Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends

Foundation strikes two more partnerships

OKOTOKS (June 27, 2025) — The non-profit Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation continues to add to its organization . . . and always with an eye to the future.

The Foundation has added Jada Yee of Regina as its cultural advisor, while also entering into an agreement with Elevate Auctions to provide a presence at future fund-raisers.

Yee will have input into one of the Foundation’s biggest projects to date, the Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends banquet that is to be held in Regina on Sept. 30.

“This is a huge addition for the Foundation,” said Garth Malarchuk, the organization’s chairman of the board. “Yee is more than a little familiar with the traditions, the politics and all the rest of the Indigenous world, and he absolutely knows everyone. So he will be a huge help to us going forward.”

Yee was named CTV Regina’s Citizen of the year for 2023. Of Chinese-Canadian heritage, he is a member of the Wood Mountain Lakota Sioux Nation. A graduate of the University of Regina’s First Nations University of Canada, where he is a sessional instructor, he has a master’s degree of administration in leadership from the University of Regina.

Yee is the first citizen to be elected to the post of Chair of the Regina Police Commission. He also has served on such boards as the Regina Food Bank and the Regina Aboriginal Professionals Association. And he is a partner in OneHoop, an Indigenous consulting firm.

Meanwhile, the WCPHSF has forged a partnership with Elevate Auctions in a move that can only enhance the experience for those attending the second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner in Okotoks on July 29 or the Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends banquet in Regina.

Elevate Auctions isn’t your typical auction house; rather, it deals only with non-profit and charitable organizations who are fund-raising via auctions. It has worked with such organizations as the Hospitals of Regina Foundation, the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen, the Keyano College Foundation, the Calgary Flames alumni, the Flames Foundation and the Calgary Stampeders alumni.

Bill Brown, Elevate Auctions’ co-founder, said his firm will have an auctioneer and at least one spotter on hand at the dinners in Okotoks and Regina as the Foundation has plans to entertain bids on sports-related travel packages.

The agreement with Elevate Auctions also will allow the WCPHSF to provide a link on its website from which the public will be able to view and bid on silent auction items that will be made available.

“We feel confident that bringing in Bill Brown and Elevate Auctions will help us raise even more money for the WCPHSF and the many charities we support,” said Mark Stiles, the Foundation’s director of donor and stakeholder relations. “Bill is an expert in the field and works with some of the largest foundations and not-for-profit groups in Southern Alberta and beyond.”

Tickets for the Okotoks and Regina banquets are available at tickets.hockeyscoutsfoundation.com.

Dodginghorse to be feted at WCPHSF’s Regina feast

Brent Dodginghorse was named the Canadian winner of the 2024-25 Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award on June 9.

On Sept. 30, which is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Dodginghorse, a member of the Tsuut’ina Nation near Calgary, will be honoured by the non-profit Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation at its Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends dinner in Regina.

Dodginghorse will join other Indigenous hockey legends like Kalley Armstrong, Ron Delorme, the King brothers, D.J. and Dwight, Jon (Nasty) Mirasty, Rich Pilon, Jordin Tootoo, Hall-of-Famer Bryan Trottier and Dave (Tiger) Williams at the dinner that is to be held at the Conexus Arts Centre. The evening’s entertainment will include a couple of hot stove sessions, with Dodginghorse expected to take part in one of them.

The prestigious Willie O’Ree Community Award — O’Ree broke the colour barrier in the NHL in 1958 — has been around since 2018. It was split into two awards in 2023 with two people now being honoured each year, one in Canada and the other from the U.S. According to the award’s mission statement, it honours those who, through the game of hockey, have positively impacted his or her community, culture or society.

From NHL.com: “Dodginghorse is the co-founder of the DH Ranch, which has 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. Tsuut’ina, which has two traditional meanings: ‘the beaver people’ and also ‘many people,’ uses the spirit of the horse to teach students about Indigenous culture and history, encouraging greater harmony among teammates, classmates, friends and neighbours.”

