for the award.

“He has been such a tremendous advocate and friend and peer and mentor to our entire organization at the Calgary Flames and Calgary Hitmen,” Goudie said. “A lot of what we’ve built as far as inclusion in our minor hockey programs and in our celebration games, Brent has been a part of that. We are just so lucky to have him."

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 Vernon of the British Columbia Hockey League from 1995-97 and played 12 games with Omaha in the United States Hockey League in 1997-98.

He later joined the hometown Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League, and his hard-nosed play and scoring touch made him a fan favorite. Dodginghorse 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 and 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.

He went on to play professionally for Johnstown and Pensacola of the ECHL from 1999-01 and tallied 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in 55 games.

“Ninety-five percent of my hockey was awesome. It was an opportunity to see the country, see the world and chase my dreams,” Dodginghorse said. “But it was that five percent that was hard to talk about because there was racism and discrimination. There were a lot of fans that showed hatred toward me because of my last name and the refs didn’t know how to handle it.”

Dodginghorse handled it by saying nothing, afraid that he would be labeled a bad teammate or a malcontent if he spoke out. But when his daughter, Cayda, almost quit playing hockey because she encountered the same racism that he endured, he knew it was time to speak up and speak out.

He’s heartened about how his message has been received.

“When you see parents that are breaking down and crying and saying, ‘Thank you for bringing this up or thank you for spreading that message,’ that’s what honestly drives me,” Dodginghorse said.