He and his wife, Sonya, operate the DH Ranch on Tsuut’ina. They use horses in their camps for children and also in team-building programs.

As Dodginghorse explained to Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson: “The horses are the big teachers for us, because they teach us communication. They teach us so many aspects of that area. Horses are the big teachers on diversity, because they don’t speak. Everything is body language or body communication. So if you come at them too aggressive, they’re either going to fight you, flight, freeze or fawn, which means they’ll hide behind people. So those horses taught me a lot about communication, and that’s what we teach people when they come to the ranch. They also learn to overcome obstacles, because a lot of people are frightened of horses. So these horses are teaching confidence, communication and teamwork. Our program is built around those aspects.

“We give these people, whether it’s kids or adults, an opportunity to bond and to work together and to learn the important aspects of life. Because how many people ultimately make the NHL? Is it .001? So that opportunity to teach valuable life skills is very important, and especially for the youth, so they can use those skills to be good human beings when they move eventually into school, university or the work world.”

O’Ree, who has input into the selection of winners of the award that bears his name, offered: “Dodginghorse draws from his own experiences to teach others about compassion and understanding. It takes a strong spirit to share personal stories with strangers, but he does it to help make his community stronger. The domino effect of his work is commendable. Congratulations Brent Dodginghorse.”

As a hockey player, Dodginghorse, now 47, spent two seasons (1995-97) with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, helping them to a national title in 1996, and two with the Calgary Hitmen, who won the 1998-99 WHL championship with him in the lineup and playing a prominent role.

These days, he also is a consultant with the NHL’s Calgary Flames, and he is a former world champion steer wrestler.

The WCPHSF has partnered with the Regina Hotel Association to present the Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends dinner, with some of the proceeds going to the Ranch Ehrlo Society’s Outdoor Hockey League, Sask Sport, for KidSport Saskatchewan, and the Circle Project.

Tickets are available at tickets.hockeyscoutsfoundation.com.

For more information, contact . . .

Garth Malarchuk, WCPHSF chairman of the board

gmalarchuk@torontomapleleafs.com

Mark Stiles, WCPHSF director of donor and stakeholder relations

mstiles@m3sports.net

Tim Lenardon, WCPHSF co-ordinator

timlenardon78@gmail.com

Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends banquet coming to Regina

REGINA (May 13, 2025) — The non-profit Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation is partnering with the Regina Hotel Association to celebrate Indigenous hockey.

A dinner, billed as ‘Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends’, is scheduled for Sept. 30 at the Conexus Arts Centre on Lakeshore Drive in Regina’s beautiful Wascana Park.

The dinner also is being held in conjunction with National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

It is anticipated that the evening will include two hot stove sessions featuring some of those legends, including Kalley Armstrong, Ron Delorme, the King brothers, D.J. and Dwight, Jon (Nasty) Mirasty, Rich Pilon, Jordin Tootoo, Hall-of-Famer Bryan Trottier and Dave (Tiger) Williams, with more to be added.

“Having the opportunity to hold an event in a city with one of the richest histories in hockey on such a significant day and adding in the banquet’s theme is just a recipe for a successful event,” said Garth Malarchuk, a longtime scout with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and the WCPHS Foundation’s chairman of the board. “This certainly meets one of our foundation’s primary mandates in supporting and giving back to the community.”

The dinner also will feature auctions involving hockey sweaters from Indigenous players.

Some of the proceeds from the evening will be shared with Regina-area organizations, including the Ranch Ehrlo Society’s Outdoor Hockey League, which had a single-season high 466 players participate in 2024-25, its 32nd season. Also receiving some of the proceeds will be Sask Sport, for KidSport Saskatchewan, and the Circle Project, which, according to its mission statement, “provides support and programs based on the Aboriginal vision of wholeness, balance, and healing. By promoting positive human development, we encourage people to help themselves through education, cultural awareness, family and community.”

“Regina has always been a city where hockey lives at the heart of the community. We are proud to welcome the 2025 Western Canadian Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation gala dinner and celebrate the legacy and contributions of the scouts who shape the game we love,” Sandra Jackle, the RHA’s president and CEO, said. “Partnering this event with National Day for Truth and Reconciliation not only amplifies the energy but also highlights the strong hockey culture that defines our city.

“We are thrilled to support this initiative, which not only brings the hockey world together but also gives back to the Regina community through the Scouts Foundation mission and outreach.”

Tammy Hoffart, KidSport’s provincial co-ordinator, added: “KidSport is a children’s charity designated to assist children ages 5-18 of families facing financial obstacles to participate in community sport programs. In 2024, KidSport provided opportunities to 5,500 children in Saskatchewan — 1,254 of which self identified as Indigenous. . . . Hockey remains one of our top-funded sports and in 2024 KidSport helped 861 kids through over $300,000 in grants to participate.

“Connecting with the Indigenous Hockey Legends banquet will help as KidSport looks to broaden our reach in 2025 and celebrate 30 years of helping get kids off the sidelines and into the game.”

Banquet tickets — $250 each or $1,600 per table of eight — are available at the Foundation’s website (hockeyscoutsfoundation.com).

In the lead-up to the dinner, the foundation and the hotel association will sponsor a contest involving Regina high school students. It will run from Sept. 1-14. The Foundation is looking for a ‘Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends’-related design to use on t-shirts, with sale proceeds to be given to charity. The contest winner will receive a bursary and an invitation to the banquet as a guest of the foundation. Watch for more details on this contest to be revealed in August.

“As a Reginan and a scout, I am really excited for the possibilities that exist for our foundation through an event such as this,” said Ross Mahoney, the WCPHS Foundation’s vice-president and the NHL-Washington Capitals’ assistant general manager. “I also am a former Regina high school teacher, so am really looking forward to being involved with the schools and our contest.”

The WCPHSF is in its infancy, having held its startup banquet less than two years ago. It raised enough money through that dinner and all that went with it, including a roast of Hockey Night in Canada’s Ron MacLean and various auctions, that it was able to get its Wall of Honour built and installed in the Viking Rentals Centre, the arena in Okotoks, Alta.

The Foundation held its inaugural induction dinner on July 29, 2024, during which 49 past and present-day scouts were saluted. The theme was ‘Tales From the Road,’ with two hot stove sessions featuring a whole lot of story-telling.

This year’s induction banquet — A Night With the Sutters — is scheduled for Okotoks on July 29, with a class of 29 to be inducted. The night will include hot stove sessions featuring hockey’s Sutter brothers.

There is a whole lot more to the WCPHSF than a Wall of Honour.

Since its inception, the Foundation has operated as a non-profit organization under the Alberta Societies Act; it recently applied for registered charity status with Revenue Canada.

The Foundation’s Vision statement, which is on its website (hockeyscoutsfoundation.com), includes:

“Our non-profit foundation is appreciative and indebted to the game of hockey and all that it has provided to our life’s experiences. Because of that we feel a strong obligation and commitment to give back to charities, communities and individuals who could benefit from our support and financial assistance.”

The Foundation already has helped out in those areas with organizations as varied as Bear Clan Bow River and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It also has provided financial help to scouts with medical issues.

The Foundation’s long-range plan includes providing financial assistant to individuals in the scouting community who are facing medical challenges; conducting seminars to provide future scouts, parents, players and coaches with information about the realities of playing hockey at a professional level; organize ‘Bid for Kids’ auction packages with all proceeds going to a designated individual or child-focused organization; supporting organizations across Western Canada with funding to reduce operational costs; and donations to health-related charities.

For further info, contact . . .

Garth Malarchuk, WCPHSF chairman of the board

gmalarchuk@torontomapleleafs.com

Tim Lenardon, WCPHSF co-ordinator

timlenardon78@gmail.com

Gregg Drinnan, WCPHSF editor/historian

greggdrinnan@gmail.